Residency Dates: Sunday, April 26, 2026 - Saturday, May 16, 2026

Application Deadline: Monday, March 23, 2026, at 11:59 PM EST

Scholarships are available. Residency Statement

I am very excited to work with artists and architects in any media. With the studio format as a mode of collaboration and feedback, we’ll meet as a group but will also have lots of time for individual conversations about your work. We can also engage with the ACA campus (its landscape, ecologies, habitats) and even the coastal environment around New Smyrna Beach.

I am interested in the process of making at the intersections of architecture and art (sculpture, painting, writing, photography, film, and kinetic architecture). I’m also fascinated with margins and boundaries—whether they are found at the edges of practice, space, time, or place. They might occur between land and water, past and future, temporary and permanent, memory and matter, thinking and making, designing and building, climate change and resilience, one discipline and another, or any other frontiers and confluences that might intrigue and inspire you.

The size and scope of your work can range from full-scale constructs to something the size of your hand, or even smaller. Outcomes can be two-dimensional, three-dimensional, text-based, or a combination. Goals are to complete a focused project, but also to refine ways of working. I hope that both results will serve as springboards to imagination and to your future projects.

 Application Requirements

(Your materials may be submitted in any of the following file formats; .docx, .pdf, .jpg).

 To be considered, please include the following items:

1. Bio
2. CV
3. Letter of intent that outlines your goals and a proposed project (300 word maximum)
4. Samples of previous work. This material can be submitted as a series of JPG’s (maximum of 15, limited to 5mb for each file) or as a single PDF (maximum of 15 pages). This dossier can include images of work, photographs, computer renderings, drawings, sketches, writing, and/or other media. Videos are also welcome (if longer than 10 minutes, please submit a link to the video in a PDF document).   

Residency Dates: Sunday, October 4, 2026 - Saturday, October 24, 2026

Application Deadline: Monday, August 3, 2026, at 11:59 PM EST

Scholarships may be available.

Residency Statement

Bio Will Cotton was born in Melrose, Massachusetts and raised in New Paltz, New York. He has a BFA from Cooper Union in New York City, and also studied at the Beaux Arts in Rouen, France and the New York Academy of Art. Cotton is represented by Galerie Daniel Templon, Paris, New York, and Brussels; Baldwin Gallery, Aspen; and Ronchini Gallery, London. His paintings have been shown at San Francisco Museum of Art (2000); Seattle Art Museum (2002); Kunsthalle Bielefeld, Germany (2004); Hudson River Museum, New York (2007); Triennale di Milano, Italy (2007); Musée Marmottan Monet, Paris, France (2008); Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, Havana, Cuba (2009); Albright-Knox Art Gallery, New York (2009); Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh (2013); Virginia MOCA (2013); Orlando Museum of Art (2017); Louvre Lens, France (2023), among others. 

In 2010, he served as the artistic director for the California Gurls music video for pop singer Katy Perry. His work is in the permanent collections of the National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C.; Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C.; Seattle Art Museum, Princeton University Art Museum, Washington; Columbus Museum of Art, Ohio; and Orlando Museum of Art, Florida, as well as many prominent private collections. Cotton lives and works in New York. 

Application Requirements

- Artists working in the mediums of painting and drawing

- A brief personal bio, no. more than 300 words

- CV

- 10 Images of your work

- Website or Instagram Link

Residency Dates: Sunday, April 26, 2026 - Saturday, May 16, 2026

Application Deadline: Monday, March 23, 2026, at 11:59 PM EST

Scholarships are available. Residency Statement

My artistic practice is cross- and multidi-sciplinary and guided by imagination, creative visioning, and practicality and informed by my upbringing in rural Mississippi. I believe that the imagination is critical to the ability to vision and vision is key to manifesting tangible change in the material world. I believe the work of artists (storytellers in all forms) is a form of bending space and time traveling. My work explores all of these intersections.

The focus of this residency is to explore personal and community narrative through oral histories and how these narratives are a unique form of information technology that can inform creative placemaking and community design. During our time together, we will explore story and community through these lenses. I envision building a residency community that is supportive, collaborative, and grounded in aspirations for creating future communities.

I welcome artists working in all mediums, especially visual, literary, and culinary artists interested in using their art to positively impact their communities.

 Application Requirements

Applicants should submit a bio, resume, and artist statement that speaks to their background and aspirations related to their art and community building. The artist statement should include the following:

● Brief overview of important artistic and cultural influences

● Reflections on personal history working in community

● Personal goals for their residency time

Please provide up to three (3) work samples that will help contextualize your artistic practice.   

Residency Dates: Sunday, April 26, 2026 - Saturday, May 16, 2026

Application Deadline: Monday, March 23, 2026, at 11:59 PM EST

Scholarships are available. 

Residency Statement

Building on Legacy: The Complete Works of Nestor Torres

This residency is open to anyone working in music and artistic creation, particularly those interested in collaborating with performers, writing for instrumentalists, and communicating with live audiences. Musicians, Poets, Playwright & Writers, Dancers, Videographers & Filmmakers, Sound Engineers, Visual Artists & Set Designers, Singers and Actors, and of course, FLUTISTS! All are welcome! Using my recorded work as a point of departure, it will be tailor-made for the participants based on two ‘Motifs’:

1) Charting Your Own Path Through Self-exploration & Acceptance: “This Is Who I Am, this is Where I Am From, this is What I Do With It.”

2) Versatility & Improvisation: If you’re a Classical musician or have never improvised, or to those from other artistic disciplines, together we will explore and find the best way for you to learn how to improvise and create on the spot. In so doing, you will develop your individual voice.

 Application Requirements

 Applicants are to review Torres’s CDs, videos, and unreleased works and submit an essay describing their impressions – good, bad, or indifferent – and choose at least one song, album, video or story they would like to work on to develop further, update, or create their own original piece based on his work.

1. Submit two recent work samples that demonstrate your range and personal voice. These can be audio/video/scores/all of the above. These should be accompanied by any relevant work descriptions (program notes, artist statements, etc.). Imagery and all links to videos, websites, and, audio should be in a PDF format.
2. What are your expectations out of this residency? How can I serve you? Write a brief personal statement or artist’s statement about your work and what you hope to accomplish during the residency.

Residency Dates: Sunday, October 4, 2026 - Saturday, October 24, 2026

Application Deadline: Monday, August 3, 2026, at 11:59 PM EST

Scholarships available. Residency Statement

Bearing Witness - A Creative Workshop for Bold Artists 

Step into a powerful creative lab where history, art, and truth collide. In this workshop, artists will join Hannah Drake to dig deep into the urgent issues facing our nation today. Together, we will explore ways to create poetry and performance that speak truth, spark conversation, and push back against silence and erasure. 

Drawing from historical narratives, poetry, dance, monologues, and personal storytelling, participants will shape new work that challenges injustice, honors our past, and imagines a more equitable future. This is a space for artists who are ready to create with courage, intention, and heart. Whether you are a writer, dancer, spoken-word artist, actor, or storyteller, you will leave with new tools, inspiration, and a deeper understanding of how art can shift culture. 

If you are ready to create work that meets this moment, lifts voices, and refuses to be quiet, this is the workshop for you!  

Application Requirements for Bearing Witness

1. Submit three to five creative work samples Poetry, spoken word, monologues, dance excerpts, short performance clips, or narrative writing that reflect your artistic voice. These can be submitted written or via video.  
2. Provide a brief artist statement Share who you are as an artist, the themes you explore, and why you want to participate in Bearing Witness. 
3. Write a short reflection Describe one current national issue you feel compelled to explore and how you hope to engage it through your art. 
4. History has informed much of my work. How do you utilize history in your artistic practice? Share how historical narratives shape your creative approach, inspire your work, or influence the stories you feel called to tell. 
5. Confirm your commitment to collaboration  Agree to work collaboratively with artists across disciplines including poetry, movement, and performance. 

Residency Dates: Sunday, October 4, 2026 - Saturday, October 24, 2026

Application Deadline: Monday, August 3, 2026, at 11:59 PM EST

Scholarships available. 

Residency Statement:

We are looking for composers, orchestrators, arrangers and/or performers who are engaged in composition to join us on this programme where we will be developing our craft through a series of workshops diving into compositional technique, intense orchestration workshops covering every section of the orchestra and beyond into other genres. We will be looking into the wider industry at areas including: self-publishing, promotion, PR, working with organisations, music in education, and it will be an opportunity to work closely with British composer Dani Howard and invited guests over the course of the three week period. 

Application Requirements:

Please Provide us with: 

• 2 examples of your work (Score in PDF format, AND Audio (required) in mp3 format - MIDI’s are accepted in mp3 format) 
• If you are also a performer, you may include an additional example of your playing (optional)
• 150 word biography
• Links to website and social media (where applicable):

Questions:

• What notation software do you use? (eg. Sibelius / Finale / Dorico etc.)
• Tell us a little bit about you and your artistic practice (max 250 words)
• Discuss a dream project that you would love to be involved in. (max 150 words)
• What would you hope to learn/gain from this residency (max 150 words)

Residency Dates: Sunday, April 26, 2026 - Saturday, May 16, 2026

Application Deadline: Monday, March 23, 2026, at 11:59 PM EST

Scholarships are available. Residency Statement

My artistic practice is cross- and multidi-sciplinary and guided by imagination, creative visioning, and practicality and informed by my upbringing in rural Mississippi. I believe that the imagination is critical to the ability to vision and vision is key to manifesting tangible change in the material world. I believe the work of artists (storytellers in all forms) is a form of bending space and time traveling. My work explores all of these intersections.

The focus of this residency is to explore personal and community narrative through oral histories and how these narratives are a unique form of information technology that can inform creative placemaking and community design. During our time together, we will explore story and community through these lenses. I envision building a residency community that is supportive, collaborative, and grounded in aspirations for creating future communities.

I welcome artists working in all mediums, especially visual, literary, and culinary artists interested in using their art to positively impact their communities.

 Application Requirements

Applicants should submit a bio, resume, and artist statement that speaks to their background and aspirations related to their art and community building. The artist statement should include the following:

● Brief overview of important artistic and cultural influences

● Reflections on personal history working in community

● Personal goals for their residency time

Please provide up to three (3) work samples that will help contextualize your artistic practice.   

Residency Dates: July 29-August 3, 2026   Application Deadline: May 25, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST   

Please tell us about yourself by uploading a pdf or Word document with the answers to these questions:   

Writing Prompt (to be included with application form): 

-How long have you considered yourself a creative writer/artist?

-What are your favorite genre(s) to write and express yourself?

-What areas do you feel you are weak in, that you would love to strengthen? 

-What are your short-term AND long-term goals when it comes to your writing/artistry? 

About This Residency: 

This summer, Atlantic Center for the Arts offers a unique 6-day/overnight teen writing residency for high-school-aged creatives. It is designed to guide teens to discover their individual voices and creativity and move them forward in achieving their writing career goals. The residency will focus on all aspects of writing:

• Script-writing  

• Fiction

• Non-fiction

• Poetry

• Spoken Word

The daily schedule will include:

 • Workshops 

 • Professional feedback sessions

 • Time to write

 • Time to appreciate ACA’s 69-acre campus on Turnbull Bay estuary

The students’ parents and ACA’s community will be invited to attend Inside Out, a showcase during which each student will present a short sample of the writing they developed at Atlantic Center for the Arts. 

Featured Artist: Jive Poetic

Jive Poetic is a writer, organizer, and educator based in Brooklyn, New York. His work has been showcased on PBS News Hour, BET, and season four of TVONE’s Lexus Verses and Flow. International recognition and support for his work has come from the British Arts Council; U.S. Embassies in Australia, Brazil, and Poland; and the Minister Of Culture in Antigua and Barbuda. Jive is the founder of Insurgent Poets Society, Carnival Slam: Cultural Exchange, and the co-founder of the Brooklyn Poetry Slam. In 2017, Jive was the first recipient of the John Morning Award for Art and Service. When he is not on tour, Jive teaches poetry and hip-hop workshops to at-risk youth in New York City and the surrounding area. Jive received his BA in Media Studies from the State University of New York at Buffalo and his MFA in Writing and Activism from Pratt Institute.

DETAILS

Cost $650 for 6 days/5 nights, including lodging, meals, and tuition.           

Adult staff will be on-site 24/7.

Food All participants will eat together in the Commons dining hall on campus, and provided 3 meals a day. Our chef is sensitive to your dietary needs, so you will be asked to provide us with any dietary restrictions. Please bring your own medications or health-related food that you require.   

Housing All participants will be provided with a single room with bathroom and shower (not shared). See photos of our accommodations at the bottom of this page: https://atlanticcenterforthearts.org/facilities/studios-facilities-housing/ 

Check in will be available after 12pm on Wednesday July 29, 2026. 

Check out is Monday, August 3, 2026.   

Laundry Bed and bath linens are provided. A coin laundry is located at the Associate Housing.   

Access Atlantic Center for the Arts is located at 1414 Art Center Avenue, New Smyrna Beach, FL and is a secure, gated campus in the wilderness area south of Spruce Creek Preserve next to the Turnbull Bay estuary.

For questions: please inquire with the ACA Residency & Program Manager, ren morrison at rmorrison@atlanticcenterforthearts.org