OPEN CALL- Blank Canvas Artist Residency, Ayr Scotland

Open Call- Blank Canvas Artist in Residence        Ayr, Scotland 

Blank Canvas is a place-based, month-long residency with Narture in the heart of Ayr, inviting creatives to explore the intersections of food, art, sustainability and regeneration. The residency provides paid time, public-facing studio space and meaningful support to develop new work while engaging directly with the community. Open to creatives across all disciplines — visual arts, performance, music, writing, illustration, dance, zine-making, theatre, and food practice — residents are embedded within Narture’s creative ecosystem, with the freedom to experiment, make and connect while working in open dialogue with the public. This is a public-facing residency. The studio is street-level, visible and accessible. The process unfolds in real time — from blank canvas to final exhibition.

We are selecting 2 Local creatives (Ayrshire) 2 National (Scotland) and 2 International (UK & Worldwide, visa permitting). All month-long residencies will be between June - November 2026. 

2 Local residencies - June & July 2026

2 National residencies - August & September 2026

2 International residencies - October & November 2026 (will be provided with accommodation)

This is an Open Call. The deadline for submissions is: Sunday 12th April at 5pm.

Shortlisted people will be notified by Monday 20th April and invited to take part in a short interview the following week as the next stage of the selection process. Final selections will be announced by early May.

Each resident receives:

- Artist fee: £2,639.25

- Materials/production budget: up to £400

- Travel support: up to £200 for local artists, up to £600 for national and international artists

- Public-facing studio: free access to MAKE, including a fully accessible, ground-floor space

- Facilities & equipment: Riso printer, darkroom, AV equipment, woodworking tools, kitchen space, 3D food          printer, laptop with Adobe Suite, camera for documentation

- Extensive food, wellbeing, historical and contemporary arts library

- Workshops & materials: access to basic materials - eg paints, pens etc for community workshops (where       available)

- Mentorship & guidance: curatorial support, technical induction and safe use of equipment

- Exhibition & sharing: final exhibition and public event

- Creative community: opportunities to connect, collaborate and share ideas

- Local travel: access to an e-cargo bike for sustainable travel and materials transport

- Accommodation: provided for international artists only (self-contained apartment, 2-minute walk from MAKE)

- Promotion: featured across Narture’s website and social platforms

This package is designed to provide meaningful support for creatives to develop new work while engaging with the community and our creative spaces.

Residents work in the public facing studio for three weeks (minimum 4 days per week) delivering three free workshops, followed by a final exhibition in week four. We value process as much as outcome and are particularly interested in artists open to meaningful community engagement.

About Narture

Founded in 2020 by father-and-daughter artist team Robert and Saskia Singer, Narture CIC is a community food and arts social enterprise revitalising vacant town centre properties in Ayr on Scotland’s west coast.

We bake real bread to earn the dough to fund arts projects.

Profits from our award-winning sourdough bakery are reinvested into apprenticeships, creative programmes, affordable studios and public workshops. What began as one small bakery has grown into five once-derelict buildings, now a regenerative creative ecosystem:

- KNEAD – Our Sourdough Bakery

- SHAPE – Café/Bar and cultural venue

- MAKE – The Residency Studio (where you’ll be based)

- CREATE – Riso Print Studio and Darkroom

- STUDIOS – Artist and Wellbeing studios for co-working/workshops & events

Everything we do is shaped by our belief that everyone is an artist — and that food and creativity can drive meaningful social and economic change.

Ayr is rich in heritage yet underserved in contemporary arts provision. Blank Canvas exists to bridge that gap — making art visible, accessible and rooted in place.

Learn more about who we are and what we do: https://www.narture.co.uk/

About MAKE
MAKE is Narture’s public-facing studio and residency space at 30 Newmarket St, Ayr — a place where artists can develop new work, engage with the community through workshops/events and present projects in a supportive, accessible environment.

Applicants must be aged 18 or over. Unfortunately, current students are not eligible to apply.