Artist in Residence, Furman University

CALL FOR ARTISTS:
FALL 2026 TRUE INSPIRATION ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE

The Department of Art at Furman University invites applications for the Fall 2026 True Inspiration Artist-in-Residence. This is the second True Inspiration Artist-in-Residence opportunity of the 2026 season. The program awards an eight-to-sixteen-week residency on Furman’s campus in Greenville, SC to a practicing artist or designer to continue the development of ongoing studio projects and/or embark upon new creative endeavors. The Artist-in-Residence receives a $6,000 stipend, a private studio in the Roe Art Building, institutional affiliation with Furman University, and a solo exhibition in the Department of Art’s Thompson Art Gallery. The ideal resident will have a practice that complements and expands upon the Department’s concentrations in drawing, painting, photography, ceramics, graphic design, sculpture, printmaking, and art history. This resident’s practice will also demonstrate a capacity for interdisciplinary dialogue and seek to engage both Furman’s academic community and the broader regional public.

Eligibility
The True Inspiration Artist-in-Residence is open to emerging and professional artists or designers of all media who:
Reside in North America and/or who currently have a US work permit.
Hold an MFA by the start of the residency or who have a significant record of exhibition and professional achievement.
Live outside the upstate South Carolina region.

Residency Themes
This cycle, the Department of Art is especially interested in artists and designers whose work engages one or more of the following themes:

Multiplicities, pluralities, copies, and redundancies
Alternative approaches to traditional materials, histories, and hierarchies
Graphic design’s contribution to social activism, community organization, and protest
Environmental sustainability and technological consciousness
The amplification of historically marginalized voices and broader cultural exchange
The complexities, nuances, and contradictions of Southern identity

Residents are also encouraged to consider their project’s potential to resonate with Furman’s broader academic community, institutes, and organizations. Some such resources include:

Shi Institute for Sustainable Communities
Riley Institute of Government, Politics and Public Leadership
Institute for the Advancement of Community Health
Hill Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Furman University Special Collections
The Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies program

Residency Expectations
During their time at Furman, it is expected that the resident will:

Reside at Furman for a period of at least 8 weeks and a maximum of 16 weeks during the Fall 2026 semester (August 25 to December 8, 2026). The resident may elect when and how long the residency takes place.
Make significant progress on a proposed studio project.
Provide work for a six-week solo exhibition in the Thompson Art Gallery during the Spring 2027 semester. The exhibition should include work from the residency project but may include earlier work as well. The selected resident will submit a formal exhibition proposal in October 2026, prior to the conclusion of the residency. The Gallery is approximately 1100 sq ft with 115 linear ft of exhibitable wall space.
Give two formal artist / gallery talks. The first will be a welcome talk at the start of the residency and the second a gallery talk at the exhibition’s reception.
Design and run a one-day workshop for Furman students.
Hold at least 20 hours of open studio hours per week. Most of these 20 hours should be scheduled during working hours (weekdays, 9am to 5pm) to facilitate engagement with Furman’s students and faculty.

Compensation and Support
For the duration of their residency, the resident receives:

A $6,000 stipend to offset material and living expenses
A $500 budget for supplies
24-hour access to a private studio in Furman’s Roe Art Building
Access, pending demonstrated experience, to the Department of Art’s equipment (the resident is responsible for all associated material costs)

As an affiliate of Furman University, the resident also receives free access to the physical and institutional resources of the university’s larger academic community, including:
Thompson Art Gallery
James B. Duke Library and Special Collections
PAC Fitness Center
Parking pass
Computer / Software Licenses (such as Adobe) / IT support

The resident is responsible for the arrangement and cost of their housing, food, transportation, materials, and supplies.

About Furman University, the Department of Art, and Greenville
Furman is a small liberal arts university located in Greenville, South Carolina. With 2,550 on-campus students from across the world, the university strives to support lifelong learners through inquiry, transformative experiences, and deep reflection. Furman values academic rigor, interdisciplinary dialogue, and community engagement. The Department of Art has about 50 students majoring in studio art and art history. It offers concentrations in 2D Art, 3D Art, Photography, and Design. Its Roe Art Building has dedicated studios for painting, drawing, graphic design, woodworking, ceramics, and analog and digital photography.
The True Inspiration Artist-in-Residence was inaugurated in 2016 as part of The Furman Advantage—a university-wide program that aims to build educational value for students through accelerated career exposure. The residency is intended to promote and encourage contact between the resident and Furman’s academic community, thereby providing Furman’s students with the opportunity to witness and engage with a practicing artist or designer as they complete existing creative projects and develop new ones. The upstate South Carolina area is rapidly growing with a rich history rooted in the textile industry. The New York Times ranked Greenville #12 on their 52 Places to Go in 2017 and Condé Traveler readers named it among the top 5 small cities in 2021.

Local arts organizations include:
Queer Arts Initiative
Greenville Center for Creative Arts
Greenville County Museum of Art
Metropolitan Arts Council Directory of Artists and Galleries

Application Procedure:
To apply for the Fall 2026 True Inspiration Artist-in-Residence, please submit the following materials as a single PDF to thompsongallery@furman.edu by Friday, December 19, 2025. There is no fee to apply.

Statement of Intent (limit 800 words):
Outline the studio project(s) to be explored during the residency period, including its themes, conceptual / creative goals, and materials.
Explain how the project would advance your career goals as well as the goals of the True Inspiration residency program.
Propose a potential resident-led workshop for undergraduate students. The tentative plan should explain the concepts with which students will engage and the material / space requirements.
Artist Statement (limit 500 words)
Artist Biography (limit 200 words)
CV with contact information
Portfolio
10 images of recent / existing work with titles, dimensions, materials, and year created. Please include an image list.
Links to videos should be embedded in the PDF.

Timeline:

Application Deadline: Friday, December 19, 2025, 11:59pm
Preliminary Notification of Application Status: By Monday, February 2, 2026
Residency: Fall 2026 (at least 8 weeks between August 25 to December 8, 2026)
Exhibition Proposal for Accepted Resident: Friday, October 30, 2026
Exhibition: January 11 to February 19, 2027

More Information:
Questions related to the Fall 2026 True Inspiration Artist-in-Residence may be directed to Dr. Stephen Mandravelis at thompsongallery@furman.edu.