Open AIR 2027/28 Artist Residency Program

About this call

Open AIR runs place-based artist residencies at sites across Montana, United States, for its 2027/28 season: Summer 2027, Fall 2027 and Spring 2028 sessions at places such as Garden City Harvest, Home ReSource, the Daly Mansion, Flathead Lake BioStation, Missoula Public Library and Butte, plus Indigenous-only sessions at American Prairie, the Montana Historical Society, CSKT Bison Range and others. Selected artists get a studio at the site, housing if they come from out of town, community engagement and professional development opportunities, and a stipend of $35 per day. There is no charge to take part; artists cover travel and food.

Who can apply

• Open to applicants of any nationality
• Medium: Painting / Drawing / Sculpture / Photography / Mixed Media / New Media / Performance / Writing
• Entry fee: $30
• Open to artists of all disciplines living and working in the United States and abroad, aged 18 or over; students may apply to be in residence during a break. Collaborating duos apply with one application; non-collaborating duos apply separately for the same site. Families and couples are welcome unless a site says otherwise; no pets. The Indigenous Summer 2027 and Indigenous Fall 2027 sessions are open to Indigenous artists only and require tribal affiliation. Application fee $30 for up to 3 sites, $10 for each additional site; email program@openairmt.org if the fee is a barrier. Submit work samples (visual art: 5 to 10 images in PNG or JPEG, no PDFs; writers: a PDF of 3 to 5 poems and/or up to 5,000 words double spaced; film: a PDF with 3 to 5 working links; other media: 3 to 5 samples; no file over 1 GB), a bio of up to 100 words, a description of your practice of up to 500 words, a 1 to 2 page resume or CV, and responses for the 3 to 5 sites you choose. The residency is place-based and not meant for finishing unrelated work. Finalists take part in a phone interview. Selected artists take part in weekly check-ins and community engagement, including an on-site public presentation or community activity, and contribute a digital piece to Open AIR's collection. Some sites are hard to reach without a vehicle. Travel and food are the artist's responsibility. Results by the end of March.