Applying to Artist-in-Residence Programs + Grant Writing Crash Course
Workshop Description
This two-hour workshop introduces students to the world of artist-in-residence (AIR) programs—organizations that offer artists the time, space, and inspiration to create new work. The session reviews the application process and shares tools to identify high-quality, meaningful programs tailored to your career stage.
Attendees will also gain insight into writing effective proposals and finding funding opportunities. The workshop includes personal anecdotes, application examples, and a curated list of resources and programs.
Three students will be able to send materials in advance for review and Missy’s feedback. This will be first come, first serve and we will reach out to you in advance for your submissions.
Learning Objectives
Participants will:
Understand the structure and purpose of AIR programs.
Learn how to find legitimate and enriching opportunities.
Identify which programs are best suited to their career stage.
Differentiate between artist statements and grant proposals.
Gain tools and strategies for writing strong applications.
Leave with a list of recommended resources and residency databases.
Materials Provided
PowerPoint slides (available post-workshop as PDF)
Residency resource handout with links and recommendations
Sample proposals (successful and unsuccessful)
Time Format
2-hour workshop 3PM-5PM EST
Available online via Zoom
Instructor: Missy Dunaway
Missy Dunaway is an interdisciplinary artist based in Portland, Maine. Her work blends painting with research, exploring intersections of art, literature, history, and nature. Her projects have explored Anatolian textiles, classical painting techniques, ornithology, and Shakespearean literature.
She earned a BFA with a concentration in Painting and Material & Visual Culture from Carnegie Mellon University in 2010. Soon after, she moved to Istanbul on a Fulbright Fellowship to study the earliest Anatolian textiles, beginning several years of international travel through artist residencies. Her research culminated in a collection of paintings that were exhibited in Istanbul, Berlin, and the United States. Her sketchbooks from this period were later published in 2021 as The Traveling Artist: A Visual Journal.
Missy is also a recipient of a Folger Institute Fellowship, a scholarship to the Academy of Realist Art Boston, and she was selected as the inaugural Four Seasons Envoy. Her illustrations appear on book covers for authors including Ruskin Bond and Raja Rao, and she penned 21 articles for the Folger Shakespeare Library’s blog, Shakespeare & Beyond.