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2026 Residency Open Call
 
 

The Luminary 2026 Residency Open Call is a nationally recognized, research-driven initiative supporting emerging and mid-career artists, curators, and critics in developing new work. It offers an intensive two-week residency designed to foster focused inquiry and meaningful engagement with the cultural landscape of St. Louis.

The program emphasizes a two-fold approach to research: providing artists dedicated time to pursue new lines of inquiry within their practice, while encouraging deep immersion in St. Louis’s vibrant arts community through exploration, dialogue, and relationship-building. Residents are supported with spacious housing, financial resources, and structured opportunities for public engagement, creating a collaborative environment where creative development and national artistic discourse intersect.

Offered in three seasonal sessions—winter/spring, summer, and fall—each cohort centers on critical contemporary themes such as artificial intelligence, climate futures, and free speech. Residents engage with local artists, organizations, and institutions, expanding their work beyond the studio and into the public sphere.

This residency program is integral to The Luminary’s commitment to positioning St. Louis as a hub for critical and experimental work. Many past residents maintain ongoing ties to the city through exhibitions, public projects, and institutional collaborations, contributing to a growing national dialogue rooted in this dynamic region.


 
 

 About the residency

 
 

  • Each resident receives a weekly stipend and funded travel to The Luminary in St. Louis. Housing is provided in a three-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment located above the gallery on Cherokee Street—a lively corridor filled with restaurants, coffee shops, grocery stores, and bars. The apartment includes a full kitchen, dining area, living room, free laundry, and Wi-Fi.

    Please note that public transportation in St. Louis is limited, so we recommend making a plan for day-to-day travel around the city.

    The Luminary team is available to help coordinate research-focused visits during your stay. This can include studio visits, conversations with local artists, researchers, and academics, as well as archive or site visits relevant to your project.

    There is no requirement to produce a final outcome at the end of the residency. Instead, we encourage residents to fully engage their proposed research questions while actively connecting with the creative community in St. Louis.

  • Our open call residency is offered in three sessions: Winter/Spring, Summer, and Fall. Each session hosts a cohort of three residents, who will have opportunities to connect with one another and with The Luminary’s staff. Each session begins with a casual coffee orientation and concludes with a shared group dinner. Residents are encouraged to engage with the cohort as much or as little as they prefer.

    Cohorts are assembled based on availability, shared interests, and project goals. Recognizing the residency as a space for creative exchange across geographies and disciplines, we intentionally design each cohort to foster dialogue, collaboration, and cross-cultural connection.

    It is not required, but may be helpful, to consider the following research elements as they are engaged in our exhibitions calendar, if it aligns with your interests:

    • Winter/Spring 2026 (February 18 - March 4): Exploring AI & Creative Ethics, with projects focused on data collection, algorithmic bias, and machine learning’s role in cultural production.

    • Summer 2026 (July 8 - 22): Addressing Climate Futures, investigating how artists can imagine, document, and respond to ecological crises.

    • Fall 2026 (November 4 - 18): Engaging with Free Speech & Artistic Expression, critically examining censorship, digital platforms, and the future of creative autonomy.

  • The Luminary is dedicated to creating a collaborative, interdisciplinary, and intergenerational space.

    Please note that we do not accept applications from currently enrolled students at any level (including MA, MFA, and Ph.D. programs) or from artists based in the St. Louis region. We encourage local artists to check out our Futures Fund regranting program, the Emerge professional development initiative, and a year-round calendar of exhibitions, public programs, and collaborations.

  • Applications open: July 17, 2025

    Applications close: September 15, 2025

    The Luminary staff and panelist review: September 16 - November 14, 2025

    Accepted residents notified: November 15, 2025

    Residency begins: January 1, 2026

  • Applicants must apply via Submittable. The application will request basic information, two brief responses, and submission for work samples via a single PDF or website links.

    There is an application fee of $15. The application fee funds the administrative processing of the residency application and goes directly to compensate the jurors for their time and expertise . However, we also realize that an application fee can be a barrier to applying. For more information or to ask questions regarding the residency process and accessibility, please contact Kristina Murray at kristina@theluminaryarts.com.

    The Luminary staff will perform an initial review of applications, screening for eligibility. Alongside The Luminary staff, jurors Chloë Bass, Pia Singh and TK Smith will choose the residents based on a rubric built on equity, the rigor of research proposed, and the potential for affinities between selected residents.

  • Chloë Bass, Artist & Associate Professor of Art at Queens College, CUNY

    T.K. Smith, Writer & Curator, Arts of Africa and the African Diaspora, Michael C. Carlos Museum at Emory University

    Pia Singh, Independent Curator, Arts Writer & Past Resident

 
 
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Residency
FAQ

Who is eligible to apply?

The residency is open to national and international artists, curators, writers, critics, and researchers working across all disciplines. We welcome applicants from a wide range of backgrounds—including those with non-traditional or self-directed paths—who are interested in pursuing artistic research during their time in St. Louis.

This residency says it focuses on artistic research. I'm an artist, can I apply for a studio project? 

At this time, The Luminary does not have studio or performance space available for open-call residencies. We hope to fund practitioners in the research and development portion of their creative cycle, allowing artists space and time to ideate and plan for their studio work.

 

Is The Luminary ADA-compliant and barrier-free?

While The Luminary's gallery, common area, and bookshop are ADA compliant, The Luminary's residency apartment is not. Residents must be able to climb a flight of stairs; the bathroom is not wheelchair accessible. For any questions about accessibility and accommodations, please contact Kristina Murray, kristina@theluminaryarts.com.

The application fee is $15. Can I have a fee waiver?

The application fee funds the administrative processing of the residency application and goes directly to the jurors for their stipends. However, we also realize that an application fee can be a barrier to applying. You can send a request to kristina@theluminaryarts.com and receive a link to the application, waiving the fee.

Can collaborative teams apply?

Yes, however, the stipend will still be the same per week. The Luminary's residency apartment has three bedrooms and one bath, so apply accordingly. 

Can students apply?

We do not consider applications from current MFA, MA, and Ph.D. students.

Can St. Louis-based artists apply?

The Luminary's open-call residency program is for practitioners based outside of St. Louis.

Please click here for information on Futures Fund, a grant program dedicated to funding St. Louis-based creatives for visual arts projects. 

What is the community of St. Louis like?

St. Louis has an active arts community with many galleries, DIY spaces, and free museums. The Luminary is located in an active urban environment with access to public transit, restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and public parks. There are many options to get involved in the greater arts community, and The Luminary's team is happy to facilitate conversations. 

May I bring my pets?

Pets are not allowed in the residency apartment. However, service pets are allowed if notified ahead of your residency.

Can my family stay with me?

The Luminary welcomes artist-parents and understands that creative work and caregiving often go hand in hand. While we are not currently offering a dedicated artist-parent residency, we are open to working with selected residents on a case-by-case basis to explore what’s possible. If you have specific needs related to traveling with family, please let us know—we’re happy to have a conversation and see how we can support you.

 
 

FOR MORE INFO CONTACT US AT:

kristina@theluminaryarts.com