Applications for Artists: How to Apply to Artist Residencies and Fellowships
A shot I took of the vineyards of Mas Palou on a walk when I participated in their 3rd Artist Residency in March 2024.
If you are an emerging artist that wants to step into taking your practice seriously, this is for you.
If you are an artist that wants support from a working writer and visual artist to write about your practice, this is for you.
If you want a system for putting together application materials so you don’t have to scramble and stress every time you see a cool opportunity, this is for you.
If you are an artist that wants more clarity and confidence around your work, this is for you.
Clay tools. Photo: Micaela Platt
Writing. Writing. Writing. Photo: Kate Stone
Doing linocut
Say goodbye to...
Seeing a cool opportunity that could be supportive for your creative practice, but not knowing how to apply for it/receive it
Feeling the stress of having to put together an application from scratch every time you see an opportunity you want to apply for
Confusion about the intentions behind your work, what your work is doing in the world, and what you want your work to do in the world
Feeling unable to communicate about your practice in ways that other people understand
Say hello to clarity about your creative practice for $30 a session.
Introducing: Applications for Artists
This workshop series will support you in developing clear and compelling language about your creative practice in order to receive resources, space and time to create away from your day-to-day life and responsibilities, funding, and other tools/knowledge/opportunities so you can move closer to making the idea or image in your head exist in the world on the other side of hitting “submit.”
Together we will:
Walk through the process of applying to artist residencies and fellowships
Find residencies and fellowships for you to apply for
Write your artist bio
Create your artist resume
Write your project statement
Review what your portfolio + artist website should include
Develop a system for tracking opportunities you’re interested in, are working on applications for, or have submitted to
Review the most common ways artist applications are submitted
Hit submit together
Live sessions will be held in May AND JUNE 2024.
MAY 2024 is SOLD OUT!
Here’s the schedule for MAY 2024. All Wednesday sessions held from 6:30-8 PM EST.
Wednesday, May 1st: Group grounding, Notion overview, Finding opportunities, System for tracking opportunities
Wednesday, May 8th: Writing Your Artist Bio
Wednesday, May 15th: Writing Your Project Statement
Wednesday, May 22nd: Creating Your Artist Resume, Portfolio, and Website
Wednesday, May 29th: Closing the container, sharing our work, hitting submit together
JUNE 2024 is SOLD OUT!
Wednesday, June 19th: Group grounding, Notion overview, Finding opportunities, System for tracking
Wednesday, June 26th: Your Artist Bio
Wednesday, July 3rd: Your Project Statement
Wednesday, July 10th: Your Artist Resume, Portfolio, Website
Wednesday, July 17th: Closing the container, sharing, hitting submit together
Body-doubling/co-working session details to come.
In the studio while in residence at John Bauer Ceramics in Cape Town, South Africa. January-February 2024. Photo: Micaela Platt
Why’d I create this container?
I made this workshop series for you because I believe your work deeply matters and you deserve time and space to work on it without having to also manage the day-to-day responsibilities of your life (because like me, you’re probably not filthy rich). I also made this workshop for you because I’m a writer and sometimes struggle with knowing wtf to say about my practice—and I literally have won awards for stringing words together.
Here’s the thing, knowing how to translate what you’re doing internally in and with your work into language that people outside of you can understand and want to support is hard, but essential work to creating a life as a working artist. In this workshop we will practice and do just that.
I also made this workshop for you because sometimes, the things we want like uninterrupted time and space to be in our practice feel hard and out of reach even though we see others able to access it somehow. I’m hopeful that after this workshop, getting what you want and need for your practice will feel easy (or at least easier). You’ll have a roadmap, a system and a process you can come back to over and over again to create language and materials around your work, hit submit on an application, and hopefully get what you need on the other side of your effort.
I’m also hopeful that through participating in the workshops, you will see connections between your work that you weren’t aware of before. That you’ll feel more confident and have more clarity about your creative practice (and that that clarity will translate into more of your important work existing in the world). And finally, I made this workshop because so much is confusing and not said about figuring out how to be a working artist and that’s bullshit. Also, I was put on this earth to share what I know, so I’m just doing what I’m supposed to do.
Here’s how residencies and fellowships have impacted my creative practice:
Desk shot from my time at Pocoapoco’s Independent Study in April 2022. This was my first residency experience and it simply showed me that this was possible, that building a life as a working artist and getting other people/institutions to invest in my practice was possible. This independent study also provided me with time and space to finish reading books that have deeply informed my work like Demonic Grounds by Kathrine McKittrick and Ecowomanism: African American Women and Earth-Honoring Faiths by Melanie L. Harris. Pocoapoco helped me to really see myself as a working artist.
Location: Oaxaca, Mexico
Independent Study Length: 10 days
Group shot of everyone involved in Mas Palou’s 3rd Artist Residency in March 2023. This was my second residency experience and it was the first time I shared about my experience with cancer publicly both in the container of the residency with other residents + community members and on social media with my broader community. This residency helped me create the confidence to really stand in and on the fact that I am working on a book/memoir. This residency also provided me with time and space to find Black feminist ways into the work of writing my memoir, to think about what I don’t want the memoir to be or do, and to find references to anchor the book in.
Location: El Pla del Penedes, Spain
Residency length: 10 days
Photo: Kate Stone
Installation of “I’m just going to make a small incision” at Mudhouse Residency in July/August 2023. This was my third residency experience and it provided me with space and time to figure out a process for getting the book written by breaking the mammoth task of writing 60,000-100,000 words into smaller chunks that can be expanded on. I wrote a draft that is the beginning of a chapter, read more memoirs and also learned + explored a new visual art medium—paper making which lead to the creation of my first sculpture (pictured above) and got me thinking about how illness/cancer might be represented and discussed visually in my creative practice.
Location: Crete, Greece
Residency length: 2 weeks
These vessels, Internal Matter, were made at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts 5th Summer Session in Ceramics in August 2023. I received a fellowship to participate in this session which meant that all I had to pay for was my flight to and from Haystack (they also gave me a check!!!). This session provided me with space and time to explore a new method of working with clay, to begin to understand my visual language, and to fill in gaps in my actual way of making that have benefitted my practice (because we don’t know what we don’t know and I taught myself how to hand build!)
Location: Deer Isle, Maine
Session length: 12 days
Coiling a pot in the studio at John Bauer Ceramics in February 2024. This was my fifth residency experience and it provided me with space and time to simply make, make, make. For the first time as a visual artist, I didn’t have to fit clay work into the corners and crevices of my day/life. It was front and center. This enabled me to explore and develop my visual language further, to gain insight into my slights of hand, to grow and realize connections between my work with clay, writing, and herbalism practices. I also learned multiple alternative firing techniques, began to pull more natural materials into the finishing of my work, and began to feel free to experiment and develop my own firing techniques.
Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Residency length: 9 weeks
…in addition to growing in my practice on EVERY residency/workshop I’ve participated in, I have developed relationships with folks that I keep in touch with to this day, learned more about how to build a life as a working artist, and in some cases traveled to locations I’d wanted to visit since middle school through the portal of my creative practice.
Somewhere off the coast of Athens, Greece ahead of Mudhouse’s 3rd Summer Residency Session. July 2024
I designed this container with you in mind.
Classes in May and June 2024 are taught live so you can get any questions answered in real time
Groups are kept small (capped at 12) so we can co-create an intimate space where everyone feels both safe and brave enough to share.
I’ve done and consistently do the very thing I’m teaching you, so you’re learning from someone who is also playing the game
We’ll have body-doubling/co-working sessions so you can get materials written/move through the workbook together with other people (instead of trying to find time on your own and then never actually moving through the workbook)
The Notion workbook creates a system you can use over and over to generate language about your work as your practice grows and shifts
Classes are recorded in case you miss one and need to catch up. They will be shared in a member area on this very website
Each piece of collateral is covered in one class with time for you to begin working on it right after hearing what it is that you need to write/develop
Materials will be developed in community with other artists that are also trying, because trying can be scary and doing it together almost always assuages fears
You will have access to a Slack space with me and your fellow cohort members to ask questions, follow up on anything shared during live sessions, share opportunities, etc.
Here’s what people are saying about Applications for Artists...
“This workshop didn't just directly contribute to my acceptance at a comedy writing residency, it completely changed how I see myself as an artist. I took my practice seriously for maybe the first time ever. I even reframed my website with my updated bio (and moved client work to an afterthought). Plus, I was accepted into a residency I would have never had the resources or confidence to apply for before this!!! Gabrielle is an incredible facilitator. She has both the organizational tools and the means to bring folks together for accountability and collective empowerment.” — Olivia Crandall, fiction writer and October 2023 workshop participant
How To Buy:
The live workshop series costs $30 a session for a total of $150 and includes access to all sessions (5 material overview sessions + 4 body-doubling sessions) and the reusable Notion workbook.
Bonus!
Right now, when you purchase Applications for Artists (June 2024 live sessions) you get a (free!!!) bonus of a close review of your materials (with comments/notes) + one session with me (max 1 hour long) to discuss my notes/ideas before we collectively hit submit or class ends.
FAQ
How do I know if this is right for me?
This workshop series is right for you if you have a creative practice + project that you’re currently working on inside of your practice and are looking for space + time, funding, or other resources to take your project from idea or image in your head into tangible thing (book, ceramic vessel, series of paintings, film, etc.) that exists in the world.
When are sessions?
MAY 2024 is SOLD OUT. All Wednesday sessions held from 6:30-8 PM EST.
Wednesday, May 1st: Group grounding, Notion overview, Finding opportunities, System for tracking opportunities
Wednesday, May 8th: Writing Your Artist Bio
Wednesday, May 15th: Writing Your Project Statement
Wednesday, May 22nd: Creating Your Artist Resume, Portfolio, and Website
Wednesday, May 29th: Closing the container, sharing our work, hitting submit together
JUNE 2024 is SOLD OUT. All Wednesday sessions held from 6:30-8 PM EST.
Wednesday, June 19th: Group grounding, Notion overview, Finding opportunities, System for tracking
Wednesday, June 26th: Your Artist Bio
Wednesday, July 3rd: Your Project Statement
Wednesday, July 10th: Your Artist Resume, Portfolio, Website
Wednesday, July 17th: Closing the container, sharing, hitting submit together
Body-doubling/co-working session details to come.
When is the enrollment deadline?
April 24th at 11:59 PM EST for May 2024 sessions
May 29th at 11:59 PM EST for June 2024 sessions
How will I access the one-on-one session with you?
As we near the end of class, I will share a TidyCal link with workshop participants to schedule their hour long session with me. This session will need to take place within a designated time period in order to honor my capacity and enable me to show up at my best.
Why only 12 students a session?
Research shows that as you begin to have groups with more than 13-17 students, they can become unwieldy to manage and impede the learning of others. We’re all adults so it’s not likely that would happen, but to be on the safe side I’ve capped our groups below 13.
What if I want a one-on-one container instead of the group sessions?
Please reach out so we can develop something that best meets your needs. Note that the price will be higher than this workshop (and tailored based on what you’re looking for) to account for the increase in care and attention provided through a one-on-one container.
Can I attend just one session? I feel like I only need information about one area that you’re planning to cover.
I’m so glad you feel well resourced! To access this container, you have to pay for all 5 sessions, so you might as well attend the whole series. If you want to work with me on one specific area, I’m happy to set up a one-off strategy/coaching session with you. Please email me (projects@gabrielleionehickmon.com) and I’ll send over further details for how to set that up. In the future, I may offer the individual topics as stand-alone sessions that you can purchase, watch, and move through on your own.
I need accommodations.
Please reach out by the enrollment deadline of your session and let me know so I can do my best to accommodate!
Are there sliding scale or payment plans available?
Sliding scale payments are not available, but payment plans are. Please contact me via email projects@gabrielleionehickmon.com or Instagram DM @__gabrielleione if you need a payment plan.
The enrollment fee can be split over two or three payments. Payment plans require a payment of $50 or $75 upfront (i.e. within a week of receiving the invoice after we agree upon the specifics of your plan) depending upon if you would like to pay over two or three installments. This is necessary to secure your spot due to the high level of interest in the live workshop series. If you choose a payment plan, I will invoice you for the agreed upon amounts on the agreed upon schedule.
Please note that the series fee of $150 must be paid in full by the enrollment deadline or else you will not be able to join us on Zoom.
Are refunds available?
Refunds are not available under any circumstance.
What if I don’t have a specific project I’m working on? What if you didn’t mention the medium I work in?
If you’re someone with a creative practice but maybe don’t yet have a specific project you’re working on inside of your practice, you can still attend the workshops. You will learn how to write about your practice more generally and we will tailor any applications you submit to being about space to develop/dream of projects, rest, etc.
All mediums are welcome, so just because I didn’t name what you do creatively doesn’t mean this isn’t for you. It is! Please join us.
What if I can’t ______?
Make it live? Sessions where we’re covering material will be recorded and shared via a Squarespace Member Area right here on this very website so you can catch up on your own time.
Make every body-doubling session? Reach out to others in your cohort and see if they can body-double with you or do your best to catch up on your own time.
What happens if it doesn’t work for me?
I make no promises or guarantees that you’ll get a “yes” or acceptance letter from every opportunity you’ll apply to as a result of taking this workshop series. Hell, I don’t even get told yes all the time. No one does. What I do promise is that if you show up and commit to moving through the process with me + your cohort, you will have more clarity and confidence about your creative practice, a system you can use to create application materials over and over, and an idea of what it takes to ask for what you need to resource your practice (and hopefully get it).
Who do I contact for support?
Me, Gabrielle!
Other questions...
I’m only teaching live in the spring so people have the materials they need ahead of when most applications are due in the fall. After the live sessions in May and June 2024, this will become a self-paced series of videos + materials to move through on your own with the option to add on a session with me to discuss your materials. So, if you value or need the container of a live course, join me this May and June (or wait until I next teach it live again, likely in summer 2025).
If you have other questions, email (projects@gabrielleionehickmon.com) or DM me on IG (@__gabrielleione). I’m happy to support you in determining if this container is right for you right now.
© 2024 Gabrielle Ione Hickmon. All Rights Reserved.