Studio Access Residency
The Visual Arts Center of Richmond’s Studio Access Residency is designed to support emerging and established visual artists and writers as they develop new ideas and to foster artistic exploration by providing free access to VisArts’ 17 communal studio spaces.
The aim of the Studio Access Residency supports artists by:
- Offering access to well-equipped studios, studio demos and skillshares
- Cultivating a diverse exchange of ideas among peers
- Providing the opportunity to work in a community of makers
Studio Access Residencies last for six months and provide free access to one or all of VisArts’ communal studios during our regular building hours. We offer two, six-month Studio Access Residencies each year (Spring + Summer/Fall + Winter). VisArts has 17 professional art studios dedicated to clay, digital, drawing, painting, fiber, flameworking, glass, letterpress, metals, photography, printmaking and wood. We encourage residents to take advantage of all of our studios to work across different media, or they can choose to focus on one studio to hone their skills.
We hope this residency provides individuals with the opportunity to connect with like-minded makers in the VisArts community, as well as provide training, experience and access to the equipment and studio space they need. We require residents to adhere to studio policies and receive thorough training and approval to gain access to studios. Accepted residents may work independently in the studio(s) for which they have been approved, excluding the woodshop, flameworking and the fab lab studios which have only monitored studio time. Any accepted residents that are unfamiliar with a studio, process, piece of equipment or a tool will be required to participate in an official training.
ELIGIBILITY
Studio Access Residents can be established or emerging artists working in a range of visual art and craft-based materials. Artists must be over the age of 18 and have some experience in the studios they wish to work in, however, we will provide opportunities for training and orientation. When submitting an application to be considered, we highly encourage applicants to provide a description of the work they hope to accomplish while in residency, expand on any specific project outlines, how they will creatively use the studios at VisArts, and discuss how the opportunity to have free access impacts your goals.
All artists are welcome to apply, but in an effort to address systemic inequalities, we will prioritize applications from BIPOC artists and those that come from groups that have been historically underrepresented due to age, disability, sexual orientation, gender and gender identity, or socioeconomic status.
ACCESSIBILITY
Our facility is ADA compliant with the exception of one of our drawing and painting studios. Our letterpress studio requires individuals in a wheelchair to enter through an exterior door. We will work to support the individual needs of each resident.
HOW TO APPLY
All applications are accepted via the link below and there is no fee to apply, just make an account on SlideRoom.
SPRING + SUMMER 2025 Studio Access Residency dates: May 1 – October 31, 2025Applications open: January 6, 2025 at 9 a.m.Applications close: February 2, 2025 at 7:59 p.m.
Have questions about this program? Email [email protected].