To be a successful artist in a country like the United States is to be a forager. A grant here, a commission there, a teaching job elsewhere. In an unstable and fluctuating market, even the most successful-looking artists might be struggling to get by on art sales alone. Artist residency programs are one way to save on studio rent, try out new techniques with unfamiliar or expensive materials, or simply dedicate energy to one’s work outside of the daily hustle.
What’s not to covet about getting paid for your time, and not just your finished work? CULTURED compiled some of the best paid residencies in New York state, from Upstate retreats in the historic homes of cherished writers to museum fellowships in the heart of Manhattan.
Currently Open
Museum of Art and Design Artist Residency
Location: Upper West Side, Manhattan
Description: On the sixth floor of the esteemed design museum, two residents are chosen to work across art, craft, and design over two annual sessions. Open studio hours are a big part of the program; in addition to studio visits and professional development with curators and museum staff, artists are expected to spend a couple hours a day engaging with museum visitors.
Deadline: Sept. 10
Duration: Two six-month sessions, running August to February and February to August
Honorarium: $15,000 for three days a week on site and $10,000 for two
William Flanagan Memorial Creative Persons Residency
Location: Montauk
Description: Organized by the Edward F. Albee Foundation in a renovated white-wall rural farmhouse in Montauk, the Barn is open year-round to support creative production from visual artists, writers, and more. Just two miles from the Atlantic Ocean, it also offers four-week residencies, each lasting a calendar month.
Deadline: Sept. 14
Duration: Four weeks, year-round
Honorarium: $2,500 stipend, plus housing
Sculpture Space Residency
Location: Long Island City, Queens
Description: This ceramics-focused residency from the Long Island City workspace offers access to equipment, kilns, and other materials. It asks a minimum commitment of 15 hours per week of studio work.
Deadline: Sept. 19
Duration: Oct. 19 – Dec. 19
Honorarium: Materials and a $2,000 firing credit
Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers
Location: Midtown, Manhattan
Description: This residency, offered through the New York Public Library system, gives artists, writers, scholars, and researchers full access to the city’s main branch and its resources to work on a long-form project. For nine months, 15 fellows take advantage of the space and engage the public through talks and programming. Each resident selected is in rarefied company: past fellows have included Colson Whitehead, Hua Hsu, and Hernan Diaz.
Deadline: Sept. 25
Duration: September through May
Honorarium: $90,000
Art Omi
Location: Ghent
Description: Artists-in-residence at the verdant Upstate New York sculpture park and gallery (featuring works by Tschabalala Self, Nayland Blake, and more) are chosen across five disciplines–architecture, art, dance, music, and literature–to explore, collaborate, and immerse themselves in their craft for two to four week periods throughout the year. Additional fellowships include further stipends and travel expenses for eligible artists.
Deadline: Visual arts applications close Sept. 14. Architecture, dance, and music applications close Oct. 1.
Duration: Two to four weeks. Architecture residencies run from May 27 – July 14. Visual arts residencies run from June 17 – July 12. Dance residencies run from July 22 – Aug. 9. Music residencies run from Aug. 12 – Aug. 30.
Honorarium: $300 stipend, plus additional financial awards and travel resources based on merit and need
Center for Book Arts Workspace Artist Residency
Location: Flatiron, Manhattan
Description: For emerging and mid-career New York-based practitioners, this six-month residency pushes visual artists of any disciplinary background to engage with the book as their medium. Residents have access to studio and storage space; printing, binding, and decorative materials; consultations from experienced artists and curators; classes on bookmaking; and several opportunities to present in public programs and exhibitions.
Deadline: Sept. 30
Duration: April through September 2027
Honorarium: $1,500, plus a $500 materials stipend
Lighthouse Works Fellowship
Location: Fishers Island, New York
Description: Cultural producers of all types are welcomed for six weeks into a three-story Victorian home perched on the southwest corner of this island off the Connecticut coast. The goal here is to provide artists with the time, space, and peace to create. Each participant has their own private studio with access to a wood shop, metalworks, and a kiln.
Deadline: Oct. 1
Duration: March 9 – April 20, 2027; May 4 – June 15, 2027; June 29 – Aug. 10, 2027; Aug. 24 – Oct. 5, 2027; and Oct. 19 – Nov. 30, 2027.
Honorarium: $1,750 stipend, plus housing, food, and a studio space
Squeaky Wheel Workspace Residency
Location: Buffalo
Description: Since the mid-’80s, Squeaky Wheel has largely focused on film, video, and digital arts, but previous participants have also included artists, scholars, and curators working across sound art, virtual reality, games, performance, and more. Residents receive access to a wide range of tools and materials, and will be expected to participate in a 20-minute artist talk and a skill share workshop.
Deadline: Oct. 2
Duration: June 11 – 26, 2027
Honorarium: $1,000 stipend, $400 travel stipend, $300 for materials, and housing, plus up to $1,000 for childcare or disability assistance.
Upcoming
Watermill Center Artist Residency Programs
Location: Water Mill
Description: The legendary Robert Wilson-founded performing arts hub in the Hamptons hosts two residencies: the Year-Round Residency, which supports unbounded exploration and experimentation, and the International Summer Program, which gathers 20 artists for a four-week performance intensive.
Deadline: Year-Round Residency applications open in January 2027, and ISP applications open winter 2026. Applications will remain open for six weeks.
Duration: The Year-Round Residencies take place from January to June and September to December, lasting a minimum of two weeks and a maximum of four. The ISP lasts for four weeks from July through August.
Honorarium: The stipend is between $1,200-3,000 per artist for the open call residencies, depending on the size of the group. One applicant is selected for the Baroness Nina von Maltzahn Fellowship, which includes a higher stipend along with a sizeable material/production fee. Housing and studio space are provided for all residents. Travel stipends are offered as needed.
The Studio Museum Residency
Location: Harlem, Manhattan
Description: Founded in 1968, the residency has supported Black and Latino visual artists for decades. It’s the museum’s longest-running initiative and culminates in a summer exhibition.
Deadline: Applications typically open mid-April and close mid-May
Duration: November through October
Honorarium: $50,000
Powerhouse Arts Artist-in-Residence Program
Location: Gowanus, Brooklyn
Description: This six-month residency supports early-career New York artists in the production of new works through studio space, tools, material support, curatorial mentorship, and financial support. Uniquely, artists need not apply with a fully developed proposal; discovery along the way is part of the process.
Deadline: Late June
Duration: August through March
Honorarium: $10,000, plus a $17,000 materials stipend
Pioneer Works Visual Artist Residency
Location: Red Hook, Brooklyn
Description: Twice a year, Pioneer Works invites 10 visual artists and 12 musicians to work at their converted Red Hook hub for five months to extend their research and practice across art and science. Residents also participate in the creative lab’s education programs, including Second Sundays.
Deadline: Mid-June to mid-July
Duration: Five months, January to June and July to December
Honorarium: $5,000 stipend
Robert Rauschenberg Archives Research Residency
Location: Noho, Manhattan
Description: This residency offers workspace and access to the Robert Rauschenberg’s Foundation’s extensive archives to scholars working on projects related to the artist and his work.
Deadline: October
Duration: The residency takes place three times a year (April to May; June to July; and September to October) with lengths ranging from one to three weeks.
Honorarium: $1,500 research stipend, plus housing and travel costs
Amant Artist-in-Residency Program
Location: East Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Description: The art space offers an extended residency for four research-based artists working critically across film, visual art, performance, cultural theory, or writing. All residents are expected to develop and present a public program as part of the ongoing series For Your Reference. Residents are submitted by curators, writers, artists, and arts administrators around the city and are selected through a nomination process.
Deadline: Artists are selected through a nomination process
Duration: Spring and fall sessions
Guild Hall Artist-in-Residence
Location: East Hampton
Description: Each residency allows participants to connect with other artists, curators, and philanthropists through salon dinners, mentorship, and studio visits. Each residency culminates with a staged performance or exhibition at Guild Hall.
Deadline: By invitation
Duration: One month long, in January, February, September, October, and November
Honorarium: $1,500 stipend and eight complimentary Hamptons Jitney tickets. Residents are also housed in a 19th-century Guild House.
Project Space Residency at Visual Studies Workshop
Location: Rochester, New York
Description: These four-week residencies are open to visual artists working across experimental photography, film, and multimedia projects. Artists are provided with studio space as well as housing nearby in the Western New York hamlet.
Deadline: May
Duration: Year-round
Honorarium: $1,000 stipend, plus $500 for travel and $250 for material costs
Center for Performance Research AiR
Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Description: Six New York artists are selected to develop and workshop new performance pieces over this year-long residency. Artists will also facilitate workshops through the Open Lab program and share their current practice through the performance series Open AiR.
Deadline: Applications open June and close in August
Duration: January – December
Honorarium: $2,000 and free rehearsal space
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