Apply for Residency
The ARC + ATHENA Artist Residency is a new initiative designed to support ambitious artists through sustained dialogue, mentorship, and exhibition opportunities. The program seeks to cultivate innovative and dynamic work while fostering meaningful relationships between artists, curators, and ARC’s artist-led community.
Supported by ATHENA, ARC’s philanthropic partner, and administered by ARC Gallery & Educational Foundation, the program will annually select three artists from an international pool to participate in a ten-month remote residency program. The residency will culminate in three concurrent solo exhibitions at ARC Gallery in Chicago that are connected through a common framework developed during the residency period.
Mission. The ARC + ATHENA Artist Residency supports artists committed to rigorous studio practice, experimentation, and dialogue. Through mentorship, professional development, and access to ARC Gallery’s extensive network, the program aims to provide artists with the resources and community necessary to create ambitious new work and expand their professional opportunities.
Program Structure
Residency Cohort. Three artists will be selected through a open call and chosen collectively by ARC’s artist members. The selected artists will work as a cohort, developing individual bodies of work while engaging in a shared process that encourages intellectual exchange, collaboration, and thematic cohesion.
Eligibility. The residency is open to artists working in any medium, at any education level.
Selection Criteria. Artists will be considered based on:
Artistic merit and professional commitment
Originality and ambition
Strength and potential of the proposed investigation
Capacity for collaboration, critique and exchange
Alignment with the residency’s spirit of experimentation and development
Duration. The residency will last ten months February-November 2027), allowing sufficient time for research, experimentation, and the development of exhibition-ready work. Key Dates as follows:
Application period: October 25–December 15, 2026
Application deadline: December 15, 2026, by 11:59 pm CST
Review: January 2027
Notification: Early February 2027
Residency: February–November 2027
Exhibitions: November 2027
Remote residency & solo exhibition in Chicago. Residents work from their own studios; relocation to Chicago is not required. Residents should plan to travel to Chicago for installation and the exhibition opening. Travel costs are not currently covered.
Stipend. Through ATHENA, each resident receives $1,500: a $1,200 artist stipend and a $300 shipping allowance (which may also be put toward art supplies).
Meetings and Mentorship. Residents will participate in:
Weekly online cohort meetings to discuss ideas, share work, and support one another's development.
Monthly online meetings with ARC Member Residency Mentors, providing critique, mentorship, and access to the collective experience of one of Chicago’s longest-running artist-run organizations.
Professional development sessions addressing exhibition preparation, documentation, writing, networking, and career sustainability.
Opportunities to meet visiting curators, arts professionals, and members of Chicago's broader cultural community.
Organizational Support. Residents will receive support from ARC Gallery's:
Programming Team
Press and Public Relations Team
Social Media Team
Membership and Exhibition Committees
Together, these resources will help residents develop work that is innovative, ambitious, and responsive to contemporary conversations while maximizing visibility and public engagement.
Culminating Exhibition at ARC. The residency will culminate in three concurrent solo exhibitions at ARC Gallery in Chicago. The cohort model encourages a shared intellectual framework that creates a sense of continuity and dialogue across all three presentations. These exhibitions will represent each artist's research and production, and also the collective spirit of inquiry, collaboration, and experimentation that defines the ARC + ATHENA Artist Residency.
An exhibition includes: installation assistance from ARC Gallery members, conceptual and curatorial feedback, guidance in exhibition preparation and presentation, professional mentorship and career development support, exposure to curators, collectors, critics, and arts professionals.
Residents are expected to complete all work one month prior to their scheduled exhibition to allow adequate time for documentation, installation planning, and promotional efforts.
Sale of Work: ARC does not take commission for work sold; 100% of the sale price goes to the artist.
Installation: Professional installation and de-installation of your show by ARC Gallery members according to industry standards. (exception: site-specific installation).
Documentation: Exhibitions chosen to show at ARC will remain in on ARC Gallery’s website archive with the image, title and statement sent by the artist along with their website link in perpetuity. Additionally, all of ARC Gallery’s physical and digital archives are maintained in the Ryerson Library of the Art Institute of Chicago for future scholarly research.
Gallery Hours and Opening Reception: The ARC members themselves staff the gallery Thursday and Friday 2 to 6pm — Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4 pm. In addition, ARC members will host an opening reception on the first friday of the month of the exhibition. A cash-donation bar is set up and maintained by ARC members for each artists’ reception.
Advertising: Monthly listings, press releases and e-announcements are sent to our mailing list of approximately 3,000 names which is updated regularly and includes the following sources: private individuals, gallery owners, critics, collectors, colleges, newspapers, museums, radio and television stations.
Residents will be responsible for:
Signed Contract: Outlines the responsibilities of the artist and ARC.
Delivery of Work: All materials regarding the exhibition, including approved artwork must be delivered to ARC by hand-delivery, FedEx, UPS or DHL at the artist’s expense on the date and time specified in the contract. Residents may apply their $300 shipping allowance toward these costs.
Pick Up of Work: Artwork must be picked up by the artist on the date and time specified in the contract, or shipping arrangements will be pre-planned and prepaid by the artist. ARC is not responsible for the return of artwork if unclaimed, or when no arrangements have been made. Artwork will become property of ARC after 30 days from show date.
Artwork that’s Available: Work must be up for the entire time of the exhibition; it may not be substituted, arrive later, or leave earlier than the contracted exhibition dates, without exception.
Announcement Media: Show cards or flyers are optional and left to the discretion of the artist. If requested, ARC has a template that includes its logo, address, hours and sponsorship that the artist may utilize.
Application Instructions
Thanks to residency supporters, fee waivers are available to any artist who needs one; request one when you apply.
To request a waiver, email info@arcgallery.org before submitting.
Before you begin, read our Residency Application Instructions (PDF).
STEP 1: Upload your images
Select 10 images you will submit. Images of accepted work may be used on ARC web site, social media, and promotional materials for publicity.
Label each image with: Last name, Item # of the image, Title of work, Medium, size and date. Separate with a dash. Example: daVinci-1-Mona Lisa-30x21x2”-1503. Number the images consecutively.
Images must be submitted in JPG /JPEG format
If there is video work, include a still image of the video and the video clip of 2 minutes maximum
Videos must be submitted in MP4 / MOV format
Upload your images. They will go to a Dropbox file for review.
Once you are finished uploading files to Dropbox, close your Dropbox browser window. Then return to ARC’s website.
STEP 2: Fill out the application
Click on “Apply & Pay Fees”
Complete your personal information and address (be sure to enter your country or it won’t go forward)
Provide your proposal in the following sections
Artist Statement. Provide a recent artist’s statement of no more than 125 words that is relevant to the work being submitted. (This is not a bio.)
CV. Copy and paste your professional CV demonstrating at least 4 years of serious pursuit of a career in art. No more 2 pages.
Respond to the following question within the application:
Tell us about your creative process.
Describe your current work-space. Are you able to commit to weekly zoom meetings with your cohort and monthly meetings with the mentorship team? Do you have a dependable computer and internet?
How will you approach a collaborative cohort while simultaneously developing your own body of work.
What do you hope to explore during this residency?
How would you use this residency to expand your current practice? Include material and conceptual exploration.
Have you worked in a collaborative style of artistic creation in the past? If so please tell us about what worked and didn’t work for you.
The residency will require an element of community engagement with a demonstration or workshop, what would you like to explore to satisfy this requirement?
How would you see this residency as advancing your career?
Why do you want to work with ARC as a place to focus for the 10-month period during this residency?
Will you be available for installation / deinstallation, opening and closing receptions, and additional programming in November 2027?
References. Please provide the name, position/title, and email address of two professional references who can speak to your artwork. These references will not be contacted unless you are selected for an interview.
Confirm you uploaded your images to Dropbox by tapping “I uploaded my images”
Enter a label for your images. Each should include: (a) item number; (b) title, (c) dimensions: height x width x depth, (d) mediums / materials, (e) date produced, and (f) price. Make sure you itemize your list to correlate to the #s on the images you submitted.
If you submitted video work, identify your artwork by listing: (a) item number; (b) title, (c) date produced. Make sure the item number in your image file name matches the item number you list in your description here.
If you submitted video work, you may also supply a link to a full length video
Click “Apply & Pay Fees”
STEP 3: Pay Fees
Click: “sign in”
Click either: “Apple pay” or “credit card”
Enter requested information
Click “continue”
Review information and click “Purchase”
Your application will not go through until you have clicked purchase.
If you have any payment issues, send an email message to the gallery: info@arcgallery.org. We will sort it out for you. (Also we can refund payments that have gone awry, so don’t panic!).
An email receipt will be sent by ARC Gallery after application and payment is completed
Submissions will not be reviewed until payments are received
QUESTIONS: Please feel free to email the gallery with any questions. We are here to help. Our email address is: info@arcgallery.org.
Please note that images of accepted work will become the property of ARC Gallery and may be used for publicity.
After you submit this application form you will receive a confirmation email.
Thank you for your submission to ARC Gallery.
Vision
Building upon ARC Gallery's 53-year legacy as one of the nation's foremost artist-run organizations, the ARC+ATHENA Artist Residency Program seeks to create a national platform for artists who value community, experimentation, and sustained creative dialogue. Through mentorship, collaboration, and public engagement, the residency will foster exceptional work and strengthen connections between artists and the broader cultural landscape.
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What is this application for?
This is an opportunity to apply for a residency at ARC gallery, generously funded by the Athena Fund.
Where is ARC located?
Our physical gallery space is at 1463 West Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL in the heart of West Town arts district. The gallery space is on the ground floor.
How long will each culminating exhibition be on view?
Exhibitions at ARC’s gallery space are on view for roughly 4 weeks.
What kind of work samples should I submit?
You can submit images, video, sound, or any other media representative of your work.
How many work samples should I submit?
The application will let you submit up to 10 image files and up to 4 links to time-based work (video/audio). Please do not include files that contain collages, multiple images, or compilations of work. They will not be reviewed.
How Are Artists Selected?
Artists will be considered based on:Artistic merit and professional commitment
Originality and ambition
Strength and potential of the proposed investigation
Capacity for collaboration, critique and exchange
Alignment with the residency’s spirit of experimentation and development
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I've had a solo show in ARC recently, am I still eligible to apply?
Yes.
I will be graduating this year. Am I eligible?
Yes. The residency is open to artists working in any medium, at any education level. In addition to those who are considered professional artists, this opportunity is open to students as well as artists without formal education in the arts. Any individual can apply for a solo show with the assurance we will be judging the quality of their application on its own strength.
How do I demonstrate that I have maintained a consistent studio practice outside of an academic setting?
In addition to looking at work samples, we look for activity such as exhibitions, residencies, curation, art talks and awards.
Can I submit an application for a curatorial, collaborative, or collective project?
No. Residency applications are for individual artists only.
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Can I propose painting the gallery walls?
No.
Are there any limitations on what can be presented in the gallery?
While ARC supports experimental and non-conventional work, there are limitations to ARC’s logistical and physical capacity. Here are a few things that would unduly impact daily operations or go beyond the scope of our resources:
The use of live animals, bugs, insects
Inclusion of potentially harmful materials (fumes, gasses, particles, spores)
Elements that require complicated upkeep and maintenance, which the artist will not be present to perform
Excessively loud sound
Work that requires extensive time for installation and deinstallation
Major alterations to the existing architecture of the space
Work which deviates significantly from the proposal without gallery approval
Will the exhibition make use of the entire gallery space?
No. ARC divides gallery space into 3 distinct sections using movable walls. The layout of the space is determined by the work selected for exhibition, but each solo space will have roughly the same dimensions.
How high are the ceilings in the gallery?
The ceiling in the entry space and the main gallery is 11 feet high, to our track lighting, and 1 foot above that to the ceiling. The track lighting system is approximately 10 feet from the floor. The ceiling height on the stage area is 7 feet high.
Each solo show space is about 310sq ft of space.
Can I hang work from the ceiling?
Yes, depending on weight and the level of complexity. The infrastructure can support hanging in specific locations, so hanging plans may need to be adjusted to accommodate. Feel free to include this kind of work in your proposal and we will discuss options with awardees.
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Exhibition and Delivery Requirements
Work must arrive by the exhibition installation date and must be installed by the artist.
A label must be attached to the back/bottom of each work with name, title, medium and price.
Work must be presented in a manner appropriate to the artwork and be equipped for presentation.
Absolutely no Peanuts in shipping boxes.
Work must be able to remain in exhibition through exhibition dates. No work can be removed early.
If work is shipped, use only UPS or FedEX and include a prepaid return shipping label with your package.
Residents may apply their $300 shipping allowance toward these costs.
No work which was not originally selected by or discussed with ARC will be displayed.
Sales
Works will be for sale unless noted as NFS (not for sale) on the entry form. ARC will act as a liaison for buyer to artist sales of the artists' work during solo shows. Any work sold and paid for via Square will have the small fee deducted from the sale amount.
Insurance
ARC exercises professional care when handling submitted work. We do not assume responsibility or liability including but not limited to accidents, damaged work, or forces of nature. Artists who feel their work is fragile should consider carrying their own personal property insurance. Again, the gallery will not assume liability for damage.
Accepted Work: Shipping and Delivery Return
With the exception of hand-delivered and picked-up work, all work shipped to and from the gallery must be paid ahead-of-time by the artist.
ARC will pack and make ready for return all shipped work and schedule the pickup. However, ARC will not make any payment or delivery of work to be returned.
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Please feel free to contact the gallery via email (info@ARCgallery.org) should you have any questions re: the residency program, the exhibition, submitting work, or the prospectus. Email messages are checked daily. If you contact the gallery by phone, please call only during hours when the gallery is open.
ARC Gallery and Educational Foundation
Gallery Hours: Open Thurs & Fri - 2-6pm, Sat & Sun - 12-4pm; Closed Mon-Wed.
1463 W. Chicago Ave.
Chicago, Illinois 60642