Positioned between academic training and professional practice, the St. Elmo Arts Residency at the University of Texas at Austin offers a structured transition for recent MFA graduates—combining studio production, teaching, and public engagement.
11 April 2026
Installation view of Pablo Tut: Land Invention, 2024–25 St. Elmo Arts Residency Fellow exhibition, Visual Arts Center, Austin, TX, 2025. Photo: Alex Boeschenstein for the Visual Arts Center.
Open Call:
The St. Elmo Arts Residency offers a single annual fellowship to a recent MFA graduate, foregrounding the residency as a bridge between postgraduate study and sustained artistic practice. Located in South Austin, the programme provides time and space for concentrated studio work, while embedding the artist within an academic and pedagogical framework.
Institutional Context:
The residency is hosted by the Department of Art and Art History at the University of Texas at Austin, and operates in partnership with the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Centre. Situated within a broader university system, the programme reflects a model in which artistic research is closely tied to pedagogy and public engagement. The residency’s structure – combining studio access, teaching, and exhibition—positions it within a distinctly North American framework of practice-led academic development.
Eligibility and Criteria:
The fellowship is open exclusively to artists who have recently completed an MFA at a U.S.-based institution, within a defined graduation window (August 2025 to July 1, 2026, for the current cycle).
Eligible disciplines include painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, sculpture, and multimedia. Applicants must demonstrate a strong studio practice alongside the capacity to teach and contribute to an academic environment.
Students and alumni of the University of Texas at Austin’s MFA programme are not eligible to apply, reinforcing the residency’s focus on external candidates.
Evaluation Process:
Applications are assessed through a competitive, multi-stage review process that considers artistic merit, the strength of the applicant’s portfolio, and their preparedness for teaching and public engagement.
Shortlisted candidates are required to submit references, indicating a second-stage evaluation that weighs both artistic and academic potential.
Practical Information:
The 2026–27 residency runs from 10 August 2026 to 31 May 2027, spanning approximately 9.5 months.
The fellowship includes:
- A $40,000 stipend
- A private, furnished house and a 1,800-square-foot studio
- Access to health insurance and university resources
- Part-time teaching experience
- A solo exhibition at the Visual Arts Centre
Fellows are expected to teach two courses, lead workshops, deliver a public lecture, and present a final exhibition, positioning the residency as both a production and professionalisation platform.
The application deadline is 20 April 2026.
Applications and Queries:
Applications must be submitted online and include a CV, an artist statement, a teaching statement, a portfolio of up to 20 works, and supporting academic materials and references.
Applicants are encouraged to articulate both their artistic direction and their approach to teaching, reflecting the residency’s dual emphasis on practice and pedagogy. Further details and submission guidelines are available on the University of Texas at Austin’s Visual Arts Centre website.
