ARTIST RESIDENCIES
METALS, LIGHT METALS, & CERAMICS
The Steel Yard’s Year-Long residency program can assist you in growing and strengthening your creative industrial art practice. Residents receive an all-access pass to our 10,000 square foot studio, tools, resources, and community. Take an online tour of the studio here!
You’ll forge, mold, weld, shape, and create in a shared studio space alongside a cohort of artists and makers who work in the industrial arts. Additionally, you’ll participate in events and sales, exhibit work, have access to professional development opportunities, teach and take courses, as well and take part in cross-departmental critiques.
Read and review the Resident Program Handbook for complete guidelines & expectations.
The Steel Yard is committed to diversity and inclusion. It is the policy of the Steel Yard that there shall be no discrimination with respect to the selection of the artist in residence because of race, color, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, gender, age, physical limitations or military status.
RESIDENCY INFO SESSION
We hold a live virtual info session in mid-January each year. During this session, our Residency Coordinator and Studio Department discuss the benefits and expectations of the residency program and how to apply.
You can watch the recording of the 2026 info session video here.
RESIDENCY COSTS
The Steel Yard does not charge a residency fee to allow for participation in the program to be more financially accessible to all artists. Accepted residents should expect to pay for their own materials and consumables. We also offer paid work-exchange Fellowships to further offset the financial cost of being an artist in residence.
RESIDENCY PERIOD
September 11th, 2026 – August 31st, 2027
APPLICATION DEADLINE
March 1st, 2026 at 11:59 pm EST
HOW TO APPLY
Applications are reviewed by an external committee of artists, academics, curators, and non-profit professionals. The committee considers the following metrics when viewing applications: the artistic merit of submitted work, the alignment of the application with organizational mission and values, applicant’s desire to be part of a community, applicant’s ability to work safely and independently in the studio, and building a diverse cohort of makers.
Finalists will be notified in early April and move on to an interview process with a panel of The Steel Yard’s staff. Acceptance notifications will be sent in May 2026.
We encourage applicants to attend, or view, the Residency Info Session before applying. Still have questions? Please reach out to residency@thesteelyard.org for assistance.
Read and review the Resident Program Handbook for complete guidelines & expectations.
In order to apply please be prepared to provide:
- Current CV/resume
- Ten digital images (PDFs not accepted) of recent work and an image list
- A brief artist bio, written in the third person
- A narrative statement outlining how you’ll use your time in our studio
- One reference that can speak to your artistic merit
- A Fellowship and/or Workshare statement if applicable
APPLICATION
Applications for our 2026-2027 Year-Long Residency Program are currently closed.
FURTHER RESOURCES
To support artists emerging out of The Steel Yard’s residency program, or working in the community, we’ve created this list of local artist resources; including studio spaces, exhibition opportunities, professional development offerings, and more. The artist resource list can be found at the end of the Residency Program Handbook.