---
title: "Atlantic Center for the Arts Residency #198 - Featuring Hannah Drake"
description: Three-week interdisciplinary residency with poet Hannah Drake ('Bearing Witness') at Atlantic Center for the Arts, FL. Room & board $1,350; scholarships available.
url: https://www.artsume.com/programs/f7ea6516-aa59-4128-b6da-ab700a0f7e05
type: program
status: closed
createdAt: "2026-09-03"
updatedAt: "2026-09-30"
programType: Residency
organization: Atlantic Center for the Arts
organizationUrl: https://www.artsume.com/o/atlantic-center-for-the-arts
deadline: "2026-09-14"
entryFee: 25 USD
location: Leeper Studio Complex, New Smyrna Beach, FL, United States
isOnline: false
compensationRange: Tuition-free residency; artists pay $1,350 for room and board (scholarships available); no stipend provided.
disciplines:
  - criticism
  - digital media
  - documentary
  - drawing
  - environmental arts
  - fiction
  - graphic design
  - illustration
  - installation arts
  - interdisciplinary arts
  - journalism
  - literary nonfiction
  - literature
  - mixed media
  - multimedia arts
  - music
  - new genres
  - nonfiction
  - painting
  - paper arts
  - performance art
  - photography
  - playwriting
  - poetry
  - screenwriting
  - social practice
  - sound art
  - storytelling
  - theater
  - virtual reality
  - visual arts
  - writing
  - spoken word
  - dance
---

# Atlantic Center for the Arts Residency #198 - Featuring Hannah Drake

**Hosted by:** Atlantic Center for the Arts

**Type:** Residency | **Location:** Leeper Studio Complex, New Smyrna Beach, FL, United States | **Deadline:** September 14, 2026 | **Entry fee:** $25

## About This Program

> "Bearing Witness — history, truth, injustice, silence and erasure"

Atlantic Center for the Arts offers an immersive, inter-disciplinary, tuition-free residency with artists only paying for room and board. Financial assistance is available for those who qualify.

The three-week Residency Program brings together “Mentoring Artists” from different disciplines, such as the visual arts (painting, sculpture, photography, film/video, and multimedia), architecture, music (composition and performance), literature, choreography, dance, performance art, and theater. Each Mentoring Artist determines the requirements and basic structure of their residency, and through an online application process, they each may select up to eight “Associate Artists” to participate in the three-week program. The essence of the program is to provide a collegial environment for artists of all disciplines where they can engage in meaningful interaction and stimulating discussions, while pursuing individual or group projects. It is an ideal setting for the exchange of ideas, the inspiration for new work, and the cross-fertilization of disciplines. The programs can include formal classes, discussions, individual meetings, individual and group critiques, collaboration, and studio time. The award-winning Leeper Studio Complex provides residents with resources such as a painting studio, sculpture studio, digital media studio, dance studio, music/recording studio, writers’ studio, black box theatre and library.

### Hannah Drake, Mentoring Artist

Hannah Drake is a blogger, podcast host, activist, public speaker, poet, and author of 11 books. She serves as the co-executive director of IDEAS xLab and co-founder of the (Un)Known Project, which aims to uncover the hidden names and stories of Black people enslaved in Kentucky and beyond. She writes commentary on politics, feminism, and race, and her work has been featured online at Cosmopolitan, The Washington Post, The Bitter Southerner, The Lily, and Harper’s Bazaar. Today’s Woman Magazine named her the Most Admired Woman in the Arts, she is a Daughter of Greatness, and she was honored as a Kentucky Colonel. Hannah was selected as a Soros Fellow by the Open Society Foundation, which seeks to support individuals believed to become long-term, innovative leaders shaping racial justice.

In 2023, Hannah was inducted into the Kentucky Women Remembered exhibit, a permanent display in the State Capitol highlighting outstanding women who have made significant contributions to Kentucky’s history. In 2025, Hannah proudly received the Living the Vision Award, recognizing individuals who have made exceptional contributions to their communities in the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy. One of Hannah’s proudest achievements is earning an Honorary Doctorate in Humanities from Simmons College of Kentucky. Hannah’s message is thought-provoking and sometimes challenging; however, she believes that change occurs in uncomfortable spaces. “My sole purpose in writing and speaking is not to entertain you. I am trying to shake a nation.”

The mentorship of Hannah L. Drake is funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.

### Residency Statement

The theme for my portion of the residency is Bearing Witness – a residency for Bold Artists

Step into a powerful creative lab where history, art, and truth collide. In this residency, artists will join Hannah Drake to dig deep into the urgent issues facing our nation today. Together, we will explore ways to create poetry and performance that speak truth, spark conversation, and push back against silence and erasure.

Drawing from historical narratives, poetry, dance, monologues, and personal storytelling, participants will shape new work that challenges injustice, honors our past, and imagines a more equitable future. This is a space for artists who are ready to create with courage, intention, and heart. Whether you are a writer, dancer, spoken word artist, actor, or storyteller, you will leave with new tools, inspiration, and a deeper understanding of how art can shift culture.

If you are ready to create work that meets this moment, lifts voices, and refuses to be quiet, this residency is for you.

### Application Requirements

- Submit three to five creative work samples: Poetry, spoken word, monologues, dance excerpts, short performance clips, or narrative writing that reflect your artistic voice. These can be submitted written or via video.
- Provide a brief artist statement: Share who you are as an artist, the themes you explore, and why you want to participate in Bearing Witness.
- Write a short reflection: Describe one current national issue you feel compelled to explore and how you hope to engage it through your art.
- History has informed much of my work. How do you utilize history in your artistic practice? Share how historical narratives shape your creative approach, inspire your work, or influence the stories you feel called to tell.
- Confirm your commitment to collaboration: Agree to work collaboratively with artists across disciplines including poetry, movement, and performance.

## Eligibility & Requirements

- **Geographic Eligibility:** International
- **Disciplines:** criticism, digital media, documentary, drawing, environmental arts, fiction, graphic design, illustration, installation arts, interdisciplinary arts, journalism, literary nonfiction, literature, mixed media, multimedia arts, music, new genres, nonfiction, painting, paper arts, performance art, photography, playwriting, poetry, screenwriting, social practice, sound art, storytelling, theater, virtual reality, visual arts, writing, spoken word, dance
- **Age Requirements:** 21+ years old
- **Note:** Applicants must be over the age of 21 and must speak English. Associate Artist Eligibility & Requirements: Open to artists of all disciplines in the United States and abroad; applicants must be at least 21 years old at the time of the residency; individual artists or collectives of up to two artists can apply to one or more residencies in any discipline of choice; applicants can attend one or more residencies in consecutive sessions upon acceptance, there is no limit; Language Requirement: A basic command of the English language is necessary. Open to artists based anywhere in the world; any stage of career.

Collaborative residency: must apply and be accepted individually, may apply as a team. Pets are not allowed.

### Additional Requirements

Application Requirements (Hannah Drake): Submit three to five creative work samples — poetry, spoken word, monologues, dance excerpts, short performance clips, or narrative writing that reflect your artistic voice; these can be submitted written or via video. Provide a brief artist statement: share who you are as an artist, the themes you explore, and why you want to participate in Bearing Witness. Write a short reflection: describe one current national issue you feel compelled to explore and how you hope to engage it through your art.

History has informed much of my work — how do you utilize history in your artistic practice? Share how historical narratives shape your creative approach, inspire your work, or influence the stories you feel called to tell. Confirm your commitment to collaboration: agree to work collaboratively with artists across disciplines including poetry, movement, and performance.

## Compensation & Benefits

Tuition-free residency; artists pay $1,350 for room and board (scholarships available); no stipend provided.

The residency is tuition-free, but artists are responsible for a $1,350 fee covering room and board for the full three weeks, due two weeks before the residency begins. Travel, transportation, and artist materials are the artist's own responsibility. No artist stipend or travel/materials stipend is provided. Scholarships are available for those who qualify to reduce the residency fee. The application fee is $25.

## What's Provided

- **Housing:** Provided - Private housing on campus (individual apartment/cabin/house). Each Associate Artist receives a full-size bed, bathroom with a shower, small refrigerator, microwave, coffee maker, and desk space with a view of the natural vegetation. Teams have the option of requesting an individual or shared housing unit. Accessible housing: partially accessible (50% or more). Pets are not allowed.
- **Studio Access:** Provided - The award-winning Leeper Studio Complex provides residents with resources such as a painting studio, sculpture studio, digital media studio, dance studio, music/recording studio, writers' studio, black box theatre and library. Shared studios; studios/facilities partially accessible (50% or more).

## Timeline

- **Opens:** September 3, 2026
- **Deadline:** September 14, 2026
- **Program Start:** October 4, 2026
- **Program End:** October 24, 2026

## Contact

**Email:** rmorrison@atlanticcenterforthearts.org

## How to Apply

Apply at: https://atlanticcenterforthearts.org/residencies/mair-program/associate-artist-application-information/