About the program

Founded in 2009, Residency Unlimited (RU) is a Brooklyn based not-for-profit arts organization that fosters tailored residencies for international and US based artists and curators and year-round public programs centered around participants’ practices. Customization and collaboration are core to RU’s mission. As an artist-centric organization, RU’s ability to leverage resources through a wide range of partnerships creates program impact, expanded opportunities for the residents and organizations involved.

Over the past ten years we have expanded rapidly. In July 2009, we started the residency with 1 artist from Germany. In 2019 we hosted residencies for more than 60 artists and curators from 41 different countries including from the US. Since 2016, tailored residencies for local artists from under-represented communities are an integral part of RU’s mission as well as thematically driven residencies such as Food Futures (2020). In March 2020, with the outbreak of Covid-19, we shifted residency activity and programs online. In 2021 we resumed in-person activity and continued integrating virtual programing whose wide audience outreach has exceeded our expectations. All our programs are free and open to the public.

Location and What the AiR provides

RU’s shared work and event space is located at 360 Court street in Caroll Gardens, Brooklyn in the nave of a deconsecrated church building. Through our partnerships, artists can also occupy individual studio space in other parts of the city. We customize each residency with weekly studio visits for the artists who receive critical feedback from select art professionals, professional development workshops, project assistance and exposure opportunities. We organize welcome breakfasts, field trips, guided tours of exhibitions, free access to art fairs and more. At the end of their stay, each artist is invited to feature new work in a program or exhibition organized by RU.

Duration and Eligibility

Residencies generally last 2 to 6 months with on average 10 to 12 residents at all times. The RU program is open to artists of all ages and at different levels of career. Respecting gender parity and including artists from under-represented communities are priorities. The selection process is rigorous with a system of open calls and juries led by RU’s US based and international partners who sponsor the artists. RU conducts open calls for US based artists that are generally thematically driven residencies such as Dirt and Debt in 2019 and Food Futures in 2020. Artists can also apply directly to RU on a rolling basis, and are selected by the RU curatorial team.

RU’s wide footprint is made possible through its network of strategic partnerships ranging from arts organizations (eg., Artists Alliance and Cuchifritos Gallery, Equity gallery, Queens Museum Art Studio Program, Visual Aids) to institutions such as the Arts Department/NYC Health and Hospitals, Kings County Center Hospital, and Charles O’Dewey MS 136 Public school where artists develop projects that provide access to underserved communities across the city.

Contact

Address: 360 Court Street, Suite 4, Brooklyn, NY 11231, United States
E-mail: info@residencyunlimited.org
Website: RESIDENCY UNLIMITED / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / flicker / vimeo / SOUNDCLOUD

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