the APPLICATION PERIOD FOR 2026 RESIDENCIES opens on September 1st

SEPTEMBER 1: The application period opens on September 1st for 2025 residencies. The application fee is waived for early applications through October 31.

NOVEMBER 1: The application fee increases to $25 through the application deadline.

JANUARY 15: The deadline to apply for summer residencies is January 15th at 6 pm EST. All applications received after 6 pm on January 15th will be reviewed for the waitlist. All applicants on the waitlist will be notified in the event of a residency opening, which do occur unexpectedly throughout the season.

FEBRUARY 15: All final notifications for residencies, internships, scholarships and fellowships are made via email to applicants no later than February 15th. Accepted residents receive a link to the next steps which includes onboarding information and access to the residency handbook.

MARCH 1: For all accepted applicants, signed forms and a 50% deposit is due by March 1st to secure a residency. Deposits are non-refundable.

APRIL 1: All courses are designed and coordinated with teaching fellows by April 1st.

60 DAYS PRIOR TO A SCHEDULED RESIDENCY:

All final residency payments are due 60 days prior to a scheduled residency. If final payment is not made by this deadline, the residency may be forfeited. (Note that for May residencies this deadline is in March.)

Sliding scale scholarships are available to all applicants. Apply for one of three funding options based on your individual need.

Applicants may choose not to apply for a competitive scholarship, and opt to pay the full value of the residency at $1850/week, making scholarship funds available for others. Or, applicants may choose to apply for either a $850/week scholarship or a $1350/week scholarship based on need. With thanks to the generosity of our grantors and donors, the scholarships provided by Craigardan will bring the cost down to $1000/week or $500/week, respectively. Scholarships are competitive and limited. You may select your preferred funding option on the application form.

The full cost of a residency for 2025 is $1850 per week. This includes housing, studio space, food, free program access, and organizational support. If you select this option, you’ll make scholarship funds available for others.

Apply for the $850 weekly Craigardan scholarship, and the fee is reduced to $1000 per week.

Apply for the $1350 weekly Craigardan scholarship, and the fee is reduced to $500 per week.

In 2024, Craigardan awarded more than $130,000 in scholarships to artists.

Work Exchange. Applicants may choose to apply for work exchange (WE) which covers an additional $200 per week of their residency fee. WE Residents choose to work 10 hours per week in exchange for the residency fee reduction. A limited number of work exchange opportunities are available each summer, and they are awarded based on need. PLEASE NOTE this will take up a significant portion of an artist’s time in-residence, and this is actual work!

Teaching Fellowship. Awardees receive a $3700 fellowship toward the cost of a minimum two-week residency. Teaching fellows offer a public course during their stay in their area of expertise. Teaching Fellowships are highly competitive and up to four are awarded each summer. 

Master Artist Fellowship. Awardees receive a $3700 fellowship toward the cost of a minimum two-week residency, plus a $500 honorarium. Only one Master Artist Fellowship is awarded each summer.

Trillium Fellowship. Awardees receive a $3700 fellowship toward the cost of a minimum two-week residency, plus a $500 honorarium. Only one Trillium Fellowship is awarded each summer.

JBL! Fellowship. Awardees receive a $2700 scholarship from Craigardan, plus a $1000 fellowship from John Brown Lives! to cover the cost of a two-week residency, plus a $500 grant from JBL!. Fellows participate in a public event at John Brown Farm in Lake Placid. Only one JBL! Fellowship is awarded each summer; currently by invitation only.

First Peoples Fellowship. Awardees receive a fellowship of up to $3700 to cover the full cost of a one or two-week residency, plus a $500 honorarium. By invitation, nomination, or application. Only one individual or group Fellowship is awarded each summer.

CLICK HERE to learn more about fellowships, eligibility, and application requirements.

***All accepted applicants, including financial aid recipients, are responsible for personal expenses, studio materials and supplies, and all transportation.

The deadline to complete the application form is January 15. All applications are reviewed by a rotating selection committee with diverse expertise in a variety of fields and media. To be considered by the selection committee, a complete application must include:

Supporting Materials

• Your Resume or CV: We want to learn more about you! This can be a professional resume, arts resume, or a combo of the two (PDF only).

• A Letter of Intent including: how you plan to use your residency, what you hope to contribute to the community, why are you specifically applying to Craigardan, and how a residency at Craigardan will benefit you. Please include details on space and materials requirements if necessary. (PDF only)

• If you are applying for a fellowship, you may need to submit a class proposal, a statement of need, or other materials(PDF only). Please note additional requirements as listed under your fellowship HERE

• Lastly, examples of your work:

5-10 images of recent work, and an image script that includes the title, medium, size, and date of each image (PDF only)

-or- 3 different writing samples, each 2000 words or less (PDF only)

-or- 2 or more sample menus (culinary artists only) (PDF only)

-or- examples of publications, exhibitions, or research materials (PDF only)

and/or- links to any other video, publication, etc. that best portrays your work (PDF file with link(s) 

Application Form

Before you begin, please ensure that all your supporting materials are readily available. Complete the application form and be prepared to upload your supporting materials. It's important to note that the form only accepts supporting material files in the specified formats such as PDF and JPG. Lastly you will be asked to pay the application fee which is free through Oct 31st, $25 if submitted by Nov 30, and $40 after that. Our application deadline is Jan 15th. 

Next Steps

Upon submitting your application form, you can expect to receive a confirmation email. It's important to take a moment to review the information and instructions provided in the email. Please email program@craigardan.org if you do not receive your confirmation email. You may need to check your spam folder.

Schedule your informal Zoom call. The confirmation email will have a link to schedule a Zoom call with staff to gain a better understanding of your studio needs, and answer any questions you may have. 

Award Notifications. All final notifications for residencies, scholarships, and fellowships are made via email to applicants no later than February 15th. Accepted residents receive a link to the next steps which includes onboarding information and access to the residency handbook.

***Incomplete applications will not be considered. ***

We support residencies of 2 weeks or longer. All residencies start and end on a Monday.

In the application form, applicants have the opportunity to note:

• which months they are available (May, June, July, August, September, and/or October)

• Ideal length of residency (2 weeks, 3 weeks, 1 month, etc.)

• preferred timing or any unavailable dates. Please be specific.

We do our best to accommodate preferences. The selection committee awards residences and assigns dates based on a number of factors including availability and financial aid.

If your availability changes at any time after you submit your application, it is your responsibility to notify us! This prevents receiving a residency during a time that you cannot attend.

Residency deposits are non-refundable. If an accepted applicant needs to cancel all or part of their residency for any reason after final payments are made, residency fee refunds (minus the deposit) may be issued if we are able to fill the vacant spot with another applicant from our wait list. We do our best, but refunds are not guaranteed. Instead of cancelling, a residency may be deferred or rescheduled but the refund policy still applies for the original dates. Accepted residents may only defer once.

If you would like to apply with another artist or group of artists who intend to actively collaborate during the residency, each artist must fill out an application form and submit supporting materials as individuals. Be sure to make note that each person is part of the group in all letters of intent.

The group will be considered together as one applicant by the selection committee.