Applications for 2025-26 will open on February 3, 2025.
About the Artist-in-Residence program
Lillstreet Art Center offers year-long residencies in the departments of Ceramics and Metalsmithing, and 9-Month residencies in Textiles, Drawing & Painting, and Printmaking & Book Arts beginning in September every year.
As a collaborative, community-based art center, the residency is a place for artists to expand their personal practice and gain teaching experience ; while learning how to sustain a working artist’s lifestyle. The resident artist program enriches our community by bringing artists with unique and refined skills to our educational programming through classes, workshops, public demonstrations and studio hours.
As a resident artist, you will continue to develop professionally and intellectually through contact with other residents, department peers, art administrators and students. Lillstreet Art Center supplements the residency with resources and instruction in and outside the department of residency. Resident artists have the opportunity to work together, take part in community events and sales and to be creative leaders in Chicago’s vibrant Ravenswood neighborhood while being immersed in the community.
Our AiR specific programming is built for face-time with artists, students and vendors in the Ravenswood community; other opportunities include artist features in the gallery shop, professional development through dynamic exhibitions, one-on-one studio visits with peers and interdisciplinary artists, public programs, and community building to develop a sustainable creative practice. As a professional working and teaching artist, you are also welcome to brainstorm your ideas, share resources with our students and community and build relationships by resource sharing.
ELIGIBILITY :
Proficiency within your field of art, along with teaching experience are the most important factors we consider for the Artist-in-Residence Program. BFA or MFA encouraged. Equivalent experience (residencies, workshops, apprenticeships, internships, or other non-traditional education experiences) are also considered.
Lillstreet Art Center residencies are granted based on quality of work, programming within the departments, your desire to teach, how you fit into the community art education world, and experience.
International artists may apply but you must already have a visa that allows you to work. Artists-in-Residence are employees of Lillstreet Art Center and must be able to receive pay for their stipends and teaching compensation. We unable to sponsor visa applications.
Residency Expectations
All Artists-in-Residents are expected to teach within their departments ; teaching hours are paid. AIRs can expect to teach anywhere between 1-3 classes per session. Lillstreet Art Center’s education calendar has 5 sessions per year. AiRs can also teach private workshops, demos and custom classes which are paid.
Community Events
Lillstreet Art Center is a big part of the thriving community in Ravenswood neighborhood in Chicago. We host and are a part of 2-3 community events per year, along with hosting center wide staff events every year. AiRs will be offered first chance to participate in these events, which will be paid and will offer you a chance to interact with the community.
Housing
Lillstreet Art Center is NOT able to provide housing for residents, but there are many affordable housing options in Ravenswood, Uptown and Edgewater neighborhoods. We can connect you to other teachers and Artists-in-Residence to make it easier to split costs.
REVIEW PROCESS :
Applications are reviewed by an internal committee of artists, administrators, curators, and art world 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 an educator in our community, and applicant’s ability to work safely and independently in the studio.
Artists of color and people with any marginalized identities are strongly encouraged to apply.
Sample application can be download here
The application fee is USD 20.
Lillstreet Art Center recognizes the inaccessibility of application fees. If you need a fee waiver, please start filling out your application and email darshita@lillstreet.com with your name, pronouns, the email you are using to apply and a link to your work.
Allow 2 – 3 work days for review and a fee waiver to be applied to your application in Slideroom.
