Since 2015, the Studios at MASS MoCA residency program has hosted over 1,000 artists and writers at all career stages, income levels, and geographic locations on its North Adams campus surrounded by the beautiful Berkshire Mountains.
The Studios at MASS MoCA runs year-round, hosts up to 10 artists at a time for stays of 2 or 4 weeks, and primarily seeks applications from visual artists (painters, sculptors, installation artists, photographers, video/new media artists, fiber artists, printmakers, etc.) and writers in all literary disciplines. Artists from around the world are encouraged to apply.
The residency program has several different fellowship programs. Calls for applications are made four times a year and will open two months prior to the deadline. There are several different ways to apply:
General Application: Most applicants apply through the general application, which is typically for residencies 6–9 months out from the award date. In the regular application, candidates can opt to be considered for financial aid or one of the fully funded fellowships. Because the regular application includes financial aid, it is the most competitive option. Artists requesting financial aid typically pay between $0 – $450/week depending on their needs. Deadlines for General Applications are May 1 and November 1 each year. The application will open two months prior to the deadline.
Early Application: The "Early Application" is for artists who could benefit from additional lead time (announcements made 9 to 15 months ahead of residency dates) to plan their stay and to apply for outside funding from sources such as their university or international or regional arts councils. Artists applying with the Early Application will NOT be considered for MASS MoCA's financial aid budget OR fellowships, applicants should only use this particular application if you are planning to fully fund your stay through outside grants or personal funds at the already subsidized rate of $650 per week. Deadlines for Early Applications are February 1 and August 1.
Alumni Application: If you're a Studios at MASS MoCA alum, twice per year, we have an Alumni application that puts you in a separate pool from the extremely large General Application pools so you're only competing against fellow alumni. We ask alums to wait two years after your first residency before applying for the Alumni Residency opportunity. At this time, alumni are not eligible for residency fellowships and instead pay a standard alumni rate of $400/wk for residencies of 4 weeks, or $450/wk for a 2-week residency.
Your financial aid package and residency fees will be outlined in your award letter upon acceptance. The majority of our residents attend with a full fellowship. We offer several fellowships, many of which have specific eligibility criteria established by individual donors.
Residents who can pay the program fee are charged a subsidized rate of $650 per week (the full cost is $1,000+ per week). These residency contributions help us provide aid to applicants with financial need.