Lucid Art Residency Program 2026

The Lucid Art Foundation's 2026 Residency Program focuses on art and science in relation to environmental concerns and climate crisis. The program emphasizes alternative ways of raising awareness and promoting action on issues including biodiversity, habitat loss, polar ice melt, ocean pollution, food security, animal migrations, soil pollution, forest extinction, and mass extinction. Artists working in land-based art, visual arts, video/new media, music composition, writing, poetry, or performance choreography are considered. The Foundation will create an advisory environmental scientist group that invited artists can consult with during their residency, and the program encourages collaborative projects with scientists and ecologists.

The residency is a 3-week stay, usually between March and November, in Inverness, California. Residents live in a house on the Foundation campus with WiFi, bedroom, living room, bathroom, wood burning stove, full kitchen, parking, and laundry facilities. The studio, called the "Ark," features a wood-burning fireplace, sink, high ceilings with upper loft, wood walls, skylights, and private deck. A print shop with a Sturges press is available for experienced printmakers using water-based mediums only. Artists must have a car for transportation; there is no stipend and meals are not provided. During the residency, artists meet with a Lucid Art professional artist associate and participate in weekly tea and conversation with staff and scholars. A group online exhibition will be created in 2027 featuring residency artists' work addressing environmental concerns.

Applicants must submit a project proposal (max. 3,000 characters) describing what they plan to explore and how it addresses climate crisis, including an action plan for raising awareness after the residency. Additional requirements include an artist's statement (max. 1,000 characters), short bio and recent exhibition history from the last 5 years (max. 1,000 characters), work samples created within the last two years, and three professional references. Eligibility: 18 years or older, US or Canada resident, have not previously participated in the residency, have use of a car, have an MFA or equivalent in independent studio work with exhibition history. Oil-based paints, turpentine, spray paint, and volatile or strong-smelling media are not accepted. No large power tools are allowed on campus. Entry deadline: November 18, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. MST. Entry fee: $40. Applicants will be notified in January 2026.