botanical artist in residence program

This program supports botanical artists working to a high national and international standard who create beautiful and accurate depictions of plant species. In 2026, the Oak Spring Garden Foundation (OSGF) will host the sixth iteration of our Botanical Artist in Residence program. Residents selected for this award will reside at Oak Spring in spring or summer, when the gardens and landscape are in bloom. This residency provides botanical artists time and space to work on their own projects, utilizing materials from our formal garden or the broader 700-acre landscape, and to visit our rare book library that includes many examples of historical botanical art.

Residents will attend introductory tours during their first week on site with other botanical artists, and Interdisciplinary Residents. This will include tours of the formal garden, landscape, and library. After this introduction residents are free to work independently on their projects, explore our 700-acre sustainably managed landscape, and make appointments to visit the library during office hours (Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 4:00pm). Botanical artists will also be asked to attend about 3-weekly meals with our 2-week Interdisciplinary Residents, who will also be on-site. The meals are a good opportunity to socialize, and learn about what other residents are working on.

In 2026, OSGF will be happy to offer connections at local organizations where botanical artists will be able to select and procure plant specimens to illustrate for their final piece. We welcome and encourage artists to let staff know their interests before they arrive, so we can make any useful connections ahead of time.

Dates and Duration

Please note that botanical artist must arrive on the exact start date, in order to attend the introductory tour that will start early the following day.

• Session I: Sunday, April 12, 2026 – Sunday, May 3, 2026
• Session II: Sunday, August 23, 2026 – Sunday, September 13, 2026