Visual Studies Workshop

Visual Studies Workshop (VSW) seeks residency proposals from artists for its Project Space.
The Project Space is a studio workspace for artists working primarily but not exclusively in photography, book art, film, and media art. A committee of VSW staff and outside artists and curators will review applications and select up to 20 artists for 4-week terms throughout the year. Two artists may be in residence at a time: one local/regionally-based, and one national/international artist is housed in an apartment within walking distance to VSW. Each artist receives 24hr access to a private studio, and a stipend of $1000, a $500 travel budget for those from outside the region, and a supplies budget of $250. Residents receive the support of VSW’s digital printing technician, program assistants, consultations with photography, book art, and media art curators on staff, as well as research support in VSW’s collections. 

This round of residencies will be scheduled from September 2023 through August 2024.

The Project Space provides artists the opportunity to experiment with new work, new display strategies, and to have discussions with critics, curators, VSW staff, and the community-at-large about works-in-progress. An introductory event within the VSW community and a public talk or open studio are organized to engage the public with the visiting artist’s work and ideas.

Call opens:           January 12, 2023

Deadline:              April 2, 2023

Notification:         On or before June 15, 2023

Guidelines and FAQs

• Submit a 250-500 word proposal that describes your artistic practice and the project you will work on at VSW.
• Please submit samples of recent works made within the past 3 years in the form of still images, PDFs of books, moving image pieces, documentation of installations or writing samples where applicable to the work.
• You MUST include a first and second choice of month for the residency. Note that summer months are very highly requested due to the number of educators who apply. 
• A bio of no more than 100 words with a website link.
• Collaborations are welcome and, in the case of a collaborative proposal, an additional 100-word bio and web links for proposed collaborators may be submitted. Collaborators from outside the Western NY region in need of housing need to be comfortable residing in the artist apartment together or find housing on their own. 
• The artist accommodation is a studio apartment about an 8 minute walk from VSW. There is one parking spot in a covered garage. The apartment has one queen size bed. There is a small kitchen with all the essentials. There is a HEPA air purifier and the apartment is professionally cleaned between residents.  There is a coin operated shared laundry room for the building and internet. 
• We do not permit pets in the apartment, or at VSW, but if an accepted artist has a support animal with an ESA certificate we can present it to the landlord for approval. Early notification to VSW of this accommodation is essential. 
• Family members or visitors are welcome at the artist apartment and at VSW, however the workshop is not an appropriate space for small children, except as supervised short term visitors to your studio. If you feel you require special accommodations or have questions please contact us. 
• All submissions must be made through submittable.com.
• This is an artist residency for creative experimentation and we acknowledge that proposed projects are not always worked on and rarely completed during the time allotted. There are no requirements that accepted residents perform or complete a proposed project. The project proposal simply provides reviewers with a context for the scope and fit of the proposing artists' process and ideas for new or continued work and our capacities to support it. 
• Eligibility is free and open to all adult practitioners except currently enrolled students, who are not eligible for residencies at this time.
• Only one proposal per applicant. 
• Proposals by previous residents are welcome, however reviewers will prioritize first-time residents over those who have had a residency within the past three years.
• The deadline for submissions is April 2, 2023 at midnight Eastern Standard Time; due to the number of proposals received, any submissions emailed after the deadline will not be considered. 

Accepted media for work samples

• Up to 10 still images, no larger than 72 resolution and 10 inches on the longest side
• Up to 10 minutes of moving image material
• Up to 3,000 words of written work

Contact Mary -- marylewandowski@vsw.org if you have questions.

Visual Studies Workshop’s mission is to support makers and interpreters of images through education, residencies, publications, exhibitions, and collections. Our wide range of programs and facilities support media artists, students, other arts organizations, and the general population interested in the visual arts. The interrelated program areas that implement our mission are the Research Center, VSW Press, Artists-in-Residence, and the VSW Salon. We are located in Rochester, NY in the Neighborhood of the Arts at 31 Prince Street, 14607.

Artist residencies at VSW are supported in part by Joy of Giving Something, The Max and Marian Farash Foundation, The County of Monroe, The New York State Council on the Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts Grants for Arts Projects