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Applications for 2023 are now closed.

Program Description

The Tallgrass Artist Residency is a unique program that offers individual artists/artist teams time and space to retreat and research in a rural, tallgrass prairie setting. Though the experience is rural, it is not meant to be isolating. Artists are provided lodging at Matfield Station in the small community of Matfield Green, Kansas — 20 miles from Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve and home to a growing number of artists and community builders.

Commitments

  • Residencies are offered in two-week (10 night) periods between May and September. Residency periods must occur in consecutive ten night blocks.
  • Residents are expected to give a public program during this two-week period (watch 2020 Virtual Q&As), and will be asked to contribute documentation through daily Instagram posts and a summary of their experience for the website (read Written Reflections on artists’ pages).
  • Residents are also expected to be prepared to participate in a group exhibition and artist symposium in Matfield Green on Saturday, October 7, 2023 (lodging is provided)
  • Residents are required to make their own arrangements for transportation to and from the residency. Due to our rural setting, it’s essential for visitors to have their own reliable method of transportation.
  • Residents are responsible for their own food, but cooking and eating utensils are available in all rooms.

Awards

  • Artists will be provided 10 nights of lodging at Matfield Station during residency period.
  • Artists will be connected with staff at the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve and may be granted special access, upon request.   
  • Each artist will receive a $500 stipend from KCAIC for travel and material reimbursement to be awarded after residencies are completed.  
  • Artists will be provided lodging for up to two nights in or near Matfield Green during closing events in October.   
  • Reimbursement funding will be available for shipping artwork to and from group exhibition, within reason.

Who Can Apply

This residency seeks to create connection and conversation across the Great Plains by cultivating opportunities for artists/artist teams who currently live in a place that is ecologically considered prairie (← click the link to see a general map of this area). However, we also have one dedicated residency period for an artist/artist team outside of the prairie ecoregion, treated as an “ecoregion exchange”.

Ideal applicants will have a strong body of work with a unique voice or perspective, a self-driven dedication to learning about place, and an interest in participating in a contemporary dialogue. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and career levels, media and practice. We’re not currently accepting applications from previous artists-in-residence in the program. We do not currently accept applications from international residents.

Deadline

Applications are due by October 31, 2022 with notification by the end of November.
For further questions, you can email the Tallgrass Artist Residency team at: tallgrass.art@gmail.com

2023 Jurors

  • Elizabeth Seaton – Curator, the Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art, Manhattan, KS
  • Doug Barrett – Photographer, Manhattan, KS
  • Ryan Jones – Director of Operations, the Volland Store, Volland, KS
  • Mona Cliff – Artist and KCAIC Representative, Lawrence, KS
  • Kandace Creel Falcón – Artist, Writer, Educator, 2021 Tallgrass Resident, Erhard, MN
  • Amy Jones – Artist, Matfield Green Community Member, Matfield Green, KS

Writing Jurors

  • Emily Christensen – Writer, Facilitator of KCAIC Critical Writing Initiative, Wichita, KS
  • Tim Bascom – Writer, Director of the Kansas Book Festival, Topeka, KS