Become our Next Resident Artist!
Don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to exhibit your art through our innovative model of pairing youth with professional artists, creating meaningful connections on a variety of topics. With wrap-around resources like mental health support, groceries, stipends, and tech supplies, we embody values of equity and accessibility. Application closes March 15th
Artist Residency Overview
Each artist at PlatteForum is granted a total of six to eight weeks of dedicated time, space and support to expand their practice, experiment, and elevate their work to a new level. Artists have the opportunity to create a new body of work, create a dialogue around the work through our conversation series, share their work with the community, experience an opening and/or closing reception/performance, and have their artwork professionally photographed.
Collaborating with our entire PlatteForum community, from other organizations, individuals, and most notably our ArtLab youth interns, will play a crucial role in enhancing and expanding an artist's aesthetic and network at PlatteForum. These community connections are essential for fostering personal growth in resident artists and positively impacting the cultural discourse of the city. PlatteForum actively participates in the Alliance of Artist Communities, emphasizing the importance of creative environments that support contemporary artists.
Who can Apply?
PlatteForum’s Artist Residency program is open to artists in all genres and disciplines. Applications from established professional artists, emerging artists, and graduate students are welcome. We encourage local, national, and international artists to apply.
Artistic excellence, merit, and creative ways of interacting with the public are important criteria in the selection process.
Former Resident Artists may apply again after a three-year waiting period. (for example, a Resident Artist from the 2018-19 season is not eligible to apply until the 2021-22 season).
Making a Standout Application
1. Clear artist statement that addresses the artist's practice, typical ideas and topics, engagement with social justice issues, and articulate how the residency contributes to achieving their artistic goals.
2. Clear project proposal that states whether the project is a new endeavor, emphasizes the impact of addressing a social justice topic, outlines plans for collaboration with our ArtLab interns, and clarifies whether the focus is on receiving input from interns or teaching them specific artistic skills.
3. Effective work documentation for the application requires quality images or videos showcasing relevant work and artistic practice, and applicants in music, writing, poetry, dance, or performance art should specifically include videos of their performances.
4. Emerging artists are encouraged to apply with a clear, proofread resume/CV that emphasizes any experience with community work.
"The time I spent with the interns as a resident of PlatteForum really inspired me to view my practice through the lens of youth... I highly recommend this residency to any artist as a unique opportunity to engage with the art community of future Denver."
- Jennifer Maravillas Bell, Resident Artist Alumni
Resident Artist FAQ
Watch short videos by Resident Artist alumni and staff to learn more about applying to our Residency.)
How did PlatteForum’s Artist Residency help my career?
Choreographer, dancer, and organizer Kate Speer shares how her residency at PlatteForum in 2017 has positively impacted her career.
What can you expect in regards to compensation for expenses during your residency?
Sculptor and interdisciplinary artist Autumn T. Thomas (Resident Artist, 2020) answers this important question.
What kind of commitment am I making as a Resident Artist?
Learn more about the expectations and details involved in being a Resident Artist at PlatteForum from Esther Hernandez, Creative Programming Manager.
What is it like to work with ArtLab interns and youth participants?
Alex Branch was a Resident Artist at PlatteForum in 2018. Here she describes her creative inspiration and process of working with PlatteForum's ArtLab high school interns and how their collaboration culminated in an exhibition and performance (watch the video to see a clip!) that was open to the community.
What kind of mediums and practices are welcome at the PlatteForum Artist Residency?
Resident Artist alum Frankie Toan (2018) breaks it down.
How will you be supported in colllaborating with ArtLab high school interns and the community?
ArtLab Facilitator Kendall Kultgen, describes how Resident Artists and ArtLab interns work together to create and conceptualize the exhibition or performance at the culmination of a residency, and how you'll be supported in the process if you are selected.
What kind of social topics can be addressed?
Kyle Peets is a performance and conceptual installation artist based in Ashland, Oregon; he was a Resident Artist at PlatteForum in 2017. In this video, he discusses the variety of topics that Resident Artists can explore in their work during their residency.
Can I apply again if I have not been selected in the past?
Sound artist Ben Coleman (Resident Artist, 2019) answers whether or not you can reapply to be a PlatteForum Resident Artist if you were not selected previously.