Corrie Steckelberg, Melancholy and other Heirlooms, 2022
Each year, we hold open calls for our Summer Exhibition, Summer Residency, Winter Residency, Haunted Mill, Programming Fellowship, and Print Fellowship.
In an effort to simplify the application process, the details listed below are identical to those in our application portal, SlideRoom. If you're preparing an application early, please note that this page is updated with new information on the day each open call goes out. That said, we try to keep the application process consistent each year, and only ask for information that we need for review.
If you still have questions, we hold info sessions and office hours for each program. Please email will@wassaicproject.org.
Applications are run through our SlideRoom portal. Notification of acceptance will occur within 60 days of the application due date. Accepted applicants will have 7 days to commit to the exhibition.
Applicants are evaluated by our Co-Directors — Eve, Bowie, and Jeff — and our Director of Artistic Programming, Will. Artists are selected based on the quality of the work and how well a given piece fits alongside other pieces selected for the show.
Don’t overthink this. There’s no one thing we’re looking for, and we’re always open to creative new uses of Maxon Mills as an exhibition space.
We accept four types of proposals for our 2023 summer programming: ready-to-hang work, site-specific installations, temporary installations/performances, and printed works. Your application can include multiple proposals.
For all proposals, include:
For ready-to-hang work proposals:
Please outline any special circumstances you anticipate around the installation of your work. We have limited equipment available, so we need to know in advance if you require anything specific.
For site-specific installation proposals:
Please include completed past works, drawings and/or style references, and explain how the piece will look or function.
Artists interested in creating a site-specific installation for the 2023 Summer Exhibition are also eligible for an Exhibitions Fellowship to help realize their work. Up to five fellows will be offered a no-fee residency in April or May, and will be considered full participants in our residency program.
No separate application is needed for the Exhibitions Fellowship, and acceptance of the fellowship — should it be offered — is entirely optional. Artists interested in making site-specific work for the exhibition should still apply regardless of whether or not they are interested in or able to be in residence in April or May.
For temporary installations or performances for the Summer Festival Program:
Please explain how the piece will look or function.
For print proposals:
Although we cannot guarantee that we will be producing a printed publication this year, we would still to discover your print-related proposals! In the event we do not produce a traditional publication this year, please explain how your work will be activated throughout the rest of the 2023 Summer Exhibition. This can range from take-away prints, essays, prose, or poetry, to more experimental print projects. For example, our 2020 Summer Exhibition Publication featured essays and poetry from our artists alongside a flip-book of animation frames in the top right corner of each page from Joshua Frankel, and an inserted pop-up piece from Sharmistha Ray. The 2021 Summer Exhibition Publication featured a cut-out paper rabbit doll from Deborah Simon and a fortune teller from Ben Pinder.
Provide 1 to 10 work samples, including title, year, medium, and dimensions, and anything else we should know.
Size requirements:
Please label each file as: LastName_FirstName_Title_Year.
Please include full information for each work as well: title, date, medium and dimensions, and any other pertinent information which will help us better understand your work.
If you have additional questions, see ourSummer Exhibition FAQ. If you still have questions, email our Programming Coordinator, danielle@wassaicproject.org.
Summer residents receive 24-hour access to an adaptable, semi-private, 200-300 square foot studios in the historic Luther Barn. Accommodations include a private bedroom in a shared house, complete with common spaces, 1–2 full bathrooms, and a kitchen (artists participating in our Family Residency will receive a private house). Artists-in-residence also have access to our print shop and wood shop. Monthly programming includes open studios, group studio visits with our embedded critics, Ghost of a Dream, and one-on-one studio visits and artist talks with 2–3 creative professionals, our Director of Artistic Programming, and WP staff.
This call is for individual artists, collaborative teams, and groups of two or more individual artists, and artists applying through our Family Residency program. Applications are run through our Slideroom portal. Dates for the program are:
The actual cost of each residency is $5,000 per month, which includes a semi-private studio, private bedroom, full use of our facilities, studio visits, insurance, and staff support. In an effort to serve and support emerging artists, we attempt to subsidize residencies for all individual artists who do not have other forms of support. Thanks to the generous support of donors and grants, the artist’s contribution for the winter residency program is $900 per 4-week period.
We offer the following fellowships:
To be considered for the Work and Family Fellowship and Sustainable Arts Fellowship:
In your application, please take some time to reflect on the ways in which care and caregiving, whatever those words mean to you, come through (or might come through) in your work. It’s okay if this isn’t something you’ve considered before. We think of these fellowships as a starting point towards building a future where artists shape the way society sees and values care.
All applicants are considered for the Mary Ann Unger Fellowship and the ArtForArtists Fellowship for Social Justice-Based Practice and do not have to complete any additional information on their application.
We also offer need-based financial assistance to artists-in-residence for whom it would be impossible to attend without financial support. Financial need is self-reported by artists in their applications. We ask that artists who are in a position to fully contribute towards the residency fee please do so.
Review
Artists-in-residence are selected by a review panel composed of the Wassaic Project Co-Directors, Director of Artistic Programming, and professionals in the field. Residents will be selected based on the quality of their work, commitment to their practice, and ability to interact positively with the community at large.
Notifications will be sent out on in early December.
If you have additional questions, see our Residency FAQ. If you still have questions, email our Programming Coordinator, danielle@wassaicproject.org.
Winter residents receive 24-hour access to an adaptable, semi-private, ~100 square-foot studio space in the historic Maxon Mills. Accommodations include a private bedroom in a shared house, complete with common spaces, 1–2 full bathrooms, and a kitchen (artists participating in our Family Residency will receive a private house). Artists-in-residence also have access to our wood shop. Monthly programming includes open studios, group studio visits with our embedded critics, Ghost of a Dream, and one-on-one studio visits and artist talks with 2–3 creative professionals, our Director of Artistic Programming, and WP staff.
This call is for individual artists, collaborative teams, and groups of two or more individual artists, and artists applying through our Family Residency program. Applications are run through our Slideroom portal. Dates for the program are:
The actual cost of each residency is $5,000 per month, which includes a semi-private studio, private bedroom, full use of our facilities, studio visits, insurance, and staff support. In an effort to serve and support emerging artists, we attempt to subsidize residencies for all individual artists who do not have other forms of support. Thanks to the generous support of donors and grants, the artist’s contribution for the winter residency program is $600 per 4-week period.
We offer the following fellowships:
To be considered for the Work and Family Fellowship and Sustainable Arts Fellowship:
In your application, please take some time to reflect on the ways in which care and caregiving, whatever those words mean to you, come through (or might come through) in your work. It’s okay if this isn’t something you’ve considered before. We think of these fellowships as a starting point towards building a future where artists shape the way society sees and values care.
All applicants are considered for the Mary Ann Unger Fellowship and the ArtForArtists Fellowship for Social Justice-Based Practice and do not have to complete any additional information on their application.
We also offer need-based financial assistance to artists-in-residence for whom it would be impossible to attend without financial support. Financial need is self-reported by artists in their applications. We ask that artists who are in a position to fully contribute towards the residency fee please do so.
April 3 at midnight ET
Artists-in-residence are selected by a review panel composed of the Wassaic Project Co-Directors, Director of Artistic Programming, and professionals in the field. Residents will be selected based on the quality of their work, commitment to their practice, and ability to interact positively with the community at large.
Notifications will be sent out on or before July 1st.
If you have additional questions, see our Residency FAQ or a recording of our info session here. If you still have questions, email our Programming Coordinator, danielle@wassaicproject.org.
The Haunted Mill is our annual Halloween event in the hamlet of Wassaic.
This year we are accepting a few types of proposals: site-specific installations for the first floor of Maxon Mills, outdoor installations, and performances. We will prioritize interactive and immersive proposals. We want to see your haunted games, your creepy trick or treat stations, and all of the spooky experiences you dream up.
Artists will have complete creative control over their installation, as long as they keep their work PG-13. We’re looking for artists who are excited to participate and get weird, and who are self-directed and independent with their projects. For installation artists, we offer housing in one of our residency houses (for 1–3 weeks between October 6 and October 29, 2022) alongside private studio space in Maxon Mills, additional studio space in Luther Barn, and full access to our wood shop and print shop. We offer all participating artists and artistic teams a modest honorarium.
We accept three types of proposals: site-specific installation in Maxon Mills, outdoor installations, and performances. Applications are run through our SlideRoom portal.
For all applications:
For site-specific installations in Maxon Mills and outdoor installations:
Artists will have complete creative control over their installation, as long as they keep their work PG-13. We want artists who are excited to participate and get weird, as well as artists who are self-directed and independent with their projects and vision. Wassaic Project offers housing in one of our residency houses for 1–3 weeks between October 4 and October 28, 2023, private studio space in Maxon Mills, additional studio space in Luther Barn, and full access to our wood shop and print shop. We will offer a modest honorarium to participating artists and artistic teams.
For performances:
Please explain how the piece will look or function. If your work is time-based or has video documentation, you may also link to media from YouTube, Vimeo, or SoundCloud.
Monday, May 1, midnight EST
Please email danielle@wassaicproject.org if you have any questions about applying or if you cannot afford to pay the application fee.
Our Programming Fellow works alongside our Director of Artistic Programming on our exhibitions, artist residency program, summer and winter benefits, and public programming — including our annual Haunted Mill in October, summer block parties, and other seasonal events. Our Programming Fellow also helps evaluate our existing programming and workshop new programs. We expect our programming to continue to grow in the next few years, and we’re always looking refine the ways we already support our artists and community. Preference will be given to those with experience in exhibitions and/or programming and who have an artistic practice (visual or otherwise) of their own.
The Wassaic Project is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage candidates from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds to apply.
October 1, 2023
One year position (negotiable for longer)
~30 hours/week, full time in Wassaic in-office/on-site (including availability and attendance at all public events)
Health insurance is not offered.
April 3, 2023
Notifications will be sent out on or before June 1.
If you have any additional questions, a recording of our info session is available here. If you still have questions, email our Programming Coordinator, danielle@wassaicproject.org.
Our part-time Print Fellow lives and works in Wassaic for 6 months, managing our print shop, providing support on projects by artists-in-residence, and producing prints with 10 artists in our Print Editions program throughout the summer. The Print Fellow will have an opportunity to work closely with a community of artists and have full access to a 24-hour print shop in Wassaic, NY.
The Wassaic Project is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage candidates from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds to apply.
May 1st to October 31st, 2023
Notifications will be sent out on or before February 1st.
If you have any additional questions, please email our Programming Coordinator, danielle@wassaicproject.org, for more information. A recording of our last info session is available here.
Our Sculpture Fellow manages our wood and ceramic shops and helps support our programming. Our programming includes a year-round artist residency program, 2-3 exhibitions in the Maxon Mills gallery, artist presentations and visiting critic lectures, virtual programs, summer and winter benefits, as well as three more seasonal community events. Special consideration will be given to those with experience in exhibitions installation, and those who are also visual and/or performing artists.
Health insurance is not offered.
The Wassaic Project is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage candidates from diverse cultural and ethnic backgrounds to apply.
If you have any additional questions, please email our Programming Coordinator, danielle@wassaicproject.org, for more information. A recording of our last info session is available here.
