Soaring Gardens Artists Residency, Summer 2027

About this call

The Ora Lerman Charitable Trust's Soaring Gardens Artists Retreat in Laceyville, Pennsylvania, United States, offers visual artists, writers, composers and instrumentalists three-week residencies. There is no application fee and no fee to attend. Residents stay either in a farmhouse, with four to five residents typically and a studio building next door, or in a remodeled church for no more than two residents. Group dinners are offered once a week. A limited number of $250 or $500 need-based grants are available, and grant applications from historically marginalized communities are particularly encouraged. New in 2027 are two 3-week sessions specifically for plein air painters, in spring (April 19 to May 7) and autumn (September 20 to October 8). The Summer 2027 schedule runs from April 19 to November 12, with the last two sessions at the church only and the last one lasting 12 days. Group applications are encouraged, and individual artists are also welcome. Soaring Gardens can only accept 30 to 35 residents per season.

Who can apply

• Open to applicants of any nationality
• Medium: Painting / Mixed Media / Writing
• Free entry
• Open to actively working visual artists, writers, instrumentalists and composers with at least two years of professional experience; the resume or CV needs to show two years of professional experience, and applicant age does not factor into judges' decisions. Undergraduate and graduate students may apply if they submit current work that is not part of an assignment in any course of study. Those who had a residency in summer 2026 should wait a year and may apply again for 2028. To apply: complete the Google Forms application, then email a single PDF portfolio (titled Firstname Lastname Discipline year) to lermantrust.residencymanager@gmail.com. Portfolio: visual artists six numbered images with captions (dimensions in inches), one large image per page (4 each for a group), or for film links to three works totaling no more than fifteen minutes; writers no more than fifteen pages (poets no more than 10 pages); composers links to three samples, each no more than five minutes, on a platform that needs no subscription, plus if possible the written score of one; instrumentalists links to four performance samples of no more than five minutes each, a repertoire list and performances within the last two years. Also a statement of intent of no more than 200 words and a resume or CV; the Google Form also asks for two professional references. Groups submit one PDF with all materials for each member, each member with their own CV, and an interdisciplinary portfolio is viewed by judges from each discipline represented in it. The two plein air sessions are strictly for plein air artists and accept a total of 20 applications each; email the portfolio with the subject "ATTN: PLEIN AIR"; in those sessions the studio spaces are shared. An incomplete application may be corrected and resubmitted once. Need-based grants are applied for in the grants section of the application and do not affect eligibility for a residency. Residents shop, cook and clean for themselves except for the weekly dinner; no children, pets or overnight visitors. There is no public transportation close by, so a car is encouraged, though pickup from nearby cities and help with errands are available.