Fresh Arts Space Taking Artist Residency (STAR) Program
9-week professional development + 8-week gallery access with $3,600 honorarium for underrepresented Houston artists and creatives.
Fresh Arts is accepting applications for their 6th annual Space Taking Artist Residency (STAR) program, designed to empower traditionally underrepresented multidisciplinary artists in Houston. The program offers a comprehensive 17-week experience divided into two phases: nine weeks of mentor-guided professional development followed by eight weeks of access to a 2,500-square-foot gallery space at Winter Street Studios in Houston's Sixth Ward. Selected residents receive a $3,600 honorarium to offset production costs, plus additional promotional stipends. Artists are expected to activate the gallery space through exhibitions, performances, community-based programs, or other innovative programming based on their proposed project theme or concept. Two individual artists or artist teams will be selected for residency periods running from April to May or July to August 2026. Past residents include notable multidisciplinary artists, curators, dancers, storytellers, and poets, demonstrating the program's commitment to diverse creative practices. This opportunity is specifically designed for Houston-based artists, curators, creatives, and collectives looking to develop professionally while having significant creative control over a substantial exhibition space.