Seward Park Clay Studio RESIDENCY PROGRAM

APPLICATION DEADLINE: JUNE 1ST, 2026

 

            Applications will open March 15, 2026 and will continue to be received until June 1st.  We will acknowledge your applications as we receive them.      

Seward Park Clay Studio Resident Artist Program offers a variety of opportunities to clay artists to develop their skills and establish a community of support and professional connections. The program is designed to fit a variety of people’s needs with residencies from one to three years. These include one-year project residencies or 3-year community residencies.

All resident artists share a communal space where work and tools can be stored. Residents have 24/7 access to the studio, the kilns, and the support of a seasoned clay-artist group.

There is a monthly fee of $155 associated with this residency. There are limited need-based financial aid options available for the one-year residency, for those who qualify. Please click here to read the requirements and to fill out a form.

FACILITIES/TOOLS/MATERIALS

  • 2 Gas fired Kilns that are fired to cone 10
  • A variety of Electric Kilns are used for low fire work and to bisque high fire work. (We do not allow cone 6 electric firing in our kilns.)
  • Slab Roller
  • Pottery wheels
  • In-house high fire glazes and a selection of low fire glazes and underglazes
  • Variety of hand tools and molds
  • Low fire and High fire clays are stocked on site

SPCS residencies are not suited for production artists who are making a living off the work they make here. We do not have the capacity for that volume of work, and it is not a reasonable use of a subsidized community studio.

THE two TYPES OF RESIDENCIES

1. Project Residency – these are one-year residencies that are aimed at things like mounting a show, or developing a body of work that can be used to apply for school or representation. 

There are limited need-based financial aid options available for the one-year residency, for those who qualify. Please click here to read the requirements and to fill out a form.

In 2026 we have 3 Project Residency spaces available.

2. Community Residency – these three-year residencies are for people who want to be embedded in an active and working clay studio. They are also tasked with serving the mission of the studio by giving back through a variety of community-minded activities the studio organizes. There is a monthly fee of $155 associated with this residency and no financial aid options available.

In 2026 we will have 4 Community Residency spaces available

 

 *Residents cannot reapply sooner than 5 years from the completion of their last residency.

HOW TO APPLY

Submit a single PDF by email with your last name included in the file name to info@sewardparkart.org that includes the following:

  • Personal contact information 
  • Resume
  • Artist statement
  • A personal statement telling us why you are applying to The Seward Park Clay Studio Residency Program, which program you are interested in, how it will benefit you, and what you feel you have to contribute to the studio community (250-500 words)
  • Ten digital images – each marked with title, medium, size, date, and a description or statement for each
  • Three references (contact information, no need for letters)

IMPORTANT DATES

  • SPCS will put out a call for applicants no later than May 1st each year with applications accepted until June 1st.
  • Interviews of the top 10 applicants will occur during the month of July.
  • Accepted artists will be notified by August 1st via email.
  • Accepted artists will have one week to accept before their offer moves to the next person available.
  • Residencies will begin the first Tuesday after Labor Day.

SELECTION PROCESS

All applications will be reviewed and ranked by a committee made up of resident artists, administrators, and a guest juror. A select group of applicants will be chosen to then be interviewed by the Executive Director and administrators.

RULES / EXPECTATIONS OF RESIDENTS

* All Residencies have the same requirements in terms of competency and studio use. To be considered, you must show proficiency in (or a willingness to learn) all aspects of the clay process, including but not limited to, mixing chemicals, firing kilns, and using all relevant equipment. The Executive Director will ensure that these skills are met.

* All residencies have the explicit expectation that residents will use the studio on a regular basis, they will be present as part of the community on a regular basis.

* Residents will adhere to all current guidelines in terms of size and amount of work, firing fees, purchasing clay, and additional chemicals from the studio. Those guidelines may vary depending on current studio usage and costs, but will be clearly communicated in the
Resident Handbook they will receive prior to being accepted to the RA program. If the regulations change during the course of the residency, that will be communicated by studio administration. The Resident Handbook is always open to revision based on conditions, and the current handbook will always take precedence, regardless of terms at the time of signing.

*Residents will participate in exit interviews at the end of a term. It is important to SPCS that we know how our residency program is serving people, and these interviews provide us with valuable information about how we can improve and change.

Holiday Show participation Requirement

Every year Seward Park Clay Studio hosts a holiday show throughout the month of December. The Holiday Show is the studios biggest fundraiser and a very important community event. The Holiday Show is a moment where classes stop, and the studio transforms into a functioning gallery with close to 100 hundred participating artists. Every year somewhere between 6000 and 7000 visitors come to see the show. It’s a celebratory moment for ceramics, for the studio to have a bit of break from production, and to create bonds within our community through all of the different hands that volunteer to make the show happen. 

Residents are required to take on 3 three-hour sales shifts and at least one shift to help setup, cleanup, or take down the show. The studio splits the sales of the show with participating artists. Resident artists have a take home percentage of 75% whereas guest artists and student artists in the show have a take home of 60%. As a resident artist you do not have to apply to be in the show and get to pick out where you would like to be in show. It is not required to be a selling artist in the show, but it is required for every resident to do sales shifts and help with the setup and breakdown of the show.