UMS Flint Artist in Residence Program

Call for Flint-based Artists

Anthony Feimster, 2023-2024 UMS Flint Artist in Residence.

UMS in collaboration with the UM-Flint Arts + Culture Research Cluster, is seeking a Flint-area artist to engage in a residency on the campus of U-M Flint and throughout Southeastern Michigan during the 24/25 academic year.

This residency seeks to bring artists to UM-Flint to center the creation of art in the campus experience. Through this residency, UMS and UM-Flint seek to:

• Support an artist in developing new work in Flint
• Share artistic creative practices with UM-Flint students, faculty, and staff
• Forge interdisciplinary connections between the artist’s practice and academic units on campus
• Provide opportunities for interaction and exchange between UM-Flint and the wider community of Flint-area artists and residents

What will an artist get out of this experience?

The selected artist will receive funds and resources to create. They will be paid an artist fee of $10,000 over the course of the academic year and have access to an additional budget of up to $10,000 to spend on artistic materials, collaborators, or other expenses necessary to execute the work. Through the University of Michigan and UMS, the artist will have access to a variety of resources to support the development of their work. View a list of potential resources you could take advantage of during this residency. (All resources are pending availability, university staff will work with you to see what is possible.)

What does it mean to be in residence?

The selected artist will come to campus several times throughout the academic year to create new work and share their process with communities on campus and elsewhere in Flint. The specific details of the residency changes from year to year, but the artist will be required to complete at least:

• Two classroom visits at UM-Flint. One class visit will be directly related to the artist’s primary medium, and the other will be more interdisciplinary in nature. These class visits will be determined in conversation with university faculty to find mutually beneficial interactions.
• One event with an external community partner. This is an opportunity to share the creative process with people not directly affiliated with U-M. Previous partners include The Chosen Few Arts Council, Youth Arts: Unlocked, and the St. John Street Historical Committee. This partnership will be determined in conversation with U-M staff and external partners.
• A culminating public work-in-progress showing. This event will take place at the end of the residency and will provide members of the public an opportunity to experience the work created over the course of the year. This need not be a showing of finished work.

Ash Arder, 2021-2023 UMS Flint Artist in Residence. Photo Credit: My Proulx

Eligibility

• In order to apply you must be an artist from, previously, or currently residing in Genesee County
• You must be available to visit U-M Flint at various periods throughout the academic year
• Past U-M student, faculty, and staff are welcomed to apply, however, in an effort to share our resources with those who have limited access, the program will not consider applications from current U-M students, faculty, or staff
• Artists from all disciplines are encouraged to apply, including: art, dance, design, film/video, multimedia arts, music, poetry, photography, street art, spoken word, theater, etc.

Timeline

The academic year runs from August 28, 2024 to April 30, 2025. The artist in residence will commit to deliver at minimum on the activities listed under “What does it mean to be in residence?” during that period. Additionally, the artist will participate in planning meetings with UMS and U-M Flint staff. Additional campus visits can be scheduled to support the artist in development of their work, and achieve campus engagement goals. We are flexible in the frequency and length of visits depending on artist needs.

After completing the first year of residency, the artist may renew for a second year in residence, if deemed mutually beneficial for all parties.

What’s the history of this residency?

This residency program began in 2016 (previously named “Research Residency” which was centered on the Ann Arbor campus.) UMS moved this residency to center work at U-M Flint in 2021, with our first artist in residence from 2021 to 2023. You can learn more about previous resident artists below:

• 23/24: Anthony Feimster
• 21/22-22/23: Ash Arder with mid-residency exhibition
• 20/21: Sacramento Knoxx
• 19/20: Tunde Olaniran with mid-residency update
• 18/19: Omar Offendum
• 17/18: Jillian Walker
• 16/17: Applied Mechanics

Questions on the program or the application?

Maddy Wildman, UMS University Programs Manager, is happy to answer questions. She is also available for individual consultation on your application. You can reach her at mwildman@umich.edu.

Funded in part by the Arts Midwest GIG Fund, a program of Arts Midwest that is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, with additional contributions from the Michigan Arts and Culture Council.