OPEN CALL: Studio Residency 2026
OPEN CALL | WE ARE NATURE: Transformation Stories
Artist Residency 2026 – Noo Arts @ Governors Island, NYC
Opportunity Type: Call for Entry / Open Call
Disciplines: Interdisciplinary/Hybrid, Visual Arts, Performance, Sound, Installation, Social Practice
Description
Noosphere Arts, aka Noo Arts, invites NYC-based artists to apply for a rent-free studio residency as part of WE ARE NATURE: Transformation Stories taking place May-October 2026 at our art house on Governors Island.
WE ARE NATURE is our annual summer series of multidisciplinary experiences at the intersection of arts and eco-awareness. For 2026, we expand from our Brooklyn rooftops to Governors Island: across performances, exhibitions, workshops, and residencies, we explore transformation as an ecological process, urban shift, social change, and artistic evolution.
Selected artists receive a private studio workspace in this unique historical site for three months. The residency is designed as a working studio program supporting research, experimentation, and production, as well as monthly open studios/public presentations.
The program is divided into two phases:
Phase 1 (May–July 2026):
Subtopics: Nature, Material Composites, and Metamorphoses, with an emphasis on artistic research. For this phase we encourage proposals that investigate ecological processes, hybrid materials, and states of transition, foregrounding experimentation, process-based inquiry, and material exploration as central components of the work.
Phase 2 (August–October 2026):
Subtopics: Rooted in Governors Island’s past as a military base, the theme Monuments, Nature, and Transformation asks what a monument means today and what function it serves in a time shaped by ecological change, shifting power, and evolving collective memory. What do we choose to honor, and what remains as social, cultural, and ecological values shift over time?
Every third Saturday (May 16, June 20, July 17, August 15, September 19, October 17), we host public events, including open studios, performances, installations, lectures, and experimental formats.
Resident Artists Must:
Be NYC-based (during the time of residency)
Actively use their studio
Be present 10am–6pm every third Saturday for public engagement
Please note: Studios have no running water; nearby communal facilities are available. Overnight stays are not permitted.
We expect artists to engage openly and respectfully with the residency community and environment on Governors Island, working mindfully across race, gender, class, and ecology, and fostering a collegial, self-directed, and collaborative spirit grounded in mutual respect.
How to Apply
~To apply for free studio space, submit one PDF (max. 10 MB) including:
Contact data, preferred phase (1 or 2), and optional demographic info (race, gender, age, social background)
Artist Statement (max. 300 words)
Motivation (max. 300 words)
Project Proposal (max. 500 words)
Portfolio (5–10 works)
CV/Artist Bio (max. 2 pages)
~We also welcome proposals from artists seeking to present during public events without studio space. For such presentations, applicants only need to submit 1) Artist Bio with Contact Info, and 2) Project Proposal with links and available dates.
Please name your PDF in the following format:
~ For studio residencies: STUDIO PHASE [followed by 1 or 2 for your desired period]_ Your Last Name_First Name_WAN26
~ For Open House presentations only: PRESENTATION_Your Last Name_Your First Name_WAN26
Please upload your complete PDF file HERE
Submission deadline: March 16, 2026 | All applicants notified by early April
Applications are reviewed by Noo Arts’ curatorial team and invited arts professionals based on artistic quality, thematic relevance, and feasibility. For questions or technical issues, email Chief Program Director elena.falcini@noosphere-arts.nyc