Shape Arts Emergent 2026 Residency
Shape Arts, St Ives, Cornwall
- ✓ Hand-verified by Arthead editorial, Oct 25, 2026
About this call
Emergent is Shape Arts' programme for early career disabled artists in the UK, delivered in 2026 with Tate St Ives and The Borlase Smart John Wells Trust (Porthmeor Studios). One awarded artist receives a one-week residency in St Ives, Cornwall, from 18 to 24 January 2027, with a studio, an opportunity to host a creative event for young people at Tate St Ives, a £3,000 bursary, travel and accommodation costs covered, and remote mentoring and career advice from Shape Arts between November 2026 and March 2027. Four shortlisted artists form the 2027 Emergent Cohort and receive remote mentoring plus three sessions with a professional mentor of their choice. Contemporary art forms of all kinds are welcome, including painting, drawing, sculpture, film, sound, photography, mixed media, text, performance and textiles.
Who can apply
- United Kingdom only
- Medium: Painting / Drawing / Sculpture / Video / Photography / Mixed Media / Performance / Textile
- Entry fee: See official site
- For the residency itself you must live or work in Cornwall, Devon or Somerset (proof of address is needed to be selected, not in the application) and be available full time from 18 to 24 January 2027, with additional travel days on either side. Applicants elsewhere in the UK can apply for the shortlisted cohort only. All applicants must be 18 or over, usually based in the UK, in the first five years of their career (a career break is fine, but you must be active in your practice now), not in full time education, self-identify as deaf or disabled, and not have been shortlisted in previous years of Emergent. Your practice should be socially engaged; a research-based practice must have an aspect that connects with audiences. Priority goes to applicants who have not previously received significant funding, awards or formal opportunities. Apply by Google Form or a Word form by email; video applications are accepted. Shortlisted artists are interviewed by Zoom. Shape Arts has a budget for access support costs, discussed individually.