The application for the 2026–27 residency will open in early March 2026.
Installation view of Pablo Tut: Land Invention, 2024–25 St. Elmo Arts Residency Fellow exhibition, Visual Arts Center, Austin, TX, 2025. Photo: Alex Boeschenstein for the Visual Arts Center.
The St. Elmo Arts Residency within the Department of Art and Art History offers one fellowship each academic year to a recent MFA graduate specializing in painting, drawing, printmaking, photography, sculpture, or multimedia. The residency includes a charming house and studio in a small artist community in the St. Elmo district of South Austin.
Past Fellows
Francesca Lally, 2025–26
Pablo Tut, 2024–25
Zalika Azim, 2023–24
Marianne Hoffmeister Castro, 2022–23
Armando Cortés, 2021–22
Dawn Kim, 2020–21
Merideth Hillbrand, 2019–20
Katy McCarthy, 2018–19
Residency Period
August 10, 2026 through May 31, 2027
Fellowship
- 24-hour access to a private 1800-square-foot studio
- Private furnished house that can accommodate the resident and a partner *
- $37,500 stipend
- Access to health insurance and benefits, with premiums partially paid for by UT
- Part-time teaching experience at UT Austin
- An exhibition at the Visual Arts Center
* The house cannot accommodate children or pets.
Eligibility
- The residency begins in early August 2026. Only artists who graduate from an MFA program between August 2025 and July 1, 2026, are invited to apply. Please do not apply if you have not graduated from your program by July 1, 2026.
- If you graduated before August 2025, you cannot apply.
- Only artists who graduate from MFA programs based in the U.S. can apply.
- Students and alumni of the UT Austin MFA program are ineligible to apply
Fellow Responsibilities
- 9½-month commitment
- Teach one class per semester (two classes total) in Studio Art in the Department of Art and Art History
- Lead one practice-based workshop each semester (two workshops total)
- Present a public lecture on your work for the UT Arts Community
- Present a solo exhibition at the Visual Arts Center
Studio and House
Please note that not all furniture pictured is currently in use, but studio and house are fully furnished.
Application Instructions
The application for the 2026–27 residency will open in early March 2026.
The following four items must be submitted:
- Curriculum Vitae
- Artist Statement (500-word maximum)
- Teaching Statement (800-word maximum). Regarding your general interest and ideas about teaching a college course in your specialty, and your ideas for teaching a Fine Arts Practicum, an undergraduate course where students will learn about continuing one's art making post-graduation and the path to an MFA. This course will address theoretical and practical issues central to making art in today's world.
- Illustrated portfolio of artwork and completed projects
- In PDF Form: 20 images with captions listing: title, date, medium, dimensions, and if applicable, a short description of the work.
- For video or audio works: Provide link(s) in the PDF. Include title, date, media, method of presentation, running time, and, if applicable, a short description of the work.
Addditional Academic Materials
- A PDF listing the names, emails, and phone numbers of three references. We will contact references only when a candidate is selected for the second round. At that point, we must receive their letters within 10 days. Please ensure that your references understand and agree to this time frame.
- Upload a copy of your unofficial transcript.
- Upload a copy of a letter or email from your faculty committee chair or department head confirming that you will graduate between August 2025 and July 1, 2026. This letter or email can be addressed to you.