The Watermill Center’s Artist Residency Program began in 2006 when the Center officially opened as a year-round facility. Each year collectives and individuals take up residence at The Watermill Center to develop works that critically investigate, challenge, and extend the existing norms of artistic practice.
The Artist Residency Program is process-based, without the expectation or promise of a final exhibition of the work. The Watermill Center provides artists with the time, space, and freedom to develop their practice in a communal environment that encourages experimentation. Artists-in-Residence share their creative process with the community through open rehearsals, workshops, and artist talks.
Artists-in-Residence receive access to an extensive collection of resources central to The Watermill Center experience: 20,000 square feet of rehearsal/design spaces and outdoor stages; a theater production archive; The Watermill Center Study Library; The Watermill Collection; and The Watermill Center’s ten-acre landscaped grounds and gardens.
Applications are reviewed by an international committee of distinguished Watermill Center alumni made up of artists, academics, and cultural leaders across disciplines. To date, we have hosted over 250 residencies featuring 1500 artists from more than 90 nations.
2026 ARTIST RESIDENCY PROGRAM APPLICATIONS
DEADLINE TO APPLY: WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 15, 2025 | 11:59PM EST
OR UNTIL MAX 400 APPLICATIONS ARE RECEIVED
- Applications are accepted through the online portal, SlideRoom, at https://watermillcenter.slideroom.com.
- SlideRoom will lead you through the required questions, attachments, and media uploads.
- There is a $12 USD fee per application required by SlideRoom. Payment is accepted on the SlideRoom website.
For all technical questions (work sample uploads, payment issues, trouble submitting, login problems) please email support@slideroom.com.
For questions regarding the program or application process, please refer to our FAQ. If you cannot find the relevant information, email us at applications@watermillcenter.org.
We strongly advise submitting your application early. Applications will capped at 400 total; only the first 400 submissions will be reviewed. With many applicants waiting until the last minute to submit their applications, there can be technical difficulties on the day of the deadline, including payment processing. Please note: We do not accept late applications. There will be no extension on the deadline. Applicants will be notified of the status of their application by late summer 2025.
RESIDENCY PROGRAM FAQ
Q: When does the Artist Residency Program occur? Residencies are scheduled by mutual agreement between the accepted Resident Artist and The Watermill Center during January-June and September-December. Residencies can be scheduled for a minimum of two weeks and a maximum of four weeks. Please view the application to get a better sense of the exact start and end dates. Q: Is there anything required of Artists-in-Residence? Residents are required to participate in In Process @ The Watermill Center, which invites the community to engage with our Artists-in-Residence through open rehearsals, workshops, studio visits, lectures, or artist talks. In Process typically occurs midway through a residency, and is focused on giving you the chance to share your artistic process with the local community, and get feedback on the project under development. Workshops and other community events are strongly encouraged, but not required. Each artist is encouraged to have an education component to their residency. The Watermill Center staff will work with you to plan and design education programming. Q: How much does it cost to participate in the program? There are no fees for participating in the Artist Residency Program. During the course of the residency, residents are responsible for living expenses such as food, travel to and from Watermill, production expenses such as art materials and supplies, and equipment rentals. Watermill will provide a modest stipend to offset these expenses. Additional details will be provided upon acceptance to the program. The Watermill Center provides local transportation, housing, and workspace. If requested, The Watermill Center will supply signed letters of support for outside funding and, in some cases, can offer advice on potential funders to underwrite or assist. Q: Can I interact with The Watermill Collection? Yes! The Watermill Collection is available as a source of inspiration and for you to engage with. The collection includes textiles, visual artworks, outdoor installations, as well as a large assortment of chairs, not all of which are appropriate for sitting. Q: Can I view what’s in The Collection before I arrive? The Watermill Collection is constantly being re-curated as new pieces are added, objects on view are rotated with objects in storage, and as some pieces go on exhibition across the globe; as such, we are unable to provide an accurate list of what will be on view during the course of your residency. We recommend joining us during one of our many year-round tours of The Center to get a better idea of The Collection. If you’re interested in interacting with certain objects (textiles, vessels, chairs, Paul Thek works, etc) you can note so on your application under “Project Needs.” Q: Are the facilities shared? How many Artists-in-Residence are on site at a given time? The Artist Residency Program is a communal program, there are multiple residencies occurring concurrently, with anywhere from 2-4 residencies with 3-15 artists on-site at a given time. It is integral to Watermill’s programming that artists live and work with other Artists-in-Residence. Educational and community programming is also scheduled throughout residencies. Q: What are the housing accommodations? Housing and bed arrangements vary based on the needs and number of the Artists-in-Residence. Most artists will be housed on-site in our Residence building, which includes double occupancy rooms with ensuite bathrooms and a communal kitchen and living space. Artists coming alone will not be expected to share a bedroom. Artists coming with collaborators may be expected to share sleeping quarters. Please indicate any special housing needs on your application. Q: Is The Watermill Center accessible? The Watermill Center is committed to providing accessible programs and services for all patrons and artists with disabilities. Our main building/facility is accessible by a ramp from the parking lot on the north side of the building. Given advance notice, we can provide ASL interpretation, large-print materials, and scalable PDFs of written materials. For further information about any accessibility issues or needs, please email us at access@watermillcenter.org Q: Are pets allowed? Pets are not allowed at The Watermill Center. We have an on-site cat, Jasmine, who does not welcome other furry friends. Q: Can I bring my family or children? At this time, we can only provide on-site housing and meals for artists and their direct collaborators. We recently introduced a Family Residency slot, which is available to a limited number of artists per year. Applicants can indicate their interest in a family residency on the application form. Artists awarded a Family Residency may be housed off-site. Q: Is smoking allowed on site? The Watermill Center building, the Residence building, and other indoor spaces associated with the Center are strictly non-smoking. Smoking is allowed outdoors. Please pick up all cigarette butts and dispose of them properly. Q: What type of transportation is available? The Watermill Center provides Artists-in-Residence with vans to use for local travel. The Watermill Center is located in rural Long Island, and it is highly recommended that an artist or one of their collaborators have a valid driver’s license. Grocery stores, supply shops, and recreational centers such as the beach are not within walking distance from The Center. Taxi services, including Uber and Lyft, are available. Q: What recreational or extracurricular activities are available? The Watermill Center is just a short car ride away from many activities, including the beach, local museums, and galleries, as well as many shopping centers. We also have a large onsite library at your disposal, as well as beautiful gardens and outdoor spaces. The Watermill Staff is happy to recommend activities for your downtime. Watermill is located within the center of the Hamptons, which is a resort area. As such, prices of everyday items can be more expensive than expected. The Center staff is happy to help you find affordable options for shopping and dining, but we recommend budgeting accordingly. Q: What kind of facilities does Watermill have? The Watermill Center combines performance and rehearsal sites with working and communal living spaces. Its flexible and multi-purpose interiors house formal and informal studio and performance spaces, The Watermill Collection, and The Watermill Library, kitchen facilities, and a Study Center with archives. The Center is situated on ten acres of wooded and landscaped grounds in a rural environment. The Center does not provide a traditional theater studio or painting studio environment. We do not have a lighting grid or a technical staff to assist with rehearsals and construction. The main studio spaces have black-stained hardwood floors, white walls, and many windows. There is no separation between studio and gallery or living and working spaces, and The Watermill Collection is carefully curated throughout The Center. Artists have the unique opportunity to work amongst these museum pieces and to work with The Center staff to re-curate their environments. Watermill encourages artists to engage with the collection and architecture, and to explore all facets of The Center and its grounds Q: Is there a black-box? The Watermill Center does not have a black-box, or any work area without windows. We are able to shutter windows in certain workspaces, but there is often a bleed of natural light from other rooms. Q: May I bring my own materials to the residency? Yes. The Watermill Center does not provide materials outside of basic office supplies. Q: What equipment is onsite? The Watermill Center is only able to provide modest audio/visual equipment, as well as a color printer. Please note The Watermill Center does not have an on-site Technical Assistant, and you should be prepared to manage your own technical needs. Please contact us at visit@watermillcenter.org if you have any questions. Q: Who is responsible for the care of the facilities? The Watermill Center asks that Artists-in-Residence care for their own workspace, and return it to its original condition at the end of their residency. There is a cleaning crew who takes care of general facility tidying, but they will not disturb/enter your workspace, and only focus on communal areas. Please consult a staff member before making any alterations to your space. Q: How is studio space allocated? Space at Watermill is allocated as needed. Artists are asked to notate in their application what type of space they require (studio space, office space, rehearsal space, indoors, outdoors, etc.). The Watermill Center Artist Residency Program is a communal experience and Artists-in-Residence may have to share spaces. The Watermill Center staff makes all efforts to schedule residencies in a manner that reduces the stresses of space-sharing.
APPLICATION FAQ
Q: Can you waive the application fee? Unfortunately, no. The fee is required and goes directly to SlideRoom, which collects and stores applications online. The fee does NOT go to The Watermill Center. As such, we are unable to waive the application fee. Q: My credit card is based on a currency other than US dollars. The SlideRoom portal will accept any major credit card for payment and will convert your local currency into the US dollar equivalent at the time of payment. Q: I would like to upload or link to media (videos or music) that is longer than 3 minutes. We ask applicants to limit their samples to 3 minutes as we are restricted by how much time we can spend on each application during the review process. With hundreds of applications to evaluate comprised of thousands of media samples, we are obliged to limit the material we receive if we are to respond to the applicants within a reasonable timeframe. We encourage you to cut or edit your content into a 3-minute segment to ensure that it be properly reviewed. If your media is longer than 3 minutes there is a risk that it will not be completely evaluated. We know that this restriction is not ideal for everyone and we regret the inconvenience. Q: I have a text I want to submit that is longer than 5 pages / My portfolio is in PDF format but is longer than 5 pages. As with video and sound files, we are limited by the amount of content we are able to review. The PDF option is available so that applicants can offer text or specially formatted material. If you have a long text to submit, please upload it in sections. PDF documents longer than 5 pages will not be reviewed in full. We know that this restriction is not ideal for everyone and we regret the inconvenience. Q: My work is not presented in English. We accept media samples (video, photos, visual artworks) in any language, but the review panel will be conducted in English. If you are worried about communicating your ideas to the panel you may wish to translate these or a portion of these for submission. Please ensure that all of the form questions are answered in English. Of course, we actively solicit applicants from all over the world and are pleased to see material in different languages, but our capacity to review such material may be limited. Q: I am waiting for some last minute video material to arrive; can I submit it after the deadline? No, all media must be submitted online through the SlideRoom portal by the application deadline. Once the portal is closed no further adjustment of your application will be possible. Q: I have a lot of material on my website. Can I link to it? We have a section on our forms for you to provide your website information if you so choose. The panel may visit your website should they require further information, but it is not guaranteed, so please ensure that you upload any material you wish to be reviewed directly into the SildeRoom portal in the MEDIA section. Q: Where do I upload my letters of recommendation? You don’t! We do not require letters of recommendation at this time. Q: Will the deadline be extended? No. Please make sure to submit your application as early as possible, ideally one week before the deadline, so as to avoid any potential problems. We do not accept late applications. Q: When are the Residencies announced? The acceptance/rejection notifications will be sent out by end of summer each year. The announcement is made public on our website and through the press in late winter. Q: Who is eligible to apply? The Artist Residency Program is open to national and international artists 21+ years of age. A variety of disciplines are accepted including, but not limited to: visual arts, media/new genre, performance, architecture, film/video, literature, interdisciplinary arts, and music composition. Solo artists or collaborative groups (such as theatre or dance companies) are welcome to apply. Watermill Alumni are allowed to re-apply after a one-year hiatus from the program. Alumni seeking residency must submit a complete application including recent work samples and current resume. Preference may be given to applicants who have not previously attended. Working knowledge of English is helpful for international artists, as an interpreter will not be provided. The Watermill Center is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination and equal opportunity for all persons regardless of race, sex, color, religion, creed, national origin or ancestry, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and disability. For special needs or questions about accessibility, please contact access@watermillcenter.org Q: How are residencies selected? Artists-in-Residence are selected based on the following criteria Applications are reviewed by a distinguished international selection committee of Watermill Alumni to evaluate the project’s artistic merit, feasibility, and need for a residency. Q: If I am not accepted, will I receive a critique/explanation? Due to the large volume of applications, we are unable to give individual feedback on applications. We strongly encourage artists to reapply. Common reasons for rejection include but are not limited to Q: As an artist, I have a carefully constructed identity / I prefer to use my stage name. We require that applicants furnish their legal details (name, date of birth, etc.) in our application. If you have an artistic name you might indicate that in the nickname field. There are several opportunities to explain your artistic identity within the application’s forms.
ARTISTS-IN-RESIDENCE
k Abram, Beah Batakou, A. J. Bermudez, Morgan Bobrow-Williams, Joana P. Cardozo, Catherine Chen, Georgios Cherouvim, Elvira Clayton, Jamie Diamond, Shelley Nicole, Yuki Kobayashi, Nicolás Lange, Pontus Lidberg, Talles Lopes, Joanna Mattrey and James Kennedy, Lindsay Carrington Morris, ONE LANDSCAPE Collective, Katherine Profeta, Ralph Lemon, Darrell Jones, RUPTURE, Lucien Shapiro, Sara Stern
Adedayo Agarau, Katerina Andreou, Lea Bertucci, Sarah Brahim, Philippe Cheng, Kayla Farrish, Vinson Fraley, Fana Fraser, Regina José Galindo, Inga Galinytė & Chloé Bellemere, Brianna L. Hernández, Chris Jones (Kris Jonz), Carina Kohn, Matthew Leifheit, Pontus Lidberg, Aref Montazeri, Pe Mellado Dance Company, Alessandro Di Pietro, Mónica-Ramón Ríos, Asia Stewart, Robert Taylor, James Ulmer, Anthony Vine, Tuçe Yasak Adedayo Agarau, Katerina Andreou, Lea Bertucci, Sarah Brahim, Philippe Cheng, Kayla Farrish, Vinson Fraley, Fana Fraser, Regina José Galindo, Inga Galinytė & Chloé Bellemere, Brianna L. Hernández, Chris Jones (Kris Jonz), Carina Kohn, Matthew Leifheit, Pontus Lidberg, Aref Montazeri, Pe Mellado Dance Company, Alessandro Di Pietro, Mónica-Ramón Ríos, Asia Stewart, Robert Taylor, James Ulmer, Anthony Vine, Tuçe Yasak
Ville Andersson, Kader Attia, Eli Berman, Brian Block, ESTAR(SER), For Freedoms, Nile Harris, Joyce Ho, Amanda Johnston, Tsubasa Kato, KOR’SIA, Adam Lenz & Miki Orihara, Maria Louizou, Ola Maciejewska, Ryan Ponder McNamara, Robert Nava, Passepartoutduo, Matthew Randle-Bent, Helen Betya Rubinstein, Hank Willis Thomas, STUDIOTASSY, Ogemdi Ude, Netta Yerushalmy
Pawel Althamer, Benjamin Bennett & Michael Foster, Matthew Craven, The Daxophone Consort, Rachel Dickstein & Ripe Time, Robert Fieseler, Catherine Galasso, Paula Aros Gho, Kyoko Hamaguchi, Candace Hill, Martha Hincapie Charry, Zoe Hitzig, Nene Humphrey, Gozde Ilkin, Tomashi Jackson, Nicole Pasulka, Naufus Ramírez-Figueroa, Duke Riley, Yusha-Marie Sorzano, Matthew Thurber & Brian Belott, Lucie Vitkova, The Wide Awakes
Candace Hill, Tahir Carl Karmali, Qinmin Liu, Paige Mazurek, Regina Parra, Yapci Ramos, Saint Genet, Zeinab Shahidi Marnani, Claire Watson Due to COVID-19, the following artists have been rescheduled to 2021/2022: Pawel Althamer, Ville Andersson, Matthew Craven, Martha Hincapie Charry, Nene Humphrey, Gozde Ilkin, Tomashi Jackson, Courtney Leonard, Paula Aros Gho, Naufus Ramirez-Figueroa, Rachel Dickstein & Ripe Time, Nicole Pasulka, Marie de Testa, Lucie Vitkova
Afua Ansong, Mallory Catlett, Emily Furr, Shaun Gladwell, Judith Hertog, Dawn Kasper, Raja Feather Kelly, Kirk Knight, Laurie Lambrecht & Toni Ross, Mountain Time Arts, Eileen O’Kane Kornreich, Lynsey Peisinger, Jeffrey Perkins, Cleek Schrey, Andrina Smith, Lucien Smith, Lars Daniel Rehn, Marina Rosenfeld, Maya Watanabe & Agustina Munoz, Ni’Ja Whitson, Sasha Wortzel, Colectivo Zoologico
Ville Andersson, ANTIMÉTODO, Jarrod Beck, Tania Bruguera, Anne Carson, Jayoung Chung, Lauren DiGiulio, El Colegio del Cuerpo, Saskia Friedrich, Molly Joyce, Masako Miki, Iva Radivojevic, Hugh Ryan, Bastienne Schmidt, John Stintzi, Tercer Abstracto, Barthélémy Toguo, Boris Willis, Joe Zorrilla
BAKIS, Carlos Bunga, Lilian Colosso, Jeremy Dennis, Sebastian Escalona & Josefina Dagorret, Fan Letters, Stacey Goodman, Lexy Ho-Tai The Hutto Project, Marianna Kavallieratos & Dom Bouffard, Lotte Nielsen, NoodleRice, Brian O’Mahoney, Aneta Panek, PHYSICAL PLASTIC, P.L.U.T.O., Lua Rivera, Cleek Schrey, William Stewart, Gillian Walsh, Royce Weatherly, Carrie Mae Weems
7 Daughters of Eve Thtr. & Perf. Co, BOOMERANG, Hans-Jörn Brandenburg, Sophia Brous, Kenneth Collins, Cuerpo Indisciplinado (Undisciplined Body), Joe Diebes, El Colegio del Cuerpo, Francesca Fini, Joss Lake, Zeinab Shahidi Marnini, Armando Mariño, Mary Mattingly, Noel Mckenna, Rashaun Mitchell and Silas Riener, Sahra Motalebi, Ebe Oke, Andrew Ondrejcak, Alan Lucien Øyen, G.T Pellizzi, Matthew Prest and Clare Britton, Acción Residente, Lisa Ross, Zach Eugene Salinger-Simonson, Basco Vazko, Tori Wrånes, Netta Yerushalmy
Brittany Bailey, Tacy Borg, José Carlos Casado, Maya Chami, Jayoung Chung, Jack Ferver, Fanni Futterknecht & Marianne Vlaschits, Annie Gosfield, Marsela La Grave, Tilman Hecker, Mohammed Kazem, Lydian Junction, Roman Paska, Álvaro Restrepo / El Colegio del Cuerpo, Amber Hawk Swanson, Temporary Distortion, Entang Wiharso
John Atwood, Outspoken Bean, Dictaphone Group, Catherine Galasso, Dance Heginbotham, Cynthia Hopkins, Laleh Khorramian, Christopher Knowles, Roman Paska, Ibrahim Quraishi, Kamala Sankaram, Collaboration Town, VisionIntoArt
Theo Adams Company, John Bock, Nova Jiang, Bridget Leak, Rachel Libeskind, John Messinger Catarina de Oliveira, Tristan Perich, Katharina Schmitt, Samita Sinha, Anna Telcs, Halldór Úlfarsson, Davyde Wachell and Davíð Brynjar Franzson, The Wet Weather Ensemble, Christopher Williams
Abbas Akhavan, Davide Balliano, Keil Borrman, Columbia Arts Collaboration Lab, Degenerate Art Ensemble, Daniel Knox and John Atwood, Krymov Lab, David Levine, Carlos Murillo, Shahryar Nashat, Shirin Neshat, People Get Ready, Sasha Petrenko & WWAWUT, Egill Sæjörnsson, SS, Theatercombinat, Allie Avital Tsypin and Gabrielle Herbst, Tereza Velikova, Megan Whitmarsh and My Barbarian, WorldWideLab: A Directors Festival
Anu Productions, CHOKRA, Collaboration Town, The Constant Reality Theater, Kevin Doyle, Michael Dudeck, Colin Gee, André Gringras, Andreas Hirsch, Erin Leland, David Levine, Judah Mahay, Stary Mwaba, Christopher Roth, Alexandra Sachs, Georgie Roxby Smith, SOBER & LONELY
Maria Jose Arjona, ChameckiLerner, Hsaio Chen, C. Ryder Cooley, Robin Deacon, Laboratorium Erb, GirlMachine, H*E*R*D Group, Bryan Markovitz, Katharina D. Martin, Birgitte Moos, Sarah Ortmeyer, Katherina Radeva, Joshua Seidner, Steven Vega, Les Vraoums, Wakka Wakka Productions, Caroline Woolard
Reuben Butchart, Collaboration Town, Implied Violence, Igor Josifov, Klingon Terran Research Ensemble, Elke Luyten, Camille Morin, Kate Mueth, Real Circus & Terra Nova, Le Theatre de Microsysteme, Theater Mitu, Jorinde Voigt, Andrzej Wirth, Ralf Ziervogel
Body Building Project, The Chase Brock Experience, CollaborationTown, Ana Cruz & Paulo Diegues Vieira, Elina Hanhivaara, The Hotel Savant, Chevaux Légers, LEIMAY AcTS LAB, Elke Luyten, Makram Hamdan Dance Company, Daria Martin, Oona Spengler, The South Wing
Nazanin Fakoor, Jakob Friis & Julie Lindhardt, Moving Theater, The South Wing