Artist In Residence Program Open Call
We are pleased to announce the open call for the January 2026 - December 2027 Artist In Residence Program. Now in Cycle 10, this two-year residency invites four visual artists to join our Newark, NJ–based community to create work that centers social impact and engagement.
The mission of the program is multifaceted, designed to benefit both the Artists In Residence and the broader public. It aims to create a symbiotic relationship between artist and audience, serving as a conduit for new artistic practices and socially driven interventions.
Throughout the residency, artists receive critical resources and support to sustain and deepen their practices.
Join a decade of artists building community through creative practice.
Program Includes:
Two years of free studio space at Project for Empty Space in Newark, NJ
$5,000 unrestricted honorarium
$2,500 materials stipend
A culminating solo exhibition at one of our Newark-based gallery locations
Support for community-facing programming and public engagement initiatives
Access to professional development, including studio visits, feedback sessions, and networking opportunities
The program strives to not only support individual artists; but also, to cultivate conversation around social equity and engagement that are often swept by the wayside. We see the AIR program as a bridge between artist and community, as well as community and community, to push important dialogues forward.
Important Dates:
Application Deadline: October 6, 2025
Artist Notifications: December 1, 2025
Residency Start: January 2026
2025 - 2026 Newark Artist Accelerator Fund
The 2025 - 2026 Newark Artist Accelerator is a project grant for Newark-based, multidisciplinary visual artists. This year’s fund is made possible by the generous support of The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Regional Regranting Program.
Project-based grants will be awarded in the amounts of $2,500, $5,000, and $7,500. Proposed projects must be artist-led and can include collaborative ventures, pop-up exhibitions, events, and interventions of an ephemeral nature that are radically accessible to public audiences. We are looking for investigative and authentic initiatives.
Applications will be assessed by the proposal’s originality, impact, and feasibility. A jury of local and national arts professionals will select projects.
The application portal is now open. It will close on Monday, September 15 at 11:59 pm. An information session about the Newark Artist Accelerator fund will be held on Wednesday, August 20, at 4 pm.
Virtual Community Information Session
Join Project for Empty Space on Wednesday, August 20, at 4 pm to learn more about this year’s Newark Artist Accelerator Fund. Hear from the team about previously funded projects and best submission practices. This is an excellent opportunity to get questions answered prior to submitting a proposal.
To send questions ahead of time, please email info@newarkartistaccelerator.org.
About the Newark Artist Accelerator Fund
Beginning in 2021, in response to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on artists, their families, and their communities, the NAA Fund was initially established to provide emergency relief to artists in New Jersey.
The NAA Fund continues to provide immediate need, merit-based funding to artists’ projects and collaborations annually and is committed to sustaining this grant program through ongoing funding from local foundations and donors.
The Newark Artist Accelerator Fund is powered by Project for Empty Space.
Ongoing Opportunities
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Newark Artists is a free platform that was developed to highlight and celebrate artists whose creative practices are locally rooted. This database acknowledges the artist’s crucial role in this city. Additionally, it serves as a way to invest in, and support our creative community. Newark Artists is more than an index of artists: it is a community, hub, and home for creatives in the Greater Newark Area. The platform includes artist profiles, an arts organization directory, and a continuously updated list of opportunities for creative practitioners. It is a resource for artists, as well as those who seek to learn more about the Newark Art Scene. Originally conceived in 2018, Newark Artists was a community situated in the virtual space. Launched in 2020, as we navigated a global pandemic that kept many of us inside and apart, we saw this resource as a new way to connect and keep the artist community thriving. In addition to the website, a series of free virtual professional development programs are collaboratively produced with local organizations and practitioners. This website is powered by Project for Empty Space as an effort to serve artists and audiences of Newark.
Learn more and apply here.
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The Body Freedom Digital Space includes an extensive artist database, tour archives, and opportunities for community building. In an effort to expand intersecting communities and conversions, we have an ongoing open call for the database! In addition to articulating the realities that we face now, this database also serves as an archive of this moment. Our goal is to create a space that we can use as a point of convening and solace, and also a time capsule that we may reflect back upon as we move forward.
The Body Freedom database will present artists' work from across the United States. Organized by state, theme(s), discipline(s), and medium(s), this curated space explores intersectional ideas related to bodily autonomy.
To learn more about contributing work to the database, please visit our Submittable form!
PLEASE NOTE: This database is a community space intended for educational purposes only. It will not facilitate sales or financial transactions of any kind. Any inquiries about specific works displayed on the site will be forwarded directly to the artists.
Apply through Submittable to be considered for our database!