McColl Center’s Artist in Residence Program is an internationally acclaimed program that serves as a catalyst for artistic growth for emerging and mid-career artists. We host three residency terms per year:
- Fall – August-November
- Winter/Spring – January-May
- Summer – June-August
Artists-in-Residence receive private housing adjacent to McColl Center, a large-scale private studio in our historic building in Uptown Charlotte, curatorial guidance, marketing and PR support, and a generous stipend. While in residency, our artists have the freedom to fully focus on artistic research, exploration, and creation while also engaging with McColl Center’s Igniters community and the local creative sector. While in residence, artists also have access to our shared labs and studios including:
- 3D Lab (3D printer and laser cutter)
- Ceramics + Sculpture Studio
- Darkroom
- Media Lab with a large-scale printer
- Woodshop
Artists-in-Residence participate in a group exhibition and lead one to two community engagements centered around their practice.
An Artist-in-Residence at McColl Center is a moment to think big, take risks with your creative practice, and explore ideas within the context of Charlotte.
Questions? Please contact Bethany Salisbury, Programs Coordinator, at bsalisbury@mccollcenter.org.
McColl Center’s Artist-in-Residence program is highly competitive. We receive hundreds of applications annually.
However, McColl Center is committed to cultivating a workplace in which diverse perspectives and experiences are welcomed and respected. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, ancestry, national origin, sex, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, political ideology, or membership in any other legally protected class. We strongly encourage individuals with diverse backgrounds to apply.
WHO CAN APPLY?
Any artist from anywhere may apply for residency at McColl Center.
COLLABORATIONS AND COLLECTIVES
Artist collaborators and collectives must submit a single application with appropriate work samples that show artwork made by the group, not its individual members. Due to housing limitations, individual condominiums will not be provided for each group member; collectives must share housing.
INTERNATIONAL ARTISTS
Due to the limitations of visas, international artists may not qualify for a stipend but may be eligible to receive reimbursement of qualified expenses, such as airfare, ground transportation, supplies, and meals.
FAMILIES
We invite partners and children of Artists-in-Residence to stay in the provided condominium during the residency term. However, partners will not be allowed to use McColl Center workspaces, facilities, equipment, or materials. Artist couples must apply individually; if both are accepted, each will be offered a studio. Only registered service animals are allowed in the condominiums and facilities.
FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT
McColl Center is a 30,000 square-foot facility with shared labs including a woodshop, ceramics + sculpture studio, printmaking lab, media lab, a 3D lab with a 3D printer and laser cutter, and a communal kitchen. Artists-in-Residence have 24-hour access to all facilities.
PUBLIC + ARTIST ENGAGEMENT
All Artists-in-Residence are required to participate in at least one public program, onsite or offsite, during their residencies. Outreaches consist of talks, lectures, or development workshops for artists and creatives.
SELECTION PROCESS
Each application review panel is different and comprises a combination of curators, alumni artists, national artists, and arts leaders. The selection process consists of an online review and scoring by the panelists, followed by a meeting in which reviewers develop a shortlist. Artists are typically notified fourteen weeks after the application deadline. Reviewers are asked to consider the following criteria for each application:
- Artistic rigor: Does the artist show exemplary creativity, innovation, or skill?
- Depth and communication of conceptual content: Does the artist communicate their ideas clearly? Is there depth to the artist’s practice?
- Evidence of current and ongoing professional practice: Is there commitment to or support for contemporary art-making? Does the artist show a strong history of exhibitions or presentations of artwork?
- Appropriateness of applicant and their work for McColl Center and its vision: Does the artist seem ready to engage with and benefit from the residency experience at McColl Center? Does the artist have the potential to develop creative practice and impact the community in Charlotte and beyond?
Our panel of reviewers will adjudicate the potential cohort’s overall diversity of medium or practice, race and ethnicity, geography, gender, and age. Finalists will be invited to take part in a short interview. Artists accepted into the residency program will then be notified.
RECORDS
Artists-in-Residence in partnership with Atrium Health must consent to a background check and share recent medical records. Immunizations are required for artists to work in some areas of the hospital.
WORK SAMPLE REQUIREMENTS
Work samples are a critical part of the application. The selection panel will only review the materials requested in the application; all others will be discarded. Upload the work samples in accordance with the following SlideRoom specifications:
Acceptable file types:
- Images: .jpg
- Videos: .m4v, .mov, .mp4, .wmv, .flv, .asf, .mpeg, .mpg, .mkv
- Audio: .mp3, .wma, .ogg, .flac
- Documents: .pdf
- Linked Media: Vimeo, YouTube, SoundCloud, Sketchfab
- Note: Linked media must be public. Only link to individual files, not to a playlist, set, or collection.
Additional guidelines per discipline or medium:
- 2D or 3D: sculpture, painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, collage, digital art, book arts, architecture, design, ceramic
- Submit no more than 5 samples of artwork completed within the past five years
- Upload images in the order to be viewed
- Media Arts: film (narrative, documentary, experimental, or artistic), video (narrative, documentary, experimental, or artistic), and time-based digital art
- Submit no more than 5 minutes of video
- Interdisciplinary and Public Practice: social practice and interdisciplinary works
Submit any combination of media formats (image, text, audio, video) that are appropriate to convey the work (No more than 5 work samples; no more than 5 minutes per audio or video sample; one PDF with no more than 10 pages of writing, double-spaced, 12-point font.)
