Smack Mellon Artist Studio Program 2027–28

Eleven months of free private studio space in Brooklyn, production facilities, technical assistance, and professional development for emerging artists.

The Smack Mellon Artist Studio Program is accepting applications for its 2027–28 residency, offering six emerging artists eleven months of free private studio space in Dumbo, Brooklyn. Running from September 8, 2027, through August 8, 2028, the program provides studios ranging from 250 to 300 square feet, round-the-clock access, shared production facilities, technical assistance, and professional visits with curators, critics, and gallerists. Artists working across visual and interdisciplinary practices are eligible, including those incorporating performance and time-based media.

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Smack Mellon Artist Studio Program Snapshot

What: Smack Mellon Artist Studio Program 2027–28

Who: Emerging and early-career artists within the first 2 to 10 years of their public careers who meet the program’s New York City residency and other eligibility requirements.

Where: Smack Mellon, 92 Plymouth Street, Dumbo, Brooklyn, New York.

Award / Support: Free private studio space; 24-hour access; shared digital production facilities; fabrication equipment; technical assistance; professional studio visits; two annual Open Studio events; fellowship support, including three designated Van Lier Fellowships. A stipend is dependent on funding. The amount is not listed.

Application Fee: Free.

Residency Duration: September 8, 2027 to August 8, 2028.

Deadline: December 1, 2026.

Official Link: https://smackmellon.submittable.com/submit/366527/smack-mellon-studio-program-2027-28

Strategy Coach Notes: https://www.patreon.com/pformart/posts/smack-mellon-28-174826744

Get The Application Strategy

The Smack Mellon application requires artists to demonstrate how access to a dedicated studio would support the development of their practice. The program’s eligibility requirements, studio-use expectations, and emphasis on visual arts create a specific framework for applicants working across disciplines. Performance and time-based artists should consider how their methods relate to the physical workspace, available equipment, and program structure. The application also requires carefully selected documentation, with specific limits on images and video submissions. Contemporary Performance’s Strategy Coach Notes examine these requirements, the relationship between work samples and proposed studio use, and ways to organize a coherent application around the program’s published criteria.

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About Smack Mellon Artist Studio Program

Smack Mellon is a nonprofit arts organization based in Dumbo, Brooklyn, with an established commitment to presenting contemporary art and supporting artists through exhibitions and studio programs. Its Artist Studio Program provides workspace to six emerging or early-career artists for an eleven-month period. The residency addresses a practical condition of artistic production in New York City: access to dedicated space where artists can sustain research and develop work over time. The studios are located within Smack Mellon’s facilities at 92 Plymouth Street. Three of the six fellowships are designated New York Community Trust Van Lier Fellowships, with additional eligibility requirements.

The program requires artists to use their studios for at least 50 hours each month. Residents have access to their spaces 24 hours a day, seven days a week, allowing them to schedule around the demands of their practices. Participants are expected to take part in two annual Open Studio events and assist with the organization’s annual benefit. The residency also includes professional studio visits and access to shared production resources. Housing is not provided. The program’s physical facilities have concrete floors and fluctuating temperatures, which may affect artists whose work requires sustained physical movement or controlled environmental conditions.

What Is Offered

Private Studio Space: Free individual studios ranging from 250 to 300 square feet.
Studio Access: 24/7 access throughout the residency.
Digital Production Facilities: Shared editing workstations, scanners, printers, and audiovisual equipment.
Fabrication Resources: Access to a shared shop equipped for woodworking and related fabrication.
Technical Assistance: Support from Smack Mellon staff in using available production resources.
Professional Studio Visits: Opportunities to meet curators, critics, and gallerists through organized studio visits.
Public Open Studios: Participation in two annual events where artists share their work with visitors.
Fellowship Support: Fellowship opportunities for the six selected artists, including three designated Van Lier Fellowships. A stipend is dependent on funding, with no published amount.

The program does not provide housing. Artists should account for living expenses and any production costs outside the listed support.

Who Should Apply to Smack Mellon Artist Studio Program

The program is intended for emerging and early-career artists who have begun establishing a public artistic practice and require dedicated workspace in New York City. Applicants must be legal NYC residents, have filed taxes in the city for at least one year before the deadline, and remain residents throughout the application and residency. They must be at least 18 years old and be U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents. Artists cannot be enrolled in a degree program during the residency or participate simultaneously in another studio residency. Established collaborative teams of up to three artists may apply. Additional age, financial-need, and historically underrepresented community criteria apply to the Van Lier Fellowships.

Smack Mellon Artist Studio Program Timeline

Application Deadline: December 1, 2026.

Selection Notification: May 2027, with the application portal specifying late May.

Residency Begins: September 8, 2027.

Residency Ends: August 8, 2028.

Studio Commitment: Minimum 50 hours per month.

Public Activities: Two annual Open Studio events and participation in the annual benefit. Specific dates are not listed.

Why The Smack Mellon Artist Studio Program Matters

Eleven months of dedicated studio access can support work that depends on sustained experimentation, material production, or developing technically demanding projects. For interdisciplinary artists, Smack Mellon’s combination of private workspace and shared digital and fabrication equipment is particularly relevant to installation, video, and object-based practices that incorporate performance. Professional visits and Open Studio events also give artists opportunities to introduce developing work to curators and audiences. Applicants should assess the program’s physical conditions and monthly studio commitment before applying. Its NYC residency requirements and lack of housing substantially shape who can participate and how artists must plan their year.

Apply

Deadline: December 1, 2026.

Official Link: https://smackmellon.submittable.com/submit/366527/smack-mellon-studio-program-2027-28

Strategy Coach Notes: https://www.patreon.com/pformart/posts/smack-mellon-28-174826744

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