Applications Closed: 2017-18 Artists in Residence

By UMS

2017-18 UMS Artists in Residence Program

UMS is pleased to announce the fourth installment of our Artists in Residence program. As part of the program, we’re asking area artists to take “residence” at our performances. The goal of the residency is to inspire area artists through UMS performances, using these experiences as a resource to support the creation of new work or to fuel an artistic journey.

Four artists will be selected. Visual, literary, and performing artists can apply. The deadline to apply has passed.

Who should apply

We’re looking for four residents to participate in this program. We welcome artists from across disciplines including visual, literary, and performing arts. Applicants should be at least 22 years old and must be based regionally to be able to attend performances.

Residents will receive

Complimentary UMS performance tickets to:

• Two Renegade performances of their choosing.
• Two performance from our “No Safety Net” theater events, which the artists will attend together (January and early February dates to be determined).
• One additional performance of the resident artist’s choosing from the second half of the UMS season.
• Performances should support an artistic journey (more on that in the application guidelines section below). Some ticket restrictions may apply.
• Opportunities for special behind-the-scenes access to UMS and artists, based on artist availability and interest.
• Access to gatherings with other residents and visiting artists throughout the course of the season and opportunities to share thoughts, experiences, and process.
• $500 stipend, payable in January 2018

UMS will

• Interview artists prior to the program’s start and at the end of the program to document residents’ journeys. Interviews and other documentation of the residency experience will appear on our blog.
• Ask artists to submit two short posts over the course of the semester for our blog; the content of these posts is flexible and will be determined by UMS and artists together.
• Ask artists to participate in a week-long takeover on our Instagram account; the content of these posts is flexible, too.
• Offer opportunities to showcase creative work in conjunction with UMS events when possible. Rights to the work remain wholly with the residents; UMS simply requests permission to share work in a manner agreed-upon with the residents.

How to apply

Submit the following materials via Google Form below by Friday, October 13.

• Statement of intent. In 500 words, tell us about the three performances you would choose to attend (in addition to the two required No Safety Net theater performances). Explain how experiencing these performances might support your creative work. What do you hope to produce as a result of the residency?
• CV. 1-2 page CV highlighting your artistic work.
• Portfolio. Samples of your work. If your portfolio is available online, please send a link (or links) to your portfolio. Writers should submit 5-10 pages of work. Visual artists should submit 3-4 photo representations of different works. Performing artists should submit 2-3 visual representations of different works (in the case of musicians, submit 3-4 musical selections). Interdisciplinary work welcome. If your portfolio is not accessible online, send your portfolio to us via email attachment or link to Dropbox to ums-lobby@umich.edu. Please use subject line “UMS Artist in Residence Application: [Your Name].

Questions? Ask them in the comments below or email ums-lobby@umich.edu. We welcome your feedback.

Find out about our growing cohort of UMS Artist in Residence alumni.

In this video, 2014-15 residents chat about what they loved about and learned through the program.

Members of the media interested in more information about the program should contact Anna Prushinskaya, manager of digital media, at annavp@umich.edu.