Open Call - Penumbra Workspace AIR Program & Risograph Residency

Penumbra Foundation’s two residencies, the Workspace A-I-R Program and Risograph Publication Residency, empower artists working with the photographic medium to take risks in their practice and create boundary-pushing work. They are now accepting applications for their 2026 cohort!

✶ The Penumbra Workspace A-I-R Program benefits emerging artists with access to time, facilities, critical and technical support, and honoraria. The extension of the program is 6-8 weeks, depending on the time requested by the selected artists. Participants have liberal access to their comprehensive facilities and are expected to use their time to pursue their own projects: researching, photographing, scanning, printing, working on an exhibition or editing a book. Artists will have opportunities to meet with Penumbra’s Advisory Board and engage with the community during and after their residency, as determined by the Directors.

The jurors for the 2026 Workspace AIR are: Makeda Best (Deputy Director of Curatorial Affairs at the Oakland Museum of California, curator, author, historian, and educator), Natasha Chuk (Media theorist, researcher, writer, and educator), and Walead Beshty (Artist and educator).

✶ The Penumbra Risograph Publication Residency provides the opportunity for artists to propose a photographic project to produce in print form, at their Risograph facilities in New York City. Artists receive resources, assistance, and time for the production of a small edition risograph photobook project. A basic overview of the operation and use of the ME9450 Risograph is provided - no prior risograph printing experience is required. Residents are allotted roughly one month to produce their projects in June, July, or August of 2025. Penumbra Foundation will assist in the distribution and promotion of the projects. The residency concludes with a book launch at In The Fold, Penumbra’s photobook forum, held in September 2026.

The jurors for the 2026 Risograph Residency are: Catherine E. McKinley (Curator and writer), Joshua Chuang (Director of Photography, Gagosian), and Travis Shaffer (Artist and educator).

Requirements

✶ Applicants for the Workspace AIR Residency must provide:

1. 10 - 20 work samples of a cohesive body of work
2. A detailed proposal
3. Artist statement
4. Resume
5. A Letter of Intent - a space for the applicant to describe how they intend utilize the residency time and facilities for their own practice and projects.

✶ Applicants for the Risograph Residency must provide:

1. A written project proposal. Please note that all projects must be photographic in nature.
2. Supporting Images of the project, including any existing mock-ups, pdfs, or maquettes that may be relevant to the project’s form as a book, or in print. (15 – 30 images).
3. Details of prior experience (if any – this is not a requirement) with print and book production and risograph printing.
4. A statement of why the proposed project might be well suited to Risograph reproduction.

Application Instructions

Both applications are FREE. Individuals can apply to both programs.
The deadline is Tuesday, March 31st, at 11:59pm EST.

APPLY HERE: https://site.picter.com/penumbra-foundation-residency-programs-2026