2021 Blue Sky Residency at Sitka Center for Art & Ecology

Blue Sky Gallery and Sitka Center for Art and Ecology are proud to announce their fifth year of partnership to award residencies for two emerging or mid-career photographers in Fall 2021.

Eligibility: Self-identified emerging or mid-career artists who have shown at Blue Sky Gallery, either juried into the PNW Drawers or in an exhibition in the main galleries.

Both residencies will take place on the Sitka Center campus in Otis, OR, in the period of October 4–November 3, 2021. Each residency includes accommodation in a studio apartment, access to a private separate studio space, and a $250 stipend. (Please note that there is no darkroom facility or printers at Sitka Center.) Residents will also have access to wireless internet, the Center’s library, other artists and ecologists in residence, the stunning natural beauty of the Cascade Head Scenic Research Area, and the Salmon River Estuary.

If desired by the artists, Blue Sky will showcase work created at the residency in the Blue Sky library, and on the gallery’s website, and social media platforms. The artists will also have the opportunity to present a short artist talk in Winter or Spring 2022 (mutually agreeable date TBD.) These work showcase opportunities and talk are optional and are not required as part of the residency experience.

Applications will be reviewed by a panel of staff from the Sitka Center and Blue Sky Gallery.

To apply, please submit:

1)    8-15 images representative of your work

2)    An artist statement describing your work and approach (4,000 characters max)

3)    An up-to-date resume or CV

4)    A one-page letter of interest addressing the following topics:

How would this residency benefit you at this phase in your career?

How does your artistic perspective, your work, or a specific project relate to the Sitka Center’s mission to provide time and space for place-based reflection, inquiry and creation at the intersection of art and ecology?

 Applicants may identify a particular project (new or ongoing) on which they intend to focus during the residency period, but a pre-defined project is not required. The invited resident will be encouraged to spend their time in residence in whatever manner best suits them and supports their creative process and artistic career, with no specific expectations of product or outcomes.

Applications are due Sunday, May 23, 2021 at 10:59pm PST. Applicants will be notified of a decision in early June 2021. There is no application fee.

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria