Membership

Artist Communities Alliance (ACA) is an international network of artist communities and residency programs. 

As a collective voice for the field, there are goals we can accomplish together that no single residency program can do on its own. We can partner with funders to provide grants to residencies in the United States and abroad; we can bring together world leaders to develop strategies for comprehensive support of artists; and we can provide information and resources to artists on the abundance of residency opportunities available.

ACA includes roughly 300 members — a diverse field of artist communities, residency programs, individuals and institutions that support living artists in the creation of new work — in more than 20 countries worldwide and in all 50 U.S. states, with budgets ranging from $5,000 to $5 million.
 

ACA Members have access to a range of services and programs: 

• Connectivity + Knowledge-sharing - ACA members build connections and community with peers working in the artist residency field and the arts sector at large through ongoing virtual programming and Affinity Groups. Members can participate in targeted trainings, field-wide conversations and other convenings such as our Emerging Program Institute and the ACA conference.
   
• Visibility - ACA promotes opportunities and open calls from our member programs through our monthly Opportunities newsletter (20k+ subscribers), online Directory, and social media platforms. 
   
• Resources + Staff Support - ACA members have access to resources that may assist in the development and advancement of your program. In addition, members can participate in and access research projects aimed at mapping trends in the field and documenting effective strategies.
   

• Advocacy - ACA advocates for just and generative creative environments around the world that support artists working today. We collaborate with cultural advocacy partners to deepen resources for the field and share stories of impact from our member network with funders and policy makers. 

   

Membership Levels

​​If you are currently involved with or interested in starting an artist residency program, join at the Emerging Program or Organizational level:

• The Emerging Program Membership is designed to support individuals or organizations preparing to launch or in the first four years of launching/operating a residency program.
   
• The Organizational Membership is for established residency programs already operating around the world. 

If your organization works to support artists, but does not run an artist residency program, join at the Affiliate level. 

• The Affiliate Membership network includes universities, foundations and other organizations that support artists or the arts sector.  

If you are an individual who is looking to be part of our dynamic community, learn more about becoming an Individual Member. 

• The Individual Membership is for the staff and leadership at artist residency programs or those who have worked + contributed to the artist residency field.

Emerging Program, Organizational and Affiliate Member benefits are available to all staff members of the organization or program. 

Membership Agreements and ACA's Rights 

By joining ACA, the member agrees to stay current with their membership dues, be forthcoming about their annual budget, and abide by ACA's rules of engagement. Failure to do so may warrant a revocation of membership and/or use of ACA's website. ACA reserves the right to downgrade a member's profile with or without prior notice to that member. 

ACA allows a 45-day grace period after your membership expires to accommodate extenuating circumstances and allow programs sufficient time to complete their renewal. If your program has not paid the renewal fee following this 45-day period, you will lose access to your membership benefits and your organization's profile will be removed from the ACA Directory.

For payment discrepancies and when current membership status is in question, ACA will provide the best possible documentation for proof of funds received. However, members should also be able to provide proof of past payments. If an organization cannot show that a payment has been made, ACA retains sole discretion over the status of one's membership. 

If an organization should decide they wish for a refund, they are to notify ACA within three months of joining (or within three months of most recent renewal). ACA will review these requests on a case-by-case basis and come to a determination within approximately three weeks time as to whether a refund is in order. If a refund is approved, the organization may decide the manner in which they would like to receive their refund. Check or PayPal is preferred.