Open Call: Emerging Artists Residency(Open Arts)

Open Call: Emerging Artists Residency (Kaduna)

The Open Arts Development Foundation is pleased to announce an open call for the Emerging Artists Residency 2026.

About the Project

The Emerging Artists Residency is an incubation program created in 2024 to provide emerging artists with mentorship, production support, and networking opportunities to strengthen their professional practice within an artistic community.

Following a successful pilot in 2025, this 2026 edition expands the project with a fully on-site, immersive 2-week residency hosted at The Open Arts Space Kaduna, Nigeria.

The residency aims to equip one emerging artist with the skills, mentorship, resources, and exposure needed to develop a new body of work while engaging deeply with the local art ecosystem in Kaduna.

What the Residency Offers

The selected artist will receive:

• A fully funded 2-week on-site residency at The Open Arts Space
• Mentorship from established artists and curators
• Production support and materials stipend
• Studio space and access to Open Arts facilities
• Professional photo and video documentation of the residency
• A public artist talk and Open Studio showcase
• Introductions to galleries, curators, and cultural institutions

Expected Outputs

• One fully developed new body of work
• One Open Studio event
• One public artist talk
• A workshop on area of choice for the Open Arts community

Eligibility

This open call is for:

• Emerging visual artists based in Nigeria
• Artists working in any visual medium (painting, installation, mixed media, digital art, etc.)
• Artists who have been practicing for 1–4 years and have not yet had major institutional support or large-scale solo exhibitions

Women, artists from marginalized communities, and artists working in indigenous or culturally rooted practices are strongly encouraged to apply.

How to Apply

Applicants must submit:

• A brief artist statement (max. 300 words)
• A project proposal outlining the project to be developed during the residency
• Portfolio of 5–10 images or links to recent works
• Biography
• Contact information

Notable Dates

• Application Deadline: 20 February 2026
• Residency Period: March 2026