artist residency

Residency Overview

Residency Period: July - October 2026.

For the 2026 Studio Residency program, we’ll invite one early career and one mid-career artist. You'll choose one of the mediums supported at CAFAC as your residency focus. 

We strongly encourage all applicants to attend the Residency info session and Q+A on February 21, 2026, at 4pm, with in-person and online options available. Register for the online info session at our WildApricot site (not necessary for in-person attendees)

The application will close at 11:59pm on Monday, March 16, 2026.

Program Goals

• To provide the space, training, resources, and nurturing environment for artists to deepen and expand their artistic practice, and for them to provide inspiration and a path for others to follow.

• To provide artists the opportunity to create independent work, enhancing their economic opportunities and furthering CAFAC’s commitment to help artists earn a living.  

• To increase representation of diverse artists in the art forms that CAFAC supports.

• To respect traditional processes and techniques while encouraging innovative exploration and creative problem solving.

Residency Structure

Studio Residencies at CAFAC have a four-month work period (July - October), with a final fifth month (November) set aside for a culminating project. Residencies coincide with our education program schedule to allow residents to take a class if they choose.

All residencies will have a culminating project. The project could be an exhibit in our gallery, delivery of a workshop, installation of a public artwork, or another goal the artist wishes to achieve.

Candidate Qualifications

The intent of a residency at CAFAC is to move you forward in your artistic practice and career. We’ll select one early career and one mid-career artist, using these guidelines:

• Early career artists are in the beginning stages of their creative development with 2-10 years of generative experience. They have a focused direction and goals, even while still developing their artistic “voice,” but have yet to be substantially celebrated within their field, the media, funding circles or the public at large. Early career artists aspire to have their artistic work be a primary source of income/significant part of their livelihood.

• Mid-career artists have been actively creating and exhibiting their work for at least five years. They have established a reputation in the art world, have a larger body of work, and may exhibit their work regionally, nationally, or internationally. Mid-career artists may also have received some kind of recognition from the art world, such as through public presentations, magazine publications, online commentary, or industry acknowledgement. Other criteria for mid-career artists include having numerous solo art shows and/or collectors both nationally and internationally.

Other factors that may contribute to a successful residency include:

• You don’t necessarily have a fire arts background, but you do have sculptural experience, or a 2D background that provides a good foundation to expand into the art forms CAFAC specializes in.

• You’re at a point in your artistic career where you have time to focus on your professional development for a period of four to five months.

• You can describe your vision for a project, body of work, or specific skills you’d like to develop during a residency.

• You don’t have regular access to the type of facilities available at CAFAC.

As an organization, CAFAC is committed to increasing equity and representation in the arts, and in particular in the industrial art forms we support. We encourage applications from underrepresented artists, including but not limited to those who identify as Black, Brown, Indigenous, or POC, as a woman, as gender-expansive/non-binary, and as disabled.

Residencies are open to anyone who resides in the United States and can provide a tax identification number for filing purposes. CAFAC does not currently have the capacity to provide housing to residents or support in finding lodging, so your presence in the Twin Cities for the duration of the residency period is a requirement.

Studio Residency Structure

Studio Residency at CAFAC is four months long, from July through October. This coincides with our education program schedule, allowing you to take a class if you choose. 

All residencies will have a culminating project. The project could be an exhibit in our gallery, delivery of a workshop, a community event, installation of a public artwork, or another goal you wish to achieve. If you choose to do a gallery exhibit at CAFAC, it will take place in November, the month following your residency. Please note: your exhibit may share space in our gallery, if both residents choose this option. 

As a Studio Resident, you’ll have access to CAFAC’s well-equipped facilities which support a range of fire arts forms. Because four months goes by quickly, we ask you to choose one medium as your primary focus: 

• Blacksmithing: Shape metal with forge, hammer, and anvil to create decorative ironwork, tools, and more.

• Enamel: Fuse pigmented glass powder to metal to create durable graphical designs. An excellent way for illustrators and painters to dip a toe into the fire arts. CAFAC is home to one of the only public art-scale enameling kilns in the country.

  Glass Lampworking/Torchworking: Melt and fuse glass rods with an oxy-fuel torch to create small sculptures, beads, and more.

• Stained Glass: Cut colored glass pieces and solder them into place using copper foil or lead came. 

• Jewelry/small sculpture: Create small pieces using precious metal clay, centrifugal and vacuum casting, soldering, and metalsmithing techniques.

• Metal Casting: Create molds of sand, clay, investment, or ceramic shell to cast pieces of aluminum, bronze, or iron.

• Neon: Bend glass tubing by hand to create glowing electric sculptures.

• Welding: Fuse, cut, and color metals using gas torches and electric welders. 

You’ll have access to CAFAC during all open hours (~50 hours per week) with the expectation that you’ll work in the facility about 15 hours per week. If you’re working in areas that require scheduled or intensive resources, such as casting or enameling, you may be asked to coordinate aspects of your work with our class schedules. 

CAFAC is an active, shared community space. An advantage of our residency program is that you’ll be able to work and learn alongside other studio users, teaching artists, and students. Consider your learning style. If you’re able to create in a dynamic environment, this residency may be an ideal fit for you.

Prior to beginning project work, you’ll participate in a two-week training period that introduces our safety and equipment usage protocols so that you’re able to work independently.

Studio Residency Artist Benefits

In addition to four months of access to CAFAC’s shop based in a dynamic learning environment, you’ll also receive:

• Private 8x8’ studio for storage (shared between two residents).

• Artist stipend of $1500 and materials stipend of $500.

• Weekly one-hour check-ins with CAFAC’s Artistic Director and informal feedback from other community members.

• Opportunity for gallery exhibition and public opening in the month following your four-month residency, including marketing and support from CAFAC’s Gallery Coordinator. Should residents choose to sell work in CAFAC’s gallery, sales are split 70/30 between the artist and CAFAC’s scholarship fund.

• A scholarship of up to $400 for classes taken at CAFAC during the residency period.

Important Dates

February 2, 2026: Application opens

February 21, 2026: Info session at 4pm. Register for the online version at our WildApricot site (not necessary for in-person attendees)

March 16, 2026: Application closes

End of April 2026: Applicants notified of decisions

How to apply

The residency application will ask for:

Basic information:

• Your name & contact info

• Birthdate

• Gender, racial/ethnic, and other identities

  • There is an optional section for grant reporting that will not be shared with reviewers, along with an optional short answer for demographic and identity information that you would like shared with reviewers.

Project information:

• Selection of primary (and optional secondary) technique you intend to explore

• The project or work you intend to take on

• Description of the skills and/or knowledge you’re hoping to build

• How you’ll share the outcome of your residency experience

Artist information:

• Self-identification as early- or mid-career artist based on provided criteria

• Artist Statement

• 6-10 images of your work, with an accompanying image list

• Resume / CV

Review process

A panel of three professionals (artists, curators, arts administrators) will review your application and images independently. Then, they will come together for an in-person review and deliberation to select the residents.

QUESTIONS? Get in touch!

Contact us at info@cafac.org or call 612-294-0400.