Research Exchange | Arts Rescue Mission

Research Exchange for The Creative Arts / National & International Residency Programs

INTERNATIONAL RESIDENCIES FOR ARTISTS, PERFORMERS, AND WRITERS

International eligibility: Beyond U.S. borders (Italy, Germany, Japan, Belgium, Nigeria), ensuring access for U.S. artists.
Broad disciplinary coverage: Visual, musical, literary, and interdisciplinary opportunities.
Strong support systems: Many cover travel, living expenses, provide studios, or offer significant prestige and networks.

1. Civitella Ranieri Foundation – Umbria, Italy

Disciplines: Visual artists, writers, and composers.
Format: Four six-week sessions in a 15th-century castle. Supports multidisciplinary work. Offers studio space, accommodation, board, and travel support. Dedicated to international creative exchange.
Artist Communities Alliance Wikipedia

2. Akademie Schloss Solitude – Stuttgart, Germany

Disciplines: Visual, music, literature, digital arts, architecture, and more.
Format: Six- to twelve-month fellowships every two years. Multidisciplinary, transnational, and designed to foster artistic research and community. Wikipedia

3. Villa Medici (Académie de France à Rome) – Rome, Italy

Disciplines: Visual arts, creative research, literary work.
Format: Year-long fellowships (~16 fellows selected annually plus shorter residencies). Offers studios, accommodation, support, exhibitions, and publication opportunities. villamedici.it

4. Villa Kujoyama – Kyoto, Japan

Disciplines: Broad range—from visual art, literature, crafts, music, performance, comics, fashion, digital creation.
Format: 4–6-month residencies (solo, pair, or duo formats). Supported by Institut français; includes post-residency presentation and exposure. Wikipedia

5. MacDowell (formerly MacDowell Colony) – New Hampshire, USA

Disciplines: Visual artists, composers, writers, poets, playwrights, filmmakers, interdisciplinary creators.
Format: Highly prestigious residencies. Since 2020 directed by Nell Painter. Legacy includes support for many award-winning creators. Wikipedia

6. Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA) – Virginia, USA & France

Disciplines: Visual artists, writers, composers.
Format: Flexible-length residencies; main site in Virginia, and a satellite in southwest France (Le Moulin à Nef). Hosts international applicants year-round. Wikipedia

7. The Watermill Center – New York, USA

Disciplines: Performance, interdisciplinary art, visual, writing, music.
Format: Year-round residencies with cross-disciplinary collaboration. Hosts about 200 artists annually, with open-studio events and experimental programming. Wikipedia

8. Boghossian Foundation Residency – Brussels, Belgium

Disciplines: Contemporary visual artists (interdisciplinary potential).
Format: Two- to three-month residencies, travel expenses covered. Provides shared living/studio in Villa Empain with cultural and international dialogue emphasis. contemporaryartissue.com

9. Guest Artists Space (G.A.S.) Foundation – Lagos & Ikiṣẹ Farm, Nigeria

Disciplines: Visual, interdisciplinary; includes experimental and socially engaged practices.
Format: 4- to 12-week residencies in Lagos and a farm-based retreat. Designed for low-pressure experimentation, cultural exchange, and creativity in context. Architectural Digest The Guardian

10. ARCUS Artist-in-Residence Program – Ibaraki, Japan

Disciplines: Contemporary visual arts (individuals or groups).
Format: ~90-day residencies. Includes private studio, accommodation, transport, production fee, living expenses. Focuses on research-based practice and community interaction. contemporaryartissue.com

U.S. RESIDENCIES FOR ARTISTS, PERFORMERS, AND WRITERS

Diverse disciplines: Each residency supports a range of artistic fields—from literature and music to visual and interdisciplinary practices.
Strong reputations and support: Many of these programs offer stipends, housing, studio space, and rich peer communities—some with notable national and international acclaim.
Range of formats: Options vary from short, focused summer programs (e.g. Skowhegan) to seven-month immersive residencies (FAWC), and flexible sessions (VCCA).

1. MacDowell — Peterborough, New Hampshire

Disciplines: Visual artists, composers, writers, filmmakers, playwrights, interdisciplinary artists.
Highlights: Founded in 1907, MacDowell is one of the oldest and most prestigious artist communities. Its alumni include Pulitzer, Tony, Grammy, MacArthur, and Guggenheim winners. Wikipedia AP News

2. Fine Arts Work Center (FAWC) — Provincetown, Massachusetts

Disciplines: Visual artists and writers.
Highlights: Annually selects 10 visual artists and 10 writers for seven-month residencies that include a stipend, living and studio space. Many alumni have gone on to major literary and artistic acclaim. Wikipedia

3. Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (VCCA) — Amherst, Virginia

Disciplines: Visual artists, writers, composers.
Highlights: Offers flexible residencies to about 400 artists a year, plus a satellite location in France. Fellows have earned MacArthur Grants, Pulitzers, and other honors. Wikipedia

4. Yaddo — Saratoga Springs, New York

Disciplines: Visual, literary, musical, film, performance, interdisciplinary arts.
Highlights: Established in 1926 with a rich legacy. Recently underwent extensive restoration to update studios and historic facilities. Architectural Digest

5. Ox-Bow School of Art & Artists’ Residency — Saugatuck, Michigan

Disciplines: Visual artists and writers; courses in painting, sculpture, ceramics, and more.
Highlights: Founded in 1908, it champions plein-air creation and offers fellowships and residencies year-round. Wikipedia

6. I-Park — East Haddam, Connecticut

Disciplines: Visual arts, creative writing, music composition, and interdisciplinary practices.
Highlights: Set within a nature-rich retreat, I-Park hosts composers, writers, and visual artists. Recent public open-studio events with multidisciplinary engagement reflect its immersive environment. The Middletown Press

7. Djerassi Resident Artists Program, California (mid-Peninsula)

Disciplines: Visual, media, and literary artists.
Highlights: Located on a secluded ranch, Djerassi fosters deep reflection and exchange among artists. midatlanticarts.org

8. Millay Colony for the Arts — Austerlitz, New York

Disciplines: Visual artists and composers; also supports writers.
Highlights: Serves as a well-regarded retreat that balances creative solitude and camaraderie. Assembly for the Arts

9. Ragdale, Lake Forest, Illinois

Disciplines: Visual artists, writers, composers, interdisciplinary artists.
Highlights: Retreat-style residencies set around a historic Prairie School estate. Assembly for the Arts

10. Skowhegan School of Painting & Sculpture, Madison, Maine

Disciplines: Visual artists (intensive programming).
Highlights: A rigorously selective, nine-week summer residency tailored for emerging visual artists. Assembly for the Arts guides.smu.edu

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For-Profit Consultants Accepting Artwork from Individual Artists

1 Creative Capital (nonprofit arts funding)

While it doesn’t handle art donations, it provides funds, mentorship, and advisory services enabling artists to realize projects destined for institutional presentation—not resale. Wikipedia

2. Turning Art

A commercial art advisory service offering curated artwork placements in hospitality, healthcare, offices, institutions, and real estate. Artists can submit art via their artist portal and participate in client installations. turningart.com

3. Curate Art Group

Specializes in commercial, healthcare, and hospitality environments. They commission site-specific work—murals, sculptures, print installations—and manage production, sourcing, and framing. Individual artists may engage through their commissions program. Curate Art Group

4. Noyes Art Designs

Focused on healthcare, corporate, senior living, and environmental graphics, this firm offers original artwork commissions, mural installations, framing, and project management. They work closely with creators to place art in therapeutic and work settings. Noyes Art 2018

4. Arco Gallery (Art Consulting)

Art consulting boutique that curates for hotels, offices, residential and nonprofit spaces. They manage artist collaborations, commission custom work, oversee logistics, and install pieces for impactful storytelling environments. Arco Gallery

5. Artelier (Hotel Art Consultants)

International consultancy dedicated to hotel environments. They deliver custom art commissions, lobby features, thematic wall art, and full project management—from concept to installation—including framing and logistics. Artelier

6. KP Studio (Global Art Consultancy)

Amsterdam-based studio providing bespoke art solutions across corporate, hospitality, healthcare, restaurant, and marine spaces. Collaborates closely with designers to commission artists and strategically place artworks in diverse global settings. kimberlypoppe.com

7. Kevin Barry Fine Art (Hospitality Art Consultants)

Specializes in supplying artwork to major hotel brands (like Hilton, Marriott, Hyatt). Artists may be engaged to provide bespoke artworks or collections that shape ambiance and brand identity in hotel environments. KBAA

8. Contemporary Art Society Consultancy

Although operating under a broader nonprofit mission, they offer consultancy services as a business unit that custom-designs public art commissions, collection strategies, and cultural overlays for corporate clients, developers, hospitals, and universities, often through fee-based engagements. Wikipedia