Artist Residencies and Open Calls August 2026: 20 Opportunities

Aug 8
6 min read

August is a month that rewards the artists who are still paying attention. The summer heat slows some things down, but the open call and residency landscape doesn't take a break. Artist residencies and open calls August 2026 cover everything from glassmaking studios in upstate New York to writing retreats in Homer, Alaska, from public art invitations about democracy to nature writing for national parks.

There are 20 opportunities in this month's list, split across two sections: open calls for submissions, publications, and exhibitions, and residency programs with deadlines in August and early September. Some are discipline-specific, some are wide open. Most are free to apply. All of them are worth five minutes of your time to see if they fit.

Deadlines run from August 9 through September 15. Read the eligibility before you start your application.

Artist Residencies and Open Calls August 2026: The Full List

Open Calls for Submissions, Exhibitions, and Commissions

Open calls this month range from international magazine features to public art projects to curatorial proposals for established gallery spaces. A few have cash attached. All of them are visibility and platform opportunities worth considering if the theme or format fits your practice.

August Deadlines

GoddessArts Magazine Open Call | International | Due: August 9 - GoddessArts Magazine invites artists to submit work for Issue 22 of this international publication. It's a straightforward visibility opportunity for artists looking to reach a global audience. Check the submission guidelines for format and media requirements.

Wassaic Project Open Call | Wassaic, NY | Due: August 10 - The Wassaic Project accepts four types of proposals for summer programming: ready-to-hang work, site-specific installations, temporary installations and performances, and printed works. One application can include multiple proposals, which makes this worth submitting if your practice spans formats.

Smack Mellon Emerging Curator Open Call | Brooklyn, NY | Due: August 15 - Smack Mellon is looking for emerging curators based in New York City to propose group exhibition concepts for its annual Emerging Artists Summer Group Exhibition. If you're a curator building your practice, this is a real opportunity with a well-respected Brooklyn institution.

New Work: We Come in Pieces Open Call | International | Due: August 16 - Prospect Art invites visual artists worldwide to apply under the curatorial theme "We Come in Pieces." One artist receives a $1,500 commission to create a new work responding to the theme. Additional applicants are considered for ONE WORK and BROADCAST opportunities. The commission makes this one worth prioritizing.

Frappant Gallery Open Call | Hamburg, Germany | Due: August 17 - Frappant Gallery in Hamburg is accepting exhibition concepts for its 2027 programme. The gallery welcomes group proposals involving at least three artistic positions, projects from independent curators, transregional collaborations with Hamburg-based artists, and interdisciplinary concepts connecting fine art, performance, music, literature, urbanism, and social culture. International artists are encouraged to apply.

Poetry and Polar Sciences Open Call | International | Due: August 26 - PRAx, Spring Creek Project, and Terrain.org invite poets to write original poems responding to a selection of polar science papers from Oregon State University researchers. This one is specific and unusual - if the intersection of ecology, science, and poetry is your territory, it fits.

Take On Action Open Call | International | Due: August 30 - Art at a Time Like This invites artists to propose one concrete action everyday people can take to protect democracy, for a public art project and virtual exhibition. Artists with work rooted in civic life and social accountability should look at this one.

Campfire Stories Open Call | International | Due: August 31 - Campfire Stories is seeking nature-focused writing that captures the spirit of America's national parks for the third and final volume of the series. If you write about land, place, and the outdoors, this is one of the last chances to be part of this project.

September Deadlines

Longwood Arts Project - Open Call for Curators | Bronx, NY | Due: September 2 - The Bronx Council on the Arts invites independent curators, artists, and arts professionals to propose exhibitions for Longwood Arts Project, an alternative gallery in the Bronx that predominantly showcases artists of color, women, and LGBTQ+ artists. For curators whose work centers these communities, this is exactly the kind of platform worth pursuing.

Residencies and Fellowships: Time and Space to Create

This month's residency list spans puppetry to glassmaking to women's writing retreats to multi-discipline studio programs in Ohio, Alaska, Idaho, Georgia, Texas, and Washington state. A few are highly specific in discipline. Most accept artists across mediums. All provide the one thing that's hardest to create on your own: protected time.

August Deadlines

Jim Henson Foundation Puppetry Residency | Waterford, CT | Due: August 9 - In partnership with the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, this residency supports an artist or company in the final stages of developing a new work of puppet theater. If you're a puppeteer or physical theater maker close to completing a project, this is built for where you are right now.

Ankhlave Garden Project Fellowship | Bronx, NY | Due: August 10 - Wave Hill's Ankhlave Garden Project Fellowship supports NYC-based BIPOC artists who draw on research, scholarship, and lived knowledge to create site-responsive sculpture and installation at the intersection of nature, culture, and place. This is one of the more intentional fellowships for artists whose practice is rooted in ecology and identity.

Bryn Du Artist in Residence | Granville, OH | Due: August 31 - The Bryn Du program introduces artists of any discipline to the Granville, Ohio community over an 8 or 12 week residency. Artists live in the Cramer House on the property. If you're looking for focused time in a new place without heavy programming obligations, this is worth a look.

Corning Museum of Glass Artist in Residence | Corning, NY | Due: August 31 - This residency brings artists to Corning, New York to explore new directions in glassmaking or deepen an existing body of work using the resources of the Corning Museum of Glass. For artists working in or curious about glass, the access to materials and expertise here is hard to match.

Dave Whitehouse Research Residency for Scholars | Corning, NY | Due: August 31 - The David Whitehouse Research Residency at the Corning Museum of Glass is open to scholars whose research on glass and glass-related topics benefits from direct engagement with the museum's collection and resources. This one is for researchers, not studio artists.

Storyknife Residency | Homer, AK | Due: August 31 - Storyknife in Homer, Alaska gives women the time and space to focus on their writing without distraction. If you're a woman writer who needs an extended stretch of uninterrupted work time in a genuinely remote and beautiful setting, this is the real thing.

MacDowell | Peterborough, NH | Due: September 10 - MacDowell is one of the most established artist residency programs in the country, supporting artists generating original work across all disciplines. Applicants must be at least 21 and not currently enrolled in a degree program. A strong application includes a project proposal, work samples in the same discipline as the proposed project, and five relevant artistic achievements. Competitive, worth the effort.

September Deadlines

Bloedel Reserve Creative Residency | Bainbridge Island, WA | Due: September 1 - The Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island supports creative thinking inspired by nature and the relationship between humans and the environment. Artists across disciplines who work in conversation with the natural world are encouraged to apply.

Corsicana Artists and Writers Residency | Corsicana, TX | Due: September 1 - Artists and writers of international, national, and Texas origin are invited for two-month, funded studio residencies in a historic setting 50 miles south of Dallas. The funding and the length of stay make this one of the more substantial residency opportunities on this list.

Surel's Place Monthlong Residency | Garden City, ID | Due: September 1 - Surel's Place in Garden City, Idaho is open to professional artists of any medium who need a dedicated place to focus on their work. One month, one artist, one goal.

Hambidge Center Residency | North Georgia | Due: September 15 - The Hambidge Center in north Georgia offers a self-directed residency that trusts artists to know what they need. No programming requirements, no prescribed outcomes. Just time in the mountains to work.

August is the month where serious artists separate themselves from the ones who were just waiting for the right moment. The right moment is the application you actually finish. Whether it's a two-month funded residency in Texas or a $1,500 commission to respond to a curatorial theme, something on this list is worth your attention before the month ends.

Ready to Put Your Best Application Forward?

Finding the opportunity is step one. Getting your materials tight enough to actually win is step two. Grants Made Simple is our step-by-step guide built from five workshops we've taught to artists, entrepreneurs, and community builders. It walks through everything - from writing a strong project proposal to building your budget, bio, and work samples - so when the right residency opens up, you're ready.

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