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.
Residency Eligibility
Residency Experience 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 a full fellowship.
We 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 can pay the program fee, should indicate that in their application and if accepted, 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.