Residency

Ucross Residency Program

Ucross Foundation

30 Big Red Lane
Clearmont, NY 82835

Deadline

Mar 01, 2023

Posted

Jan 30, 2023

Founded in 1981 by Raymond Plank, Ucross provides a rare gift in today’s world – uninterrupted time – along with work space and living accommodations, to competitively selected visual artists, writers, and composers. Nearly 2,200 individuals have spent time at Ucross since they first opened their doors. They have come from every state in the U.S. as well as from many countries around the world, including Germany, France, Scotland, England, Poland, Egypt, the Netherlands, Canada, Thailand, Japan, and others. Ucross extends invitations to approximately 100 individuals each year, selected by an outside panel of professionals. Residents are also invited through national partnerships with the Sundance Institute, the PEN/Hemingway Award, the Herb Alpert Award in the Arts, the Alley Theatre, the University of Houston, Rice University, and many others.

In a sense, Ucross is a research-and-development lab for the arts. Individuals are not required to produce finished products while at Ucross, though many do. They are encouraged to experiment and explore. At any one time, ten individuals working in different disciplines are in residence together for periods ranging from two to six weeks. They experience an inspiring combination of solitude and community. There is expansive time for private work, as well as the opportunity for lively exchange at group dinners with fellow artists. As playwright Kia Corthron said, “I felt like there were 40 hours in the day.”

The concrete results of residencies manifest as artists later make their work public, enriching the world’s culture with books, plays, art exhibitions, musical performances, and so much more. Many Ucross Fellows have received major awards and honors. To name just a few, Pulitzer Prize-winning writers Annie Proulx and Doug Wright are past Residents of Ucross. So are MacArthur Fellows Charles Wuorinen, Sarah Ruhl, and Colson Whitehead, Tony Award-winning composer Adam Guettel, and National Book Award winners Ann Patchett, Jean Valentine, Sigrid Nunez, Susan Choi, Sarah M. Broom, and Ha Jin.

Ucross also operates an Art Gallery, open to the public at no charge, featuring work by past residents, contemporary artists of the West, and thematic exhibitions.

Requirements

ELIGIBILITY: The Ucross Residency Program is open to visual artists, writers, composers, choreographers, interdisciplinary artists, and performance artists, as well as collaborative teams. Applicants must exhibit professional standing in their field; both mature and emerging artists of promise are welcome to apply. We do not accept applications from students at any level.