Studios at MASS MoCA
Since 2015, the Studios at MASS MoCA residency program has hosted over 1,000 artists and writers at all career stages, income levels, and geographic locations on its North Adams campus surrounded by the beautiful Berkshire Mountains.
The Studios at MASS MoCA runs year-round, hosts up to 10 artists at a time for stays of 2 or 4 weeks, and primarily seeks applications from visual artists (painters, sculptors, installation artists, photographers, video/new media artists, fiber artists, printmakers, etc.) and writers in all literary disciplines. Artists from around the world are encouraged to apply.
The residency program has several different fellowship programs. For more information, please visit our Applying and Financial Aid page.
1320 MASS MoCA Way
North Adams , MA 01247
United States
Residency Program Information
Residency Program Summary
Application Information
LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR APPLICATION PROCESS HERE
Calls for applications are made four times a year and will open two months prior to the deadline. There are several different ways to apply, learn more about each of them and choose the option that best fits your needs.
General Application
Most applicants apply through the general application, which is typically for residencies 6–9 months out from the award date. In the regular application, candidates can opt to be considered for financial aid or one of the fully funded fellowships. Because the regular application includes financial aid, it is the most competitive option. Artists requesting financial aid typically pay between $0 – $450/week depending on their needs.
La aplicación general también está disponible en español.
Deadlines for General Applications are May 1 and November 1 each year. The application will open two months prior to the deadline. (See table below for details.)
Due to the volume of submissions close to the deadline, please consider submitting your application early to take into account any technical difficulties that may happen. We do not extend the deadline for late submissions.
Learn more about our Financial Aid and Fellowships.
Early Application
The “Early Application” is for artists who could benefit from additional lead time (announcements made 9 to 15 months ahead of residency dates) to plan their stay and to apply for outside funding from sources such as their university or international or regional arts councils. Artists applying with the Early Application will NOT be considered for MASS MoCA’s financial aid budget OR fellowships, applicants should only use this particular application if you are planning to fully fund your stay through outside grants or personal funds at the already subsidized rate of $650 per week.
Deadlines for Early Applications are February 1 and August 1.
Applications will open two months prior to the deadline.
Alumni Application
If you’re a Studios at MASS MoCA alum, we’re thrilled that you’d like to come back! Twice per year, we have an Alumni application that puts you in a separate pool from the extremely large General Application pools so you’re only competing against fellow alumni. While it’s not as competitive as the General Application pools, we only reserve a few alumni spots each season and acceptance is not guaranteed. We prioritize alumni who have not previously had an Alumni Residency at MASS MoCA, especially alumni who have reached another moment in their career when a residency in the Studios could be particularly beneficial. We ask alums to wait two years after your first residency before applying for the Alumni Residency opportunity. At this time, alumni are not eligible for residency fellowships and instead pay a standard alumni rate of $400/wk for residencies of 4 weeks, or $450/wk for a 2-week residency. (Please note: students who have attended a workshop-in-residence are not considered eligible alumni for this opportunity.)
Deadlines for Alumni Applications are February 1 and August 1. Applications will open two months prior to the deadline.
Your financial aid package and residency fees will be outlined in your award letter upon acceptance. The majority of our residents attend with full or partial financial aid. Our financial aid budget allows us to support most participants at some level, with awards determined by both financial need and the artistic merit of the application, as evaluated by our selection committees.
We also offer several fellowships, many of which have specific eligibility criteria established by individual donors. If you are applying for a fellowship, please ensure you meet the outlined qualifications.
Residents who pay the program fee are charged a subsidized rate of $650 per week (the full cost is $1,000+ per week). These residents typically fall into one of three categories: (1) applicants in the Early Application process whose fees are covered by professional development support from their home institution or by an external grant; (2) those who do not require financial assistance and choose to pay in full; or (3) alumni who pay a reduced rate of $400–$450 per week for 2- to 4-week residencies, respectively.
These residency contributions help us provide aid to applicants with financial need. Please refer to our application page for further details.
Our fellowship opportunities change every season, so check back regularly, or join our mailing list to keep updated on what funding opportunities we are offering this year.
Accessibility
The Studios at MASS MoCA has studios in two buildings. Building 13 has an elevator to the studios on the second floor and Building 34 has a ramp to the first floor entrance, though the ramp is not fully ADA-compliant. Stairs are not necessary for either building and both have wheelchair accessible, gender-neutral bathrooms with grab bars around the toilet. Building 13 has a handicap door button to enter the building, Building 34 does not. Housing for the Studios at MASS MoCA is located on the third floor of an apartment building across the street from the museum and requires the ability to climb two flights of stairs. Upon your acceptance, if you have any concerns or questions in regard to housing and accessibility please contact us immediately. While primary housing accommodations are not ADA compliant, MASS MoCA does have limited alternate housing available for these situations. We are happy to work with you to ensure you are able to attend and accept the residency.
MASS MoCA is committed to providing a welcoming environment to all by offering services to make our programs as accessible as possible. Ask about wheelchairs, gallery stools, and event listening devices available to check-out, free of charge, in the museum lobby. While the information here provides a general overview of accessibility features, we encourage you to call or email to address questions or specific needs:
413.662.2111 x8121 or accessibility@massmoca.org
Visit MASS MoCA's webpage to read more about the museum's accessibility.
We can help provide services if needed on a case-by-case basis. This can include:
- ASL interpreters
- Spanish or other language translations
- Alternative housing
- Wheelchairs, gallery stools, wheelchair for around the galleries, listening devices for events.
Residents with limited mobility may need to have separate housing from the cohort but can still participate in all other events and programming. We can work with artists to make sure they have what they need in order to do so.
Housing for the Studios at MASS MoCA is located on the third floor of an apartment building across the street from the museum and requires the ability to climb two flights of stairs. Upon your acceptance, if you have any concerns or questions in regard to housing and accessibility please contact us immediately. While primary housing accommodations are not ADA compliant, MASS MoCA does have limited alternate housing available for these situations. We are happy to work with you to ensure you are able to attend and accept the residency.
Housing & Accomodation
Residents receive 24-hour access to private studio space on the MASS MoCA campus, plus lodging in newly renovated, furnished apartments across the street from the museum, right in downtown North Adams. We provide seven communal lunches per week in the company of your fellow residents. We also host a welcome dinner for the group on that first evening.
Each resident is provided with a private room in one of three newly renovated, four-bedroom apartments. Each bedroom is furnished with a bed and dresser, pillows, bed and bath linens, etc. (No need to bring any bedding unless you prefer to sleep on your favorite pillow, etc.) Each apartment also has its own shared bathroom and kitchen, wifi, and laundry. The kitchen will have some basic cooking equipment and coffee. Residents are responsible for providing their own breakfast, snacks and dinner. The apartments are within easy walking distance of the local grocery.
NOTE: Climbing stairs is required to enter the apartments, which are located on the 2nd and 3rd floors of a walk-up building. If you are not able to use stairs, please contact us immediately so we can discuss alternate accommodations.
Studio & Facilities
Studios are situated in two buildings, Building 13 & Building 34, on the MASS MoCA campus. Each of the spaces and each of their studios have their own dimensions and provisionsSome are better for work made on the floor, some for work made on walls. Every effort is made to pair residents with a studio that matches their practice. The smallest studio is 120 sq ft and the largest is 280 sq ft. The average size is about 172 sq ft. Wall material ranges from drywall to brick. Floors in Building 13 are plywood, while in Building 34 they’re cement. Each artist receives a private and lockable studio space with 24/7 access.Each studio is minimally furnished with a desk or folding table, a chair, and a small shelving unit. Additional folding tables are available. Lighting is overhead LED troffers (typical commercial office lighting) and we have clamp lights to augment. There are shared slop sinks in both buildings. In addition, each building has a small supply closet with the tools listed below and an assortment of leftover art supplies. All necessary art materials and equipment must be provided by the participant.
Learn more on our Facilities page.
PRINTMAKING STUDIO
In Building 34, we have two presses available. Each session, a local print technician offers a free hour-long tutorial to the presses. If you would like individual support for special projects, one-on-one assistance is available at $40/hour.
The Martech Etching Press:
A generous donation to the program, this press has the reputation of being a well-designed etching press. Large diameter rollers and a gear reduction hand-crank allows for smooth and easy travel even under extreme pressures and produces less stress to the etching plate and paper. Collagraphs and woodcuts are also possible on this press. The plate bed is 32” x 51” and the maximum recommended paper size is 22” x 30”.
Bradley Flat-bed Hydraulic Press:
The flat-bed press is designed for relief printing, mono-printing and embossing; however, nearly all plates can be printed including etchings. When printing monoprints with movable applications, the downward force keeps everything in place and heavy ink does not spread across the print as it does with an etching press.
Printmaking supplies: We supply a small variety of etching inks and additives as well as an assortment of brayers and etching tools. While limited options of paper are available for sale, artists should come prepared with their own plates, paper, and any specialty tools or inks.
WEAVING LOOMS
We have two looms available in the B.34 studios. Looms can be reserved in advance by both experienced and beginner weavers. Private Instruction is available for beginners at a rate of $40/hr, offered by local weavers. Artists are expected to provide their own yarn.
22-inch Harrisville Loom: Jack-Loom, 4 harness
( set-up with roughly 110 heddles per shaft).
Accompanying equipment for 22” loom:
- Crank Handle (stored in loom bench)
- Reeds: 18 dent, 20 in. (currently on loom), 14 dent, 24 inches, 12 dent, 22 inches
- Raddle: 27 inches with 1 in. spaced nails (attached to back beam)
- Treadle tie ups: chain, 11 count
- Lease sticks
45-inch Herald Loom: Jack-Loom, 4 harness
(currently set up with ample heddles)
Accompanying equipment for 45” loom:
- Reeds: 6 dent, 45 inches, 8 dent, 45 inches, 10 dent, 45 inches
- Raddle: 48 inches, with 1 inch spaced nails (attached to back-beam)
- Treadle tie ups: nylon
- Lease sticks: 2 x 47”
Additional Weaving Equipment
- Loom bench (23” tall, 24” seat, 37” wide with side compartments)
- Warping board 35” x 38”
- Warping board 26” x 38”
- Stick shuttle
- Heddles
- Boat shuttle
- Assorted Bobbins