Fellowships and Funding (new!)

We are pleased to announce that in 2021 a major grant from the Windgate Foundation has allowed us to offer greater financial support to each Resident Artist. The normal Program Fee/Rent ($200/month) will be completely waived, and each Resident will be offered a Fellowship granting a $250/month stipend.

About the Program

The Clay Studio Resident Artist Program offers individuals the opportunity to further develop their work, to establish professional contacts and standards, and to work within a community of like-minded individuals in an urban environment for up to three years. The program is designed to reflect a range of experiences and diverse aesthetic approaches, cultures and perspectives. The Clay Studio Resident Artist Program assists artists to become successful members of the Philadelphia art community, while making national and international connections. 

A residency at The Clay Studio includes:

  • Brand new facility - purpose built for The Clay Studio
  • Personal studio space (approximately 185-195 sq. ft.)
  • Use of kilns (specs available upon request)
  • A full stocked glaze mixing area
  • Teaching opportunities (more details upon request)
  • A solo exhibition after the artist has been in residence for 24 months
  • Group exhibition opportunities
  • Grant writing support from our development staff
  • Professional support from the curator and other staff

Resident Responsibilities Include

  • An active member of the Resident cohort and The Clay Studio community
  • Teaching in our Community Studio or comenserate (one month per year)
  • Mandatory monthly meetings 
  • Active use of the Studio space - at least 16 hours a week
  • Agree to The Clay Studio Code of Conduct Policy
  • Cover cost of materials and firing fees
  • Volunteer at TCS Community Studio - 4 Saturdays a year

To engage with the community, Residents will give hours to teach classes, workshops, and public demonstrations, offer mentorship to younger artists, and organize group critiques.  The Residents will teach  in the drop-in Community Studio, where free weekly classes will be offered to our local neighbors. These opportunities will channel the Residents' creative energy into different aspects of the organization, inspiring and energizing thousands of our students and community members.  The value to the Residents themselves is a greater array of professional experience, adding new tools that will lead to success in their careers as they move on from The Clay Studio. Additionally, the direct interaction with the larger community will create a more profound sense of accountability to the field at large, laying the foundation for the best kind of citizenship in the art world.

Application Deadline 

April 1, 2024 - for the cohort that begins September 1, 2024

How to Apply

Submit a single PDF by email to jzwilling@theclaystudio.org that includes the following: 

  • Personal contact information
  • Resume
  • Artist statement
  • A personal statement telling us why you are applying to The Clay Studio, how it will benefit you, and what you feel you have to contribute to The Clay Studio community (250-500 words)
  • Ten digital images - each marked with title, medium, size, date, and a description or statement for each
  • Three references (contact information, no need for letters)

Selection Process

The current Resident Artists, Jennifer Zwilling the Curator of Artistic Programs, and Kyoungmin Park, our distinguished guest juror for 2023 will review and rank applicants. The Curator of Artistic Programs will then interview a small group of applicants based on the initial ranking. Curator Jennifer Zwilling will conduct interviews by phone, at The Clay Studio, or at NCECA. Spaces in the program are made available as current residents reach their five-year term limit or leave the program before their term is up. The number of spots available is not known until the time of application review. All interested individuals are strongly encouraged to visit The Clay Studio prior to applying.

Subject line: Resident Artist Application

Candidates will be notified of acceptance by phone and e-mail. A “yes” or “no” response IN WRITING is expected within the period of time stated at the time of the offer. Once the artist accepts the position, a letter of acknowledgment and welcome will be mailed to the incoming artist within 7 days.

Notification

Notification will be made via email.

  • Interview will take place in mid April, 2024
  • All applicants will be notified May 1, 2024
  • New Residents begin on September 1, 2024
  • Accepted applicants will have one week after notification to accept and sign the Resident Agreement Form.

2024 Guest Juror: Garth Johnson

Writer, curator, and educator Garth Johnson is the Paul Phillips and Sharon Sullivan Curator of Ceramics at the Everson Museum of Art in Syracuse, New York. Before arriving at the Everson, Johnson served as the Curator of Ceramics at the Arizona State University Ceramics Research Center. Johnson has also exhibited his work and published his writing nationally and internationally, including contributions to the recent books Funk published by Natsoulas Press and Funk You Too: Humor and Irreverence in Ceramic Sculpture published by the Museum of Arts and Design. 

Johnson is a self-described craft activist who explores craft’s influence and relevance in the 21st century. His research interests range from 1960s and 70s artist-led movements in the field of ceramics to the intersection of clay, video, and performance. His exhibitions at the Everson include Renegades & Reformers: American Art Pottery, Earth Piece: Conceptual and Performative Works in Clay and Key Figures: Representational Ceramics 1932-1972.

2023 Guest Juror: Kyungmin Park

Kyungmin is an Associate Professor of 3D studio Art at Endicott College in Beverly, MA. Park was a long-term resident artist at the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena, Montana where she earned 2014-2015 Matsutani Fellowship and 2015-2016 Windgate Fellowship. Originally from South Korea, Kyungmin earned her MFA in Ceramics from the University of Georgia in 2012 and her BFA from the New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University in 2008. 

Kyungmin Park is a figurative ceramic sculptor drawing inspiration from childlike perspectives. Contrasting the darker emotions and restricted psyche of adulthood with the boundless consciousness of children, Kyungmin’s sculptures confront the viewer with uncomfortable juxtapositions, encouraging reflection upon personal expectations and narratives.

2022 Guest Juror: Sanam Emami

This year, we are honored to have Sanam Emami join us as the Guest Juror for the 2022 Resident Artist Application. Emami is a highly successful artist and Associate Professor of Art at Colorado State University at Fort Collins.

Ideas come from different places; a book, a conversation or a glimpse of something familiar like a favorite historical pot that can seem new, as if seen for the first time. The studio space is where the concepts and inspiration take shape and become tangible and dimensional. The concept of unity with variety is important. For example, combining soft marks and volumes with crisp edges and lines. I am interested in creating contrasting gestures that can coexist within a pot or a tile through mark making, symmetry and repeated patterns. Click here to learn more about her work.

Previous 2021 Guest Juror: Syd Carpenter

We were honored to have Syd Carpenter as our Guest Juror last year. Carpenter is Professor of Art, and Peggy Chan Professor in Black Studies at Swarthmore College.

Working as an artist has been the source of all that has been meaningful and a source of joy in my life. Art is my common ground around which revolves my interaction with family, teaching and community. The enthusiasm and commitment I bring to my teaching is an outcome of the level to which I am engaged in my art while community involvement allows me to share the value I place on the visual with those who may otherwise disregard its impact upon their lives. Family is a constant source of inspiration both as image and encouragement. I don't believe artists make the decision to become artists. They are born. The hope is that they find the will to pursue their vision, an environment in which to develop , and a culture respectful of their contributions.

Syd Carpenter's work is in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Atlantic Richfield Corporation, Nabisco Brands, the University of Illinois, Art in General, New York, Philadelphia Convention Center, Bell Atlantic Corporation, Canton Ohio Museum of Art, Erie Museum of Art, Renwick Gallery of the Smithsonian Institute, Jingdezhen Ceramic Institute, Jingdezhen China,and in numerous private collections. Click here to learn more about her work.

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