interdisciplinary residencies
A Five-Week or Two-Week Residency Program
We offer 5-week or 2-week sessions of our Interdisciplinary Residency. The 2-week Interdisciplinary Residency program is designed for parents, caregivers, or others for whom a 5-week Residency is not possible. We encourage those who are able to apply to the 5-week Interdisciplinary Residency to do so.
Purpose
The goal of this program is to provide individuals with the time and space to pursue their own creative projects alongside other Residents who may be examining plants, landscapes, gardens, and the natural world from different perspectives. Artists, conservation practitioners, researchers, scholars, scientists, and/or writers are encouraged to apply to our Interdisciplinary Residency Program. This is our flagship Residency program that was started in 2021. Now, in 2025, we have hosted over 90 Interdisciplinary Residents, and we plan to award 40 Interdisciplinary Residencies annually. We hope our Residents will develop meaningful relationships around shared creative interests, and find abundant inspiration while at OSGF.
Interdisciplinarity is a key value of OSGF, and this Residency provides ample opportunities for Residents to explore our various resources. Beyond the time devoted to their projects, an Interdisciplinary Resident’s typical day at Oak Spring might include a walk to enjoy the landscape or birds; an appointment to visit the Oak Spring Library; and/or a morning spent volunteering at the BCCF or in the formal garden. These optional activities provide Residents time to learn from, and interact with our staff. None of these kinds of activities are required, and we understand that many Residents might want to spend most of their time in their writing or studio space. This program supports varying Residents, needs, and strikes a balance of socialization, and independent work time.
Residents are not required to make work that addresses our site specifically, but they should work on projects related to OSGF’s mission. We often find that Residents who use their time for research and inspiration are most satisfied with this Residency experience.
Who We Support
Our program is mainly directed to support individuals working in the following four overlapping, very broad, categories:
Artists and Writers
Individuals devoted to creative expression and innovative thinking that leads to new objects, movements, or ideas. This includes, but is not limited to, artists, dancers, filmmakers and musicians of all kinds, as well as writers of both fiction and non-fiction. Visual artists creating book art, drawings, fiber art, graphics, illustrations, paintings, photography, prints, sculpture or other objects have been especially prominent in Oak Spring Residencies so far, but we are keen to support all forms of artistic expression.
Conservation Scientists & Practitioners
Individuals undertaking research, practice, or action related to the conservation and sustainable use of plants, and the ecological/environmental systems of which they are a part of. The work may be situated in environments ranging from “natural” to human-dominated, including in agricultural systems in which minimizing adverse environmental impacts and conserving biological diversity is a priority.
Researchers & Scholars in the Humanities
Individuals devoted to traditional or non-traditional research and scholarship in anthropology, art history, history, human geography, history, language, law, politics, sociology and religion with connections to plants, gardens and landscapes. The outputs from such work may be traditional high-quality scholarship, or other work that seeks to reach a broader audience, for example through electronic media. We are especially keen to support individuals who will make use of the exceptional collection of art, manuscripts, books and other objects in the Oak Spring Garden Library.
Plant & Ecological Scientists
Individuals undertaking basic or applied research in plant science at the organismal or ecological level, including the importance of plants in ecological processes of all kinds. Individuals may be pursuing research at the population or species levels, but might equally be addressing questions related to the ways in which plants participate in global systems or biome level processes. We are especially keen to encourage research on the plants, ecological systems and habitats of the Oak Spring landscape.
Dates
- 5-week Session I: Monday, March 2, 2026 – Sunday, April 5, 2026
- 5-week Session II: Monday, June 1, 2026 – Sunday, July 5, 2026
- 5-week Session III: Monday, July 13, 2026 – Sunday, August 16, 2026
- 5-week Session IV: Monday, September 21, 2026 – Sunday, October 25, 2026
- 2-week Session I: Sunday, April 14, 2026 - Sunday, April 26, 2026
- 2-week Session II: Sunday, August 23, 2026 - Sunday, September 6, 2026