In 2015 ACA celebrated 25 years of supporting residencies, growing from 18 to 300+ members worldwide.
Founded in 1991 with support from The MacArthur Foundation, ACA launched with 18 pioneering residency programs, including MacDowell, Yaddo, and Headlands Center for the Arts. By 2015, we had grown to over 300 members across 50 U.S. states and 20 countries, supporting 1,500+ residency programs worldwide.
In our first 25 years, ACA has made significant contributions to the field. Since 2004, it has awarded over $1.7 million in grant funding, including $595,000 directly to artists and $1.1 million to organizations. It has also played a key role in advocacy, professional development, research, and international exchange, ensuring that residencies remain vital spaces for artistic creation.
Milestones in ACA’s first 25 years include the Emerging Program Institute (2007), the creation of the National Endowment for the Arts’ Artist Communities category (2008), and groundbreaking reports like “Surviving to Thriving: Sustaining Artist Residencies” (2012). By 2015, ACA had also hosted 25 conferences, bringing together over 3,000 attendees to share knowledge, resources, and best practices.
As part of its 25th-anniversary celebration, ACA honored its founding members, recognizing their vision, leadership, and commitment to artist residencies. Reflecting on its growth, the organization reaffirmed its dedication to expanding opportunities for artists, supporting residency leaders, and fostering a more inclusive, sustainable arts ecosystem for the next 25 years and beyond.