Resident Artist Program - Penland School of Craft (Due June 15)
Resident Artist Program - Penland School of Craft
Deadline: June 15th, 2026
Established in the 1960s, Penland’s Resident Artist Program is one of the longest-running artist residencies in the United States. It is an opportunity for professional craft artists to focus in the studio and make a formative leap in their work and career.
Depending on the nature of an applicant’s goals, we offer two options for interested candidates:
1-year project-based residency; artists submit a project proposal and may use the time to push technical and conceptual boundaries, conduct research and development in a particular topic or process, or explore an entirely new aspect of their work.
3-year career transition residency; artists submit objectives to advance their studio practice, to work out the practicalities of making a living, or to make a formative transition in their career path.
Our Goals for the Residency:
Build a multicultural residency that shapes the future of contemporary craft by creating opportunity and visibility for passionate craft artists who bring a range of perspectives and goals to the program
Recognize artists whose work shows innovation, intention, and skill; are actively engaged in professional creative practices; and are committed to proposing and prioritizing goals that can be supported, informed, and inspired by a residency at Penland
Create a productive studio environment by minimizing obligations while connecting residents to a vibrant school community that values craft, curiosity, and connection.
Resident artists work independently to pursue their stated goals for their residencies. They do this in an atmosphere of encouragement within a community of makers. Living at Penland means residents are surrounded by the many working craftspeople who live nearby as well as the larger Penland community that comes to campus throughout the year for our workshops, programs, and events. Residents also enjoy long stretches of quiet, focused studio time when the school pauses between seasons.
At the end of their residency, the great majority of residents continue as studio artists and build on the work they started at Penland.