How to Apply

Artists must first attend a tour of our facility, then complete and submit an application by the listed deadline in order to be eligible for a residency. Public tours which include visits to the recycling facilities, art studio, and sculpture garden take place on the third Saturday of each month at 10 a.m. To reserve a spot on a tour, call (415) 330-1414. Please do not show up without a reservation! We need to give you directions and other important information, including proper attire for the tour. The tour will be cancelled if it is raining. Children under nine years old are prohibited from attending tours as a safety precaution.

Our advisory board, which is composed of former artists-in-residence, people in the arts community, environmentalists, and educators, reviews applications in October and selects eight to ten candidates to interview in November. Interviews are scheduled between 12:00 and 5:00 p.m. At that time, finalists must make a short presentation about their work. The board awards between four and eight residencies per year, depending on the number of part-time and full-time residencies allotted.

The board evaluates applications based on the artist's demonstrated commitment to resource conservation and recycling through art, their experience in art education and/or environmental education, how the residency can provide the artist with professional growth, the quality of previous work, and the artist's reputation and references. The board also considers the artist's use of materials and the types of tools available in the studio.

At this time, we only accept applications from local, career-level, professional artists. Students currently enrolled at any university, college, or other educational institution will not be considered. We do not accept applications from artists who reside a driving distance of more than one hour from San Francisco.

Students studying art at local colleges and universities may contact the program at any time by calling (415) 330-1415 to determine the availability of non-paid student residencies. Go to the Student Artist in Residence Program page for more information.