Hambidge Creative Residency Program
The Hambidge Creative Residency Program nurtures exceptional creative talents within the arts and sciences at their 600-acre creative sanctuary in the Blue Ridge Mountains, providing the space and time needed for visionary works to be conceived and developed. A spectrum of artistic disciplines is accepted – Arts & Culture Administration, Ceramics, Culinary, Dance, Music, Science, Visual Arts, Writing – as well as multidisciplinary and collaborative proposals. Nine individuals from around the globe are in residence at any given time – each has private accommodations and studio space, and shares communal dinners prepared by the Hambidge chef. ADA compliant studios are available and Hambidge is family friendly.
Residency Program Information
Residency Program Summary
Application Information
Qualified applicants must be working at a professional level in their field. We seek applications from emerging and mid-career creatives, as well as from those who are established with national and/or international reputations.
Applications for residency are judged primarily on the quality of submitted work samples and professional promise. There are no publication, exhibition, or performance requirements contingent on a Hambidge residency.
The Hambidge Center encourages creative professionals of all backgrounds to apply for admission. We celebrate varied ideas, world views, and personal characteristics, and are committed to being an organization that welcomes and respects everyone regardless of age, ability, ethnicity, race, religion, philosophical or political beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, nationality, geographic origin, and socioeconomic status.
Returning Fellows
Returning Fellows must submit a new application with recent work samples in the appropriate category of their discipline. After attending a Hambidge residency, Fellows must wait 2 years before returning.
Application Deadlines
• Apply from December 1 through January 15 for the SUMMER SESSION (May through August).
• Apply from March 1 through April 15 for the FALL SESSION (September through December).
• Apply from August 1 through September 15 for the SPRING SESSION of the following year (mid-February through April).
The residency fee is $250 per week.
Note: the actual cost of a residency is $1700/wk. Every year, the Hambidge Center raises funds to supplement $1450 for every residency week, leaving each resident with only the $250/wk fee.
Hambidge offers several merit-based Distinguished Fellowships which remove the fees for a two-week residency and provide a $700 stipend. Available Distinguished Fellowships vary from session to session and are listed in the Awards & Financial Assistance section of each session's application. Unless otherwise noted, they are reserved for first-time residents.
Hambidge also offers limited financial aid scholarships to accepted residents. Priority will be given to BIPOC residents with the goal of a more diverse and inclusive residency program.
Accessibility
Hambidge offers two ADA-compliant studios: Brena Studio and Cove Studio. Our dining and common areas can be navigated, but are not yet fully compliant. There are no sidewalks or paved areas; the connecting driveways are gravel and uneven. If you come to Hambidge without a car, the on-campus studios will require a walk to get to Lucinda’s Rock House. On average, the studios are 0.3 miles from the Rock House with a 157-elevation gain, walking on a gravel road with uneven terrain.
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Artists with limited mobility can fully experience the main elements of our residency. They are given an accessible studio in which to focus on their work, and can attend the communal evening dinners. There are outdoor areas - lawns, porches, decks - from which the inspiring rural landscape of the campus can be enjoyed.
Our dining and common areas can be navigated, but are not yet fully compliant. There are no sidewalks or paved areas; the connecting driveways are gravel and uneven. The hiking trails are not accessible.
Housing & Accomodation
Our dining and common areas can be navigated, but are not yet fully compliant.
Studio & Facilities
Built in 2003, the Antinori Pottery Studio provides a large, well-lit space for ceramic workshops as well as individual ceramicists. Gas and electric kilns are available for firing, plus areas for glaze mixing and storage. Adjacent to the structure is an outdoor area and kiln for raku work.
Studios are comfortable, but rustic and secluded. They are purposely simple, and most are out of sight of each other and somewhat isolated.