Artist in Residence Call
The Kaplan Humanities Institute is proud to recognize and financially support working artists across the visual, performing, and literary arts.
Since 2008, Kaplan has co-hosted 37 innovative and award-winning artists working in diverse media, facilitating opportunities to share insight into the conceptualization, process, and production of new work. We have partnered with Northwestern departments and programs to situate artists within a scholarly interdisciplinary community where they share their practice through classes, open studios, screenings, exhibitions, lectures, concerts, readings, and performances.
Building on this longstanding support of arts programming at Northwestern, Kaplan launched a new Artist Engagement Initiative in Spring 2023 with a revamped artist residency program and co-curricular grants.
Artist in Residence
Call for Applications
Deadline: March 6, 2026 (Fri.), 11:59 pm CST
The Alice Kaplan Institute for the Humanities is pleased to invite applications for the 2026-2027 Artist in Residence Program for which the Institute will provide financial support to co-host an artist on campus for an academic quarter.
The goal of this program—which is part of our larger Artist Engagement Initiative—is to facilitate greater interaction between artistic practice and humanities conversations and teaching on campus. Visiting artists will engage with students and faculty around shared interdisciplinary concerns, contributing fresh perspectives onto current research and teaching while also benefiting from being in a community of scholars and students.
We invite applications from faculty in any unit at Northwestern to apply to host an artist in residence. We will also consider joint applications from two units, with one unit designated as the primary unit. We take a broad view of artistic practice, and thus invite applications for artists working in any medium/discipline (e.g., visual, musical, theatrical, performing, multimedia, literary).
The Kaplan Institute will provide a $30K stipend to the artist and an artist studio in Kresge Hall. Artists in Residence will teach an undergraduate course in the sponsoring unit(s) (co-listed with Kaplan, if appropriate); the primary sponsoring unit will process the appointment and receive $10K to compensate the artist for teaching this course. The Artist in Residence will also offer a workshop to undergraduate and graduate students, and give a public lecture about, or performance of, their work. Sponsoring unit(s) will handle all travel (including any visa requirements and processing), accommodations, and event arrangements. Kaplan staff will primarily be responsible for promoting the class and events.
The Kaplan Institute will designate a cross-disciplinary committee of scholars to select the Artist in Residence each year.
How to apply
Deadline: Friday, March 6, 2026 (11:59pm CST):
Artist in Residence applications are submitted by email. Please review all application instructions on this page prior to emailing your submission. Note: All application documents must be bundled and submitted as a single PDF.
Application instructions
Please note: the requested narrative limits are firm. We will return, and request edits for, submissions that are longer in length than listed below. To apply, please bundle these application materials into a single PDF:
- One paragraph description of the artist’s work and how it intersects with humanities discussions in your unit(s) and across other units.
- Three to four paragraph description of what programming is envisioned for the artist’s visit, including:
- A description of the course they will teach, including information on how it connects to student interests and existing curriculum
- A description of the workshop (or workshops) they will offer, including information on target audiences and plan for ensuring their participation
- A description of the proposed public lecture and/or performance
- Portfolio of selected works of the artist (best if hyperlinked, but we will accept images or texts as extra pages in the application PDF)
- Artist’s resume
- Proposed quarter/dates of residency
- Sponsoring unit(s) - please indicate primary sponsor if two units are submitting
- Names of the faculty and staff who will be lead coordinators for the residency
NOTE: Applicants must secure permission from their unit chair(s) in order to apply. A brief email confirming their support may be sent to jill.mannor@northwestern.edu once the application is submitted. (This can be a direct email from the chair(s) or a forwarded note from the applicant that indicates chair support for the residency.)
To submit your application
Please send your application PDF to Jill Mannor, Kaplan Institute Communications Coordinator, at jill.mannor@northwestern.edu.
The completed application must be received no later than 11:59 pm CST on March 6, 2026.
Questions?
Please contact Jill Mannor at jill.mannor@northwestern.edu.
FAQs
(Updated February 18, 2026)
How does the funding work for the artist stipend and teaching?
- The Kaplan Institute transfers the full $40k AIR funding to the sponsoring department via chartstring ($30k for artist stipend + $10k for department funds). The department is responsible for directly paying the artist their stipend of $30k (one-time or monthly, depending on the unit's protocol). The $10k transferred to the department is intended to help pay for the artist's teaching.
- Note: Weinberg units concerned about departmental expenditures may contact Tom Burke, Kaplan Associate Director, to discuss what options may be available.
Who arranges and pays for the artist's housing?
- The sponsoring department is expected to advise and/or help the artist secure housing for the quarter. Past arrangements have included sublets for sabbatical homes, long-term rentals [Airbnb, The Graduate or similar hotels], on-campus housing like Garrett Seminary, etc.)
- The department can choose to require the artist to pay for their housing out of their stipend, or they can arrange to pay for housing out of department or other discretionary funds.
Is the sponsoring unit required to provide an office for the artist?
- The Kaplan Institute provides Kresge 2315, our artist studio, as an office/working space for the length of the artist residency. This space can be accessed 24/7 via swipe card. Any additional office space would need to be provided by the sponsoring unit.
Who arranges the artist's teaching and events (the student workshop and the public event)?
- The sponsoring unit is expected to work with the artist to plan and manage event arrangements for the student workshop and a public-facing event to share their work (a talk, performance, or exhibition). The sponsoring unit also manages plans for the quarter-long course that the artist teaches, including processing the appointment and teaching stipend. (The unit receives $10K to compensate the artist for teaching this course, and can use remainder funds for administration of the residency).
Who handles travel and visa processing?
- The sponsoring unit handles all travel arrangements (or works with the artist to manage them). The unit must also handle any visa requirements and processing. The unit can choose to pay for travel and visa costs, or require the artist to pay them out of their stipend.
What are the Kaplan Institute's responsibilities for the AIR?
- The Kaplan Institute provides $40k in funding ($30k artist stipend + $10k department/teaching compensation) as a chartstring transfer to the sponsoring unit. Kaplan staff are responsible for promoting the class and events (workshop and public talk) and will produce posters for the residency and related events. Kaplan will also provide refreshments for the public event.