The Galveston Artist Residency (GAR) has served the island city as an artist residency and community arts space since 2011. Each year GAR hosts three artists in residence for a ten-month period, October through July. Selected artists are given 24-hour access to private studios, housing in nearby studio-style apartments, and monthly stipends of $1,100. According to GAR’s website, the “ten months is viewed as a gift of time for artists to make their work.”
A view into a studio space at the Galveston Artist Residency
Applicants should prepare 20 examples of their work, a statement of intent, three professional references, and a resume. The call is only open to U.S.-based artists, though international artists living and working in the United States with a valid visa are eligible to apply. Accepted residents are expected to spend the majority of their ten-month period on site. The residency is very competitive, with GAR stating a 1.2% acceptance rate.
Last November, Glasstire Assistant Editor William Sarradet visited GAR to meet with the 2022-23 crop of residents; Lili Chin, Samira Yamin, and William Warden. In his profile of the residency program, Mr. Sarradet commented that GAR Director Eric Schnell “runs the residency with a kind of cordiality that is both hospitable and unassuming.”
Ms. Chin, Ms. Yamin, and Mr. Warden are the latest to join a diverse assortment of previous residents, many of whom have developed projects in Texas beyond the residency. As examples, Dan Schmal remained in Galveston, works at GAR, and began art space Rising Tide Projects with Jessica Ninci; Anne Buckwalter was awarded a 2020 Idea Fund grant to help with the production of a book partly composed at the residency; and Nick Barbee, who was a resident early on in the program, now lives and works in the island city.
The Galveston Artist Residency has an FAQ page that contains more information about life on the island, which can be found on the GAR website. This year’s open call went live on January 20, and the deadline to apply is March 25 at 11:59 pm CST. Interested artists may submit an application via GAR’s website.
