The Artist Accelerator’s Artists in Residence at The Arts Center is an investment in one’s professional career! We offer dedicated lessons & lectures, studio space, and collaborative support. Artist Accelerator Residents are selected for professional and personal growth potential, as well as an ability and willingness to contribute to a thriving artist community.
Applications Are CLOSED. Applications will re-open Fall 2023
ABOUT THIS OPPORTUNITY: The Artist Accelerator Program offers in-person residencies at The Arts Center on an annual basis. The residencies are 3-months long and include a broad range of skill-building opportunities.
We seek enthusiastic emerging artists who desire community and plan to start or pivot their creative business using the following media: 2D/Painting, Low/Mid-Fire Ceramics, and other media including Writing, Dance, and Installation.
What’s Included?
- Studio Space (~225ft2)
- A supportive environment
- 6 recorded lectures
- Click the link for lecture descriptions
- 1+ live lecture
- Topics vary
- Peer Group Meetings with other residents (4x)
- Artist Meetup Critiques
- Dedicated 1:1 Consulting (3x)
- Educational Lessons
- A Collaborative Group Exhibition
- Increased Community Visibility & Engagement
Market Cost
$2,200
Your Cost
$1,000
We encourage a diverse selection of artists to apply, including artists from historically excluded communities including (but not limited to): artists from rural communities, emerging artists, artists from communities of color, LGBTQIA+, self-taught artists, and artists new to creating artwork. We welcome artists regardless of citizenship status, color, familial status, gender identity or expression, religious observance, sex, sexual orientation, and sources or level of income.
More about the Artist Accelerator Program for emerging artists and artists seeking a successful career in the arts.
Selected Past Residents
Jill Myer | Painting
Jill Myer is a visual artist whose work explores natural landscapes through the use of mediums such as plant matter, wool, beeswax, and watercolor pigment. Myer works with watercolors for their simple but beautiful layers and subdued color palette but also dives into bright full textured and tactile encaustic paintings. Myer grew up in Montana and received a Bachelor of Fine Art from the University of Montana in 2000 with an emphasis in painting and photography. After living in Alaska for many years, Myer now lives in Newport, OR with her husband and their dog, Simon. Jill’s Instagram
Citlalmina Xochitl Rios | Photography & Poetry
Citlalmina Xochitl Rios is an Indigenous photographer and poet. Rios is a Marine Corps Veteran from the San Gorgonio Pass and San Bernardino areas of California. She pulls her focus from what she knows as a veteran, and a mother, and from the socioeconomic and cultural experiences of her youth. In 2019 and 2020, she was part of the University of Oregon’s World Poetry Night and a poem of hers is being published in the upcoming edition of The Sand Canyon Review. In 2021, she will attend the College of Creative Studies in Detroit where she will focus on photography. Citlalmina’s Instagram
Shagufta Mulla | Painting
Shagufta Mulla, DVM is a wildlife artist living in Independence, OR. After a 20 year career as a small animal veterinarian, she changed paths in 2019 to pursue her lifelong passion for art. In contrast to her authoritarian upbringing, her oil and acrylic paintings celebrate individuality. Largely self-taught, Shagufta’s work frequently depicts a solitary subject, with birds, in particular, representing voice and freedom. Her work has been in the Salem Art Association’s Salem Salon show (2019), The Art Center’s 8 x 8 show (2019), and at Keizer Art Association’s Celebration of Flowers (2019) where she was awarded third place for her painting, “Steadfast.” She has also contributed work to Chintimini Wildlife’s annual art auction, Art Is Wild (Corvallis, 2019.) She enjoyed speaking with the public about her work during her residency at The Arts Center.
Eileen Hinckle | Painting
Eileen Hinckle has been working as a mural artist since 2012. She grew up in the Willamette Valley and is currently based out of Corvallis, Oregon. Her painting style is influenced by the seven years she spent living in South America where she learned from and participated in diverse communities of muralism and street art. Hinckle draws inspiration from her time spent exploring the forests and especially the jungle in South America. Her artwork is a visual exploration of the reconnection between humans and nature. In addition to murals, she makes paintings on canvas and mixed-media artwork. Eileen’s Instagram
Jessica Rehfield | Illustration
Jessica Rehfield (zi/zey, she/they) is an artist from Juneau, AK. Their paintings, illustrations, and social projects explore the political and identity-based issues that define their life. Their current work is a children’s book that features colorful acrylics paired with Yiddish words and phrases, that seeks to celebrate heritages, combat anti-Semitism, and explore marginalized identity (as a Jewish-American person) using stories and the love of matzoh ball soup. Jessica earned a BLA in Art from the University of Alaska Southeast and MFA in Painting and Drawing from Oregon College of Art and Craft. They live in Salem, OR with their fiancée and a giant cat.
Additional Questions? Contact Claire Elam
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