PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY: 

The 2022/23 AIR program discipline is PAINTING/DRAWING. A successful AIR applicant works in PAINTING and/or DRAWING within the traditional and/or expanded field. A mastery of 2D foundation principles is desired. Applicants are MFA preferred. Applicants may not be enrolled in any degree program at time of residency. Disciplines rotate each academic year. 

International artists, please take the following into consideration: International artists are responsible for obtaining a visa, as well as necessary documentation for travel and employment within the United States. Munson-Williams can provide formal letters of invitation and additional support information requested, however it is the artist's responsibility to carry the burden of the visa acquisition process through the appropriate channels.  Please consider the timeline for making such arrangements. Artists must be reasonably fluent in English. 

Munson-Williams is a recognized program by International Arts & Artists, a non-profit organization that sponsors J-1 visas for international interns, trainees, and scholars participating in cultural exchanges with American arts institutions. More info at www.artsandartists.org .

SELECTION PROCESS:

Artists are reviewed by a staff and faculty committee based on the visual quality of artwork, written proposals, trajectory of career, and potential to thrive living in Utica and working within the AIR program parameters. The selection process has three phases:

Phase 1: All applications and advisory committee recommendations are reviewed by the Munson-Williams AIR Selection Committee which includes the School of Art and Museum of Art Faculty and Staff. Up to 10 finalists are chosen and all applicants are notified via email of their status. 

Phase 2: The finalists are notified of their status via email. Zoom interviews are scheduled for each candidate with the Munson-Williams AIR Selection Committee.

Phase 3: Finalists may be interviewed again and/or invited to visit Munson-Williams before being offered residency. The review process can take up to three months from the deadline. All applicants will be notified of their status by email. Please do not call the office for selection results.

AIR receive two guaranteed stipend payments of $1,250, one in September and one in January for a total of $2,500 to help offset the costs of living and supplies. 

AIR teaching non-credit classes and/or workshops in our Community Arts Education program will be paid compensation as a Community Arts Education Instructor. Classes are subject to enrollment guidelines which means they may be canceled if they do not reach minimum enrollment.  Opportunities to teach a credit bearing course in the PrattMWP program is dependent on enrollment. Details and pay discussed with finalists. 

Munson-Williams provides up to $500 in travel to the residency, $600 in support for the spring exhibition, and up to $500 towards shipping of artworks at the end of the residency.

Munson-Williams provides compensation for three to four Art Alive Family Day events and craft design at approx $300 per event. 

Munson-Williams provides a private apartment and utilities, a studio, and a meal plan that covers 19 meals a week during PrattMWP college semesters. Munson-Williams is not responsible for arranging artist transportation to and during residency or additional costs of living. 

A private second-floor apartment is provided. The furnished, two-bedroom apartment includes living area, kitchen, and closets and is in the heart of the Munson-Williams and PrattMWP campus. The apartment is equipped with some kitchen basics and wifi. Resident artists are responsible for their own laundry and should bring their own queen-sized bed linens, bed pillows, blankets, and towels. 

Please Note: The apartment is located on the second floor and is not handicapped-accessible. The AIR program is unable to accommodate families, spouses, or long-term guests at this time. However, artist partners or collaborators will be considered if all parties apply individually. Please clearly note any collaborators within the application writing portions. The program and studios are intended for the artists awarded and selected by the jury.

A Dining Hall meal plan is also provided and includes 19 meals a week when college is in session.

Once an artist has accepted residency, the artist will begin remotely collaborating a fall noncredit, Community Art Education class and/or workshops with the Community Arts Education and Residency Director.  These classes will be featured in the fall catalog and begin early-September and are generally offered once a week. Classes are taken for many reasons by members of the community of all ages. Many community classes are skill or project driven courses.

Early planning, prior to arrival, allows for proper marketing of each class and event. Resident artists are paid an hourly wage per teaching hour bi-weekly. Community classes that do not meet minimum enrollment are canceled.

Community involvement refers to planning and participation in public events at the institute or in the community and simply covers a broad range of involvement like ArtAlive Family Days. Munson-Williams  encourages resident artists to be involved in local and regional art events and nearby artist residency events.

Each year, more than 100 art and design students from around the world choose to start their Pratt Institute B.F.A. degree at Pratt’s upstate New York campus, PrattMWP College of Art and Design. Students who select PrattMWP to complete the first two years of their BFA on the Utica campus and are then guaranteed a seamless relocation to Pratt’s main Brooklyn campus at the beginning of their junior year as long as they are in good academic standing. PrattMWP students graduate with the same prestigious degree as those who attend Pratt Institute in Brooklyn for four years – but PrattMWP students gain an edge afforded by the many benefits of an intimate and nurturing upstate campus.

Artists in Residence may teach in the credit PrattMWP program. Courses are determined by the Dean and are compensated as adjuncts instructors. Inclusion in this program is based on availability and need of the program.  Full-time faculty may ask artists to participate in other classes as well. This may be in the form of critiques, small lectures, studio visits, or short class projects. First-year and sophomore students at PrattMWP benefit greatly from seeing the AIR studio practice and work on campus over the course of the academic year

Click here for more info on PrattMWP programming.

STUDIO DETAILS:

Studios are provided to resident artists. The artist-in-residence receives a private studio space on the second floor of the ceramics studio building along with other faculty and has 24/7 access.  

Artists are responsible for bringing all specialty equipment, tools, and supplies used in their daily studio practice (including computers) to the residency. If an applicant has a special interest in facilities outside of the specific discipline, please indicate in the application form.

FACILITIES:

Below are brief descriptions of the facilities on campus. Resident artists have access to facilities with prior consent of managing full-time faculty and must work around PrattMWP, community classes, and heavy traffic lab times. If an applicant has a special interest in facilities outside of their specific discipline, please indicate in the application form.

Design + Video

The 4D and communications design labs are located in the Academic Building along with the Art Research Library and classrooms. The labs are equipped with modern iMac computers and a full suite of Adobe Creative Cloud and photo printers. This area includes a media lab for full-body green screen and other shooting that is shared with the photography department. Various video and still cameras, sound, light, and related equipment is available for brief periods of check-out.

Drawing, Painting, + Illustration

Our drawing and painting classes are held in the School of Art Studio Building, a three-level, 23,000 square foot facility designed specifically for higher art education. The drawing and painting studios on the second level feature ample space and airy, vaulted ceilings. Each studio is furnished with sinks, easels, tables, lighting, and a substantial reservoir of still life subject matter.

Ceramics

The pottery studio encompasses 3,500 square feet of the historic carriage house Ceramics and Sculpture Studio Building. Arched windows, tiled walls, and decades of good energy make this studio aesthetically pleasing and the best-equipped ceramics facility in the area. Included are more than a dozen electric wheels, a slab roller, extruder, mixers, electric kilns, and a Bailey Car kiln. The kiln shed is equipped with large salt kilns, downdraft kiln, and an Anagama kiln. The shed is the hub for workshops and for learning the fundamentals of wood firing. The second floor is home to the Vincent R. Clemente Ceramic Resource Room, a library of 250 ceramic books, magazines, and DVD demos for research and inspiration.

Jewelry + Metals

The spacious jewelry facilities are located on the first floor of the School of Art Studio Building. The studio is professionally equipped with a wide variety of equipment to support beginning through advanced techniques and processes. This includes an extensive array of hand tools, flexshafts and drill presses, buffing machines and tumblers, a hydraulic press, rolling mills, shears, an etching tank, kilns, and equipment for vacuum casting and enameling, numerous hammers and stakes for forming metal, six soldering stations, each equipped with a gas/air torch and annealing station. A modern ventilation system allows for safe practices of all techniques taught. Jewelry students can conveniently purchase nonferrous metal (copper, brass, and silver) as well as consumable supplies (saw blades, solder, and sandpaper) for classes directly from the School of Art Reception desk.

Photography

Our photography classes are held on the lower level of the School of Art Studio Building. The studio has two traditional darkrooms and 14 enlargers. Digital photography processing equipment includes Mac computers with the latest Adobe Software, large and small format printers, and four flatbed scanners for both film and photos. Photography classes emphasize awareness of fine arts traditions as well as the professional disciplines of the contemporary media artist.

Printmaking

The printmaking facilities encompass 1,200 square feet of the lower level of the School of Art Studio Building. Our print classes focus on a “green printing” philosophy, limiting harsh chemicals, solvents, and waste. The studio is equipped to explore multiple print processes from screenprinting to bookmaking, lithography to monoprint. There are also two large etching presses, a Washington press with wood type, Platen press with metal type and a lithography press and assorted stones.

Sculpture

The first-floor sculpture shop covers more than 3,000 square feet in the Ceramics and Sculpture Studio Building. Brightly lit spaces hold ample tools and equipment to work in a variety of scales and materials. The metal shop holds seven ARC welding stations, MIG welder, plasma cutter, drill press, ironworker, Oxy-Acetylene torches, 3-in-1 sheet metal break as well as many power and hand tools. The equally equipped woodshop has worktables, hand tools, band saws, and a table saw. The lower level includes a plaster studio for moldmaking.

Library

Fitness Center

Museum of Art

Campus Map

APPLICATION FEE and INSTRUCTIONS:

DEADLINE: The 2023/24 Application cycle is over. Please check back in January 2024 for the next application. 

There is a non-refundable application fee of $10.  Applications are only accepted online through Submittable.com. Finalists may be invited for an onsite visit prior to accepting residency and may be compensated for a portion of travel. There is no fee for residency participation. 

Please email ataylor@mwpai.edu for application fee waiver consideration. 

This is an entirely online application process. It is recommended that answers are prepared offline, saved in a document, and copied/pasted into the application form so that work is not lost. Do not email or mail your application. 

APPLICATION CHECKLIST:

Please prepare and submit the following:
1. Applicant Information
2. CV (pdf)
3. Three professional references and contact information (References will only be contacted following finalist interviews)
4. Artist Statement (250 Words)
5. Statement of Intent (250 Words: Why is this specific residency program a good fit for you?)
6. Non-credit class teaching proposals (250 Words: one to three short descriptions of ideas. These are non-binding.)
7. Artist website (optional)
8. PAINTING/DRAWING Artwork Samples:

• 15 images of recent artwork.
• Preferred formats: JPG, PNG, TIFF | Resolution: 300DPI | File size: max 5MB.
• Other accepted formats: GIF, MP4, AVI, MOV. 
• Stills of video work with a link to Vimeo/YouTube is also acceptable for some time-based media.

Note: Finalists may be asked for additional materials as a part of the review process. 
 

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