Steel Yard Artist Residency
The Steel Yard’s residency program can assist you in growing and strengthening your creative industrial art practice. Residents receive an all-access pass to our 10,000 square foot studio, tools, resources, and community. All participants should display experience, and an avid interest, within their media and a desire to work in a community studio.
The Steel Yard supports artists working in the industrial-arts: ceramics, welding, blacksmithing, jewelry, or the foundry arts. We offer short term and long term residency options; ranging from one month to one year.
Accepted residents have access to studios, tools, space, and community. They are invited to take, or teach, courses, attend critiques, participate in exhibitions, vend at art markets, be paid to design and fabricate public art work, and be part of a vibrant community of makers.
Residents will be required to sign a contract detailing responsibilities, privileges, studio access, and safety procedures. Residents will also be expected to contribute 5 hours of work time to the department monthly, and to participate in organizational fundraisers and departmental clean ups. Upon completion of their term, residents should expect to provide the Steel Yard with 5 images of the work created during their term, or as a direct result of their time at the Yard.
27 Sims Ave
Providence, RI 02903
United States
Residency Program Information
Residency Program Summary
Application Information
Applications are reviewed by an external committee of artists, academics, curators, and non-profit professionals. The committee considers the following metrics when viewing applications: the artistic merit of submitted work, the alignment of the application with organizational mission and values, applicant’s desire to be part of a community, applicant’s ability to work safely and independently in the studio, and building a diverse cohort of makers.
We encourage applicants to attend, or view, the Residency Info Session before applying.
Read and review the Resident Program Handbook for complete guidelines & expectations.
The Steel Yard is committed to diversity and inclusion. It is the policy of the Steel Yard that there shall be no discrimination with respect to the selection of the artist in residence because of race, color, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, gender, age, physical limitations or military status.
The Steel Yard provides free residency opportunities to ensure that participation in the program is financially accessible to all artists. We also offer paid fellowships in the form of fellowship and workshare opportunities. Fellowships range from $250 - $6,000.
The Steel Yard provides free residency opportunities to ensure that participation in the program is financially accessible to all artists. We also offer paid fellowships in the form of fellowship and workshare opportunities. Fellowships range from $250 - $6,000.
Accessibility
The Steel Yard is an accessible industrial-arts center, and this past year we partnered with Arts Equity and R.A.M.P. (Real Access Motivates Progress) to assess our studio for accessibility, make recommendations for improvements and develop an Accessibility Guide and Disabilities Welcome Guide. Studio upgrades, equipment, and the guides themselves were funded by the RI State Council on the Arts & The Champlin Foundation. Special thanks to Jeannine L. Chartier, Tina G. Pedersen, and Tim Cox for your input and leadership.
The Steel Yard is an accessible industrial-arts center, and this past year we partnered with Arts Equity and R.A.M.P. (Real Access Motivates Progress) to assess our studio for accessibility, make recommendations for improvements and develop an Accessibility Guide and Disabilities Welcome Guide. Studio upgrades, equipment, and the guides themselves were funded by the RI State Council on the Arts & The Champlin Foundation. Special thanks to Jeannine L. Chartier, Tina G. Pedersen, and Tim Cox for your input and leadership.
The facilities are ADA compliant.
Housing & Accomodation
The Steel Yard has no on-site housing, and Residents make their own living arrangements. Housing can be found in Providence, rooms rent for $600 and up. Please see the ‘Housing’ section in the ‘Other Resources’ list at the end of this document for a list of online search portals to assist in finding housing.
Studio & Facilities
The Steel Yard hosts Residency opportunities in Ceramics, Light Metals, and Metals (Foundry, Blacksmithing, and Welding). All residencies include shared studios and tools along with personal storage space. Residents will have use of their respective studios except during teaching times or special events.
Please view full studio details in our Residency Program Handbook.
CERAMICS: Ceramics studios run primarily cone-6 kilns with the opportunity for occasional cone-10 firings in our anagama wood kiln or soda kiln. Ceramics equipment includes electric and kick wheels, cone-6 electric kilns, slab roller, pug mill, extruder, limited studio glazes, recycled clay and assorted hand tools. Artists working within this department will receive one red rolling rack for personal storage - 48 sq feet of shelf storage, and 1 complementary full kiln firing per month (or two half kilns), each additional firing is billed based on the Kiln Firing Guideline rates.
LIGHT METALS: Non-ferrous material can be worked in the jewelry studio, which includes two soldering torches, rolling mill, hydraulic press, drill press, jump shear and tumbler. Additional hand tools include a variety of hammers, mandrels, punches, dapping sets, etc. These tools can support the creation of jewelry projects, sheet metal forming, vessel making, repousse work and more. Artists working within this department will receive a dedicated locker for personal storage, materials and some consumables will need to be purchased by the Resident
METALS: In the main welding studio, artists have access to a coal forge, atmospheric propane forge, anvils, stakes, vises and hammers, MIG welders, TIG welders, plasma cutter, Oxy-Acetylene torches, drill press, horizontal band saw, chop saw, and assorted hand-tools. The Steel Yard casts iron in our custom 600lb capacity tilt furnace. Working as a team, Foundry Residents have the opportunity to fire this furnace multiple times throughout the year to create their own artwork. Available foundry equipment includes everything needed for bonded sand casting: a large capacity sand muller, foundry safety gear, and various mold making, wax working and pouring tools.