Artist Residencies at ARTS Southeast

Our organization fosters a flourishing artistic community in Savannah, celebrating artists of the Southeast by offering support and opportunities to artists at all stages of their careers. We offer 3 Artist Residency Programs: the Ossabaw Island Residency, the international ON::View Artist Residency, and the locally focused Incubator Artist Initiative.

Read on below and click to learn more about each project, application schedules, open calls, and current artists-in-residence.

Ossabaw Island residency

Beginning in October, 2026 artists will be invited to spend focused time on Ossabaw, Georgia’s third-largest barrier island. Just south of Savannah, Georgia, and accessible only by boat, Ossabaw features 26,000 acres of undeveloped maritime forest, tidal wetlands, and Atlantic shoreline. It is protected by the State of Georgia as a heritage preserve to be used for natural, scientific, and cultural study. The Ossabaw Island Residency both advances ARTS Southeast’s commitment to deep creative inquiry by providing artists time and space on Ossabaw and continues the island’s tradition of multidisciplinary study rooted in nature, culture, and reflection first established in 1961 by Eleanor Torrey West and Clifford B. West. 

The Ossabaw Island Residency is intended for artists’ ideas to emerge and take shape, free from urban distractions. It is open to emerging, mid-career, and established artists across disciplines who are encouraged to pursue self-directed work shaped by solitude, a sense of place, and the pace of natural rhythms. There are no thematic requirements or expected deliverables. This is a fully-funded residency, with housing, meals, stipend, and full logistical support provided.

ON::View Artist Residency

The international ON::View Artist Residency invites proposals from artists twice a year, seeking practitioners in all media to spend one to three months in Savannah. This residency provides an opportunity for artists to live, work, and play alongside local artists in a vibrant community. The program hosts eleven sessions annually, with visiting artists hosted from February - September, and local artists in January, October, and November.

Visiting artists are housed in a nearby apartment, ensuring accessibility for visiting residents. The Residency Program provides fully funded accommodations for visiting artists, with a stipend of $500. The ON::View Studio, with its large windows overlooking Bull Street, the district’s main thoroughfare, allows the community to witness the artists’ creative process in real time from concept to completion. Our residents are encouraged to lead community events such as workshops, public art projects, and artist talks. Additionally, all residency artists are invited to participate in ON::View Revue, our annual residency exhibition at The Ellis Gallery at ARTS Southeast.

incubator artist initiative

Building on the success of the ON::View Residency, ARTS Southeast established the Incubator Artist Initiative in 2024. This initiative offers a six month or year-long residency to Savannah-based emerging artists, providing studio space and easing financial barriers that often prevent local artists from accessing public arts spaces. The Incubator Artist Initiative includes opportunities for community engagement through artist talks, workshops, exhibition opportunities, and complimentary memberships to Savannah arts institutions. Participants receive a free studio for one year, a stipend of $500, studio visits with guest curators and arts professionals, mentorship in professional practices from the exhibition team, and the visiting ON::View Artists in Residence. Incubator artists are encouraged to open their studios during First Friday Open Studio events and are asked to volunteer 10 hours a month, assisting visiting artists and strengthening community connections. Our Incubator Artists are invited to apply to 3 exhibitions per year in our Supporter Gallery and are included in ON::View Revue, the annual residency exhibition, to exhibit alongside esteemed artists from around the world.