true inspiration artist-in-residence (fall 2026)

The Department of Art at Furman University invites applications for the Fall 2026 True Inspiration Artist-in-Residence. This is the second True Inspiration Artist-in-Residence opportunity of the 2026 season. The program awards an eight-to-sixteen-week residency on Furman’s campus in Greenville, SC to a practicing artist or designer to continue the development of ongoing studio projects and/or embark upon new creative endeavors. The Artist-in-Residence receives a $6,000 stipend, a private studio in the Roe Art Building, institutional affiliation with Furman University, and a solo exhibition in the Department of Art’s Thompson Art Gallery. The ideal resident will have a practice that complements and expands upon the Department’s concentrations in drawing, painting, photography, ceramics, graphic design, sculpture, printmaking, and art history. This resident’s practice will also demonstrate a capacity for interdisciplinary dialogue and seek to engage both Furman’s academic community and the broader regional public.

Residency Themes

This cycle, the Department of Art is especially interested in artists and designers whose work engages one or more of the following themes:

• Multiplicities, pluralities, copies, and redundancies

• Alternative approaches to traditional materials, histories, and hierarchies

• Graphic design’s contribution to social activism, community organization, and protest

• Environmental sustainability and technological consciousness

• The amplification of historically marginalized voices and broader cultural exchange

• The complexities, nuances, and contradictions of Southern identity

Residency Expectations

• During their time at Furman, it is expected that the resident will:

• Reside at Furman for a period of at least 8 weeks and a maximum of 16 weeks during the Fall 2026 semester (August 25 to December 8, 2026). The resident may elect when and how long the residency takes place.

• Make significant progress on a proposed studio project.

• Provide work for a six-week solo exhibition in the Thompson Art Gallery during the Spring 2027 semester. The exhibition should include work from the residency project but may include earlier work as well. The selected resident will submit a formal exhibition proposal in October 2026, prior to the conclusion of the residency. The Gallery is approximately 1100 sq ft with 115 linear ft of exhibitable wall space.

• Give two formal artist / gallery talks. The first will be a welcome talk at the start of the residency and the second a gallery talk at the exhibition’s reception.

• Design and run a one-day workshop for Furman students.

• Hold at least 20 hours of open studio hours per week. Most of these 20 hours should be scheduled during working hours (weekdays, 9am to 5pm) to facilitate engagement with Furman’s students and faculty.