BolsterArts Residency
BolsterArts Residency
BolsterArts will award two visual artists with rent-free studio space in Chinatown, NYC for four months from May 1, 2025 - August 30, 2025.
Plus exciting studio visits by curators, gallerists, & writers. We will also host an open studio event.
Application Schedule:
Early Bird: February 6 - 14, 2025 $25
Standard: February 6 - February 28, 2025 $35
Deadline is extended to March 16, 2025 11:59pm.
Make it stand out
We are looking for bold, boundary-pushing visual artists working in any medium who are ready to take their practice to the next level.
Are you eager to connect with the right people who can help propel your career forward?
We seek artists who have a strong understanding of their practice but need the right introductions, mentorship, and exposure to grow professionally.
If you're ambitious, fearless, and unafraid to take creative risks, this opportunity is for you.
Meet the Jurors
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Daniella Rose King
LEAD CURATOR, COLLECTIONS GALLERIES
WELLCOME COLLECTION
Daniella Rose King is a London-based curator, writer, and lecturer. She has extensive curatorial experience in the UK and US, organising exhibitions, publications and programmes, building collections, and undertaking research and has been published widely. Her research has a special focus on artistic practices of the Caribbean and black diaspora and feminist readings of transatlantic geographies and their histories of extraction. She joined the Wellcome Collection as Lead Curator, Collections Galleries in 2023. Between 2020-23 she was the inaugural Adjunct Curator, Caribbean Diasporic Art, Hyundai Tate Research Centre: Transnational where she worked across Tate Modern and Tate Britain. She was the guest curator for the 2024 exhibition ‘Dominique White and Alberta Whittle: Sargasso Sea’ at Institute of Contemporary Art, University of Pennsylvania.
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AMY ROSENBLUM-MARTIN
CURATOR & ART HISTORIAN
Amy Rosenblum-Martín is an independent curator, Guggenheim staff, and New School professor with a Columbia MA in art history. Former Pérez Art Museum Miami and Bronx Museum staff curator, she has also worked for MoMA, the Metropolitan Museum, the Reina Sofía (Spain), Centro Cultural de Espana Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic), Kunsthaus Bregenz (Austria), Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Monterrey (Mexico), Museo de Arte Latinoamericano de Buenos Aires (Argentina), and the National Portrait Gallery (England), among other museums. She was guest assistant curator of MoMA PS1’s "Marking Time: Art in the Age of Mass Incarceration" (New York Times Most Important Moments in Art in 2020). She curated ISCP’s "Adjani Okpu-Egbe: On Delegitimization and Solidarity" (Hyperallergic’s Top 10 NYC Shows of 2021) and Sugar Hill Children’s Museum’s "Ana Mendieta: Thinking About Children’s Thinking" (Artforum Critic’s Pick). Her exhibition "Swagger and Tenderness: The South Bronx Portraits by John Ahearn & Rigoberto Torres" was at Bronx Museum (Hilton Als review, New Yorker). Other recent and upcoming projects include “Float: Marisa Morán Jahn” (Guggenheim), “Cuenca Biennial” (Ecuador), “Stellenbosch Triennale” (Cape Town), “AIM Biennial” (Miami), "Nuestro Vaivén" (Our Sway, The Ringling Museum), and the book Latin American Artists: From 1785 to Now (Phaidon). She organized and moderated this summer’s Royal College of Art (London) and Bronx Museum roundtable about artist Adjani Okpu-Egbe featuring curators Keyna Eleison, Dr. Nicole R. Fleetwood, Eileen Jeng Lynch, Khanyisile Mbongwa, and Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung.
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Emily Edwards
INDEPENDENT CURATOR
Emily Edwards is an independent curator and the former Associate Curator at Dallas Contemporary, where she has served for over six years and has curated exhibitions of artists EJ Hill, Martin Gonzales, Bianca Bondi, Chloe Chiasson, Gabrielle Goliath, Natalie Wadlington, Shilpa Gupta, Ariel Rene Jackson, and Margarita Cabrera and assisted with over thirty of DC’s exhibitions. Recently, Edwards was the recipient of an ICI Étant Donnés Curatorial Fellowship. She independently curated the acclaimed exhibition Is It Real? Artists Address Reproductive Freedom in 2024 with Sara Hignite and was the curator of the 2023 Texas Vignette Art Fair. Her curatorial practice is dedicated to working with historically underrepresented artists with a specialization in sociopolitical commentary. Before moving to Dallas, she worked on the curatorial team at the 9/11 Memorial Museum. She holds an MA in Art History and Museum Studies from Georgetown University.
How do I apply?
See Program eligibility and FAQ at the bottom of this page.
Create a single PDF to attach to the form below and then pay the application fee to complete your submission.
Due to financial limitations we cannot offer any more fee waivers except in dire cases. For example, if you are facing eviction, homeless, facing food scarcity, etc., we will work with you to accommodate your application. Please email bolsterartsresidency@gmail.com to request a waiver. If you’re able to provide support of need, please do so, to expedite your waiver.
PDF Instructions
Organize a PDF on a white background in the following order and please use 12 pt font. Label your PDF: FirstName_LastName_BolsterArtsResidency. Files may be no larger than 10MB.
Name, Email, Location
10 Images, 1 image, 1 artwork per a page (Video may replace an image, please include YouTube or Vimeo link, the jurors will watch up to 1 minute per a film)
150 Word Artist Statement
CV, no more than two pages
Two References - Name, Phone Number, Email (no letters required)
Incomplete PDFs or PDFs that don’t follow instructions will be disqualified. All application fees are non-refundable. No late applications will be accepted. No emailed applications will be accepted unless you’re experiencing technical difficulties and emailed us first.
Top 10 finalists may be asked to submit additional materials or have an interview.
Contact bolsterartsresidency@gmail.com for questions.
APPLY NOW
Residency Program FAQ
What is the program?
Two visual artists will be awarded a shared, rent-free, non-living studio space from May 1, 2025, through August 31, 2025. Each artist will receive a monthly one-on-one studio visit with a curator, writer or gallerist for professional development, totaling four visits per artist. We will also host an Open Studios event.
How are artists selected?
Artists will be selected based on merit by a professional jury. The jury will consider:
Cohesion within the artist’s body of work.
Work ethic and ability to prepare for an exhibition.
Ambition and boundary-defying creative practice.
References and ability to work well with others.
Where is the program located?
The residency studio is located in Chinatown, New York City.
What is the studio like?
The space is 360 square feet or roughly 12 by 25 feet, located on the fourth floor of a walk-up building (no elevator). It will be shared between the two selected artists. Studio access is 24/7.
Who is eligible?
Artists must be 21 years or older.
Artists may not be currently enrolled in a BFA or MFA program. Graduates of Spring 2025 are eligible to apply.
Artists must be able to live in the United States during the residency and able to sustain living here through the end of the residency program. At this time we cannot assist with Visas. If you cannot stay the duration of the entire residency, you are not eligible.
Artists must not maintain a separate studio or participate in another residency during this program. You may still apply if you have a home studio or you plan on subletting your studio during the residency program.
Collaborative duos are not eligible.
Do you provide housing?
No. Artists are responsible for their own housing. The studio is for work only and cannot be used as a living space.
What are my responsibilities as a resident artist?
Spend a minimum of 20 hours per week in the studio.
Attend all scheduled studio visits with gallerists, writers or curators and Open Studio events.
Maintain the condition of the studio, including shared areas like the restroom and sink.
Meet with the residency director once per month to assess work progression and proof of work being completed.
Provide and transport all materials and artwork at your own expense.
Work with the residency team to provide social media content and visuals to promote the residency program and your art.
Are there limitations on materials or media?
Fume- or dust-producing materials may be used with mutual agreement between the two artists.
No excessive noise or power tools (allowed within reason).
No materials or tools that pose a fire risk.
No pets or groups of 3 or more in the studio.
Is there a financial award or stipend?
No. The residency does not offer financial assistance, stipends, or material support.
Can I share my studio with a spouse/partner?
No. The studio is only for the artists awarded the residency.
If you have additional questions please contact us at bolsterartsresidency @ gmail.com