2018 air applications

Last Updated on April 9, 2021

Applications for The Main’s 2018 Artist-in-Residence program are now closed.

Selected artists have been notified of their acceptance to our Artist-in-Residence program. Thank you to all that applied. We received over 600 applications to the program, and unfortunately, due to the extraordinary amount we are unable to provide specific feedback about applications. No phone calls or emails please.


About

The Main Museum’s Artist-in-Residence program is an interdisciplinary research and production program that aims to support Los Angeles-based artists by offering studio space in the heart of Downtown Los Angeles. Ideal for photographers, ceramics artists, and painters.

With studio easels located onsite at the museum and monthly honorariums offered to participating artists, the museum’s expanded interdisciplinary residency program furthers The Main’s central mission of supporting practicing Los Angeles–based artists. The artist-in-residence program is a platform for the investigation, experimentation, and development of ideas regarding contemporary artistic creation in Los Angeles. The program’s objective is to help artists advance their practices in an environment that allows for expansive thinking and working while addressing a need for studio space that is critical to artists and the ongoing cultural vibrancy of the city.

Program Details

The residency program offers artists a free private studio and an honorarium of $1,000 per month. A variety of disciplines are accepted including, but not limited to, visual arts, media/new genre, performance, film/video, music/sound, choreography, and writing. Artists are invited to use the space as they wish, with no expectation of producing new work. The residency program is not intended to lead to exhibitions or programs, though that possibility is not excluded.

Residencies can last anywhere from three to nine months, depending on the needs of the individual artists. This opportunity for extensive time in the residency program allows for artists-in-residence to develop strong connections with the museum, other artists working in the space, and the surrounding community.

In addition to the physical studio space and financial resources of the residency, access to The Main museum staff and relevant artists, curators, critics, and educators is a distinguishing feature of the program. With residency studios connected to the staff offices, The Main’s staff members work closely with artists-in-residence to arrange individual studio visits, facilitate research, liaise with media, develop connections and programs with the surrounding community, and generally provide a supportive and collaborative environment.

The residency is non-residential: no room/board is offered.

Program Expectations

The Main’s residency program serves artists actively in need of studio space and, as such, selected artists are required to use the studio for a minimum of three days per week. This is a process-based residency; there is no expectation or promise of a resultant exhibition at the museum, however artists are welcome to propose public programs that generate dialogue about topics related to their interests and practices.

Eligibility

The residency program is open to artists based in Los Angeles. Ideal candidates show significant promise and dedication to their work and are at a moment in which access to a private studio space and supportive environment will be particularly meaningful to their practice.


Applications for The Main’s 2018 Artist-in-Residence program are now closed.

Selected artists have been notified of their acceptance to our Artist-in-Residence program. Thank you to all that applied. We received over 600 applications to the program, and unfortunately, due to the extraordinary amount we are unable to provide specific feedback about applications. No phone calls or emails please.