RIVER: Creative Engagement Residency

Residency Dates: June 9, 2026 – September 15, 2026*

Deadline to Apply: February 12, 2026

Location: The Arts Center, Basement Studios

About the Residency

The Creative Engagement Residency provides opportunity and space for sustained creative exploration or project development. This concentrated period allows artists to engage deeply with a concept, project, or shift in their practice. Artists can also pilot a new direction, reconnect with core themes, or develop work for a larger exhibition. Residents are asked to contribute to the local community by presenting a workshop, artist’s talk, open studio visit(s), or other community event in partnership with program staff. This residency runs annually from June through mid-September in 2 to 4-week increments. Applicants working in media such as painting, ceramics, illustration, mixed media, literary arts, writing, video, sculpture, or fiber are encouraged to apply. Residency is no cost to the artist and does not include a travel or lodging stipend.

Ideal Candidate: A Mid-career or established artist with exhibition experience and a developed voice.

Studios

Studio spaces are located in the basement of The Arts Center, 700 SW Madison Ave, Corvallis, OR. Due to the nature of the historic building, studios are not ADA accessible at this time.

Included in the residency are:

Studio access 24/7
1 Studio
- Standard Studio ~200 sq. ft.
  - Easels, storage, sink, tables, stools & chairs
  - Limited ventilation due to the building’s historic nature. The studio is not equipped for metal, most wood, and other materials that require ample ventilation.
- Ceramics/Sculpture studio
  - ^6 electric kiln, sink, electric & kick wheels.
  - Easels, storage, tables, stools & chairs
  - Limitations: No dark clay
Access to critique group and other community events (calendar dependent)

Application Process

Dates/Timeline

Application Opens: December 2, 2025
Closes: February 12, 2026
Information Session: January 6, 2026 at 5:30 pm (Zoom) Join Zoom Session HERE.
Artists Notified by: March 31, 2026
Residency Dates: June 9, 2026 – September 15, 2026*

*Artists are asked to provide ranked available dates in the application.

Cost

Studio spaces are provided free of charge to residents.
$20 application fee to cover administrative costs. If the application fee is a barrier, please contact Arts Education at education@theartscenter.net for a fee waiver.
Residents are responsible for their own travel, lodging, food, and other expenses during residency.

Application Questions

See PDF document with application questions. PDF is provided for reference only. Applicants must apply through the online portal.

References

Two references are required for this application. A simple form will be sent to your references’ email addresses. References are used to determine how well you can work in a self-directed environment and in community with others. Your references will have 2 weeks from the application due date to complete the form.

Resume

Resume must be submitted as a .pdf file. See how to create a PDF here.

Work Samples

General Work Sample Information – Provide examples of your current work in formats that best showcase your practice. If you are interested in exploring new avenues of making, include 3-4 examples as possible. Quality is more important than quantity.
Acceptable sample formats are JPG, PNG, PDF, MP3, MP4, and Weblinks.
Visual & Literary artists: 7-10 high-quality images or 3-4 videos (5 minutes max. per video) of your most current work. Creative writers, journalists, playwrights, and poets: 3 writing samples of up to 5 pages each. Title, date, size/length, media, and a 1-sentence description.
New Media/‍ Interdisciplinary creatives: Any combination of images, files, and text that reflects your most current work, 6-8 files and/or links, including writing samples (5 minutes max. per video). Title, date, size/length, media, and a 1-sentence description. If you are new to interdisciplinary work, submit your best current work in your primary discipline and describe your plans to work in a cross-disciplinary manner via a written document no more than 3 pages.
Collaborative Groups: If you are a small collaborative group, please provide work samples that best represent the work that you have done together and plan to work on during the residency. Studio spaces allow for 1 to 3 people, depending on the type/size of work being made. Title, date, size/length, media, and a 1-sentence description. No more than 10 images, 15 minutes of video/audio, or 5 pages.

Eligibility

Collaborations

Applicants should apply under a single application unless also applying as individuals. In that case, applicants should submit individual residency applications and a separate group application. If the collaborative group is accepted, TAC will schedule one studio per group/couple.

Expectations

Residents are asked to contribute to the local community by presenting a workshop, artist’s talk, open studio visit(s), or other community event in partnership with program staff. There are no expectations regarding creative productivity, and no culminating report or presentation is required.
Residents are required to complete an exit survey and leave their assigned studio clean and in the same condition as when they arrived.
Actively contributing to the community and culture by engaging in TAC events.
Residents will follow all studio safety procedures.
Commitment to personal & professional growth throughout the program and opportunities.

Tips for Applying for Residencies

Provide quality work samples

The quality of your work samples is one of the most important factors when applying to a residency.
Use a professional photographer, audio engineer, videographer, etc., to ensure your work is well documented.
Select your strongest recent work. Have a friend or colleague you trust to look over the samples you have chosen to give you feedback. If you are moving in a new direction in your work but do not yet have good examples of your new work, choose work samples that demonstrate your strongest work and then discuss your new ideas in the written portion of your application.
Select a coherent set of work samples. Submit a happy medium between too few samples that are not varied and too many extremely varied samples.

Articulate your interest in this residency

Demonstrate in the questions section that you have done your homework and know why this particular residency is of interest to you. Perhaps you are drawn to its location, history, facilities, the surrounding community, the organization’s mission, etc. Find a way to connect with the residency program in a meaningful way.

Share your residency plans

Project plans, goals, and/or practice processes are used to help TAC better understand your thought process, your ability to imagine the possibilities of a residency, and your recognition of what is appropriate for this particular residency. For example, an artist applying for a rural, isolated residency whose work normally involves urban landscapes should discuss how a new environment will further their work. Plans also allow the organization to decide whether it can accommodate your needs.

Choose your references wisely

TAC requires references to fill out a form. There are no formal reference letters required. The reference form consists mostly of multiple-choice questions and a couple of short-answer questions.

Not sure about something? Ask!

Applying for a residency, especially if it is your first time, can be overwhelming. If you are unsure what is being asked of you, whether you might be a good fit for the program, which discipline to apply for, if the studio can accommodate your needs, or any other questions, contact the education manager via education@theartscenter.net Be clear and concise in your email and solicit feedback well in advance of the deadline.

Cancellation & Rescheduling

If you need to cancel your residency, please do so as far in advance as possible. TAC understands that emergencies happen and plans change. Please be considerate of the program and other artists when canceling.
If you need to reschedule or change your dates of residency, please send the request with as much advanced notice as possible. TAC cannot guarantee that residencies can be rescheduled, but when possible, we make every effort to do so.
If you attend a residency and leave early, we consider this a completed residency outside of extenuating circumstances.

Accommodations

If you are in need of application accommodations, please contact the education manager at education@theartscenter.net to discuss further. Examples of accommodations include, but are not limited to: Application responses by audio or video recording, translation services, ASL translation, and service animals.
Due to the nature of our historic building, TAC’s studios are not ADA-compliant.