Boston Center for the Arts (BCA) is accepting applications for our Studio Residency program starting in the Fall of 2025, providing work-only studio space in BCA’s Artist Studios Building (ASB) in Boston’s South End, along with significant programmatic benefits including external curatorial visits, exhibition and networking opportunities, and more.
Our community is formed by more than 50 artists working in their studios on-site. Artists in this program are mainly visual artists working in photography, sculpture, painting, video, performance, public art, and more. In the building, Boston Center for the Arts hosts residencies in Theatre and Dance; and houses a few art-related businesses that run their operations from the ASB, forming a lively extended arts community.
Studio spaces are located at BCA Artist Studios Building, 551 Tremont Street, Boston. The studio term for incoming residents is September 2025-June 2028 (34 months). Boston Center for the Arts offers affordable studio spaces ranging from $240 to $960 per month, depending on size, which varies between 143 and 574 square feet.
In addition to 24/7 access to individual work-only studio space, BCA Studio Residents can participate in networking events, professional and creative development programs, studio visits, community engagement activities, and access to subsidized rehearsal space.
We welcome applications from artists at all career stages, income levels, and geographic locations. We primarily seek applications from visual artists for whom studio space will be fruitful for their practice.
Before submitting this application, please review carefully the information in below sections.
Dates 2025
- March 3: Open Call Live
- March 27, 1:00 pm: 1-hour virtual info session. Register here.
- April 13, 11:00 pm: Open Call Closes
- End of May: Residents get accepted
- June: Accepted residents tour studios to find a space that suits their needs (virtual or in-person tours)
- Weekend of August 1 or September 1: Move-in weekend
Program Benefits
- Curatorial Visits: Two external Visiting Curators per year conduct studio visits with most artists in the building;
- Open Houses: Resident open studios coinciding with Mills Gallery Exhibition openings;
- Monthly Meetings: gatherings with snacks to meet fellow residents;
- Exhibitions: Opportunity to present small solo exhibitions in the BCA Mills Gallery Project Room;
- Networking events: organized by BCA exclusively for Studio Residents;
- BCA Office Hours: With BCA Visual Arts Team for professional development;
- Community spaces: There are three community spaces that residents can access 24/7. A Shared Studio with dedicated wifi, furniture, and basic kitchen needs; a Common Room for artistic projects and communal gatherings; a Clean Room used as a dark room and/or for photographic documentation;
- Rental spaces: Free and discounted access to rehearsal studios in the building;
- Dedicated mailbox: Artists’ mail and packages can be delivered to BCA;
- Artist Website Presence: An artist page on the BCA website to increase visibility; and
- Email Communications: Studio residents' news are featured in BCA’s newsletter (11k subscribers)
Key considerations regarding building and zoning regulations
- Studios in the building are work only, not live-work space;
- The building is a four-floor, walk-up building, with no elevator and no loading dock.
- The WiFi in the building can be inconsistent at times. Teaching virtually, streaming, or working with large files online may be challenging. The Shared Studio has dedicated WiFi equipment to ensure good internet bandwidth, but this is a shared studio space on the 4th floor.
- The ASB is not a public place of assembly. Studios and common spaces in the building may not be the site of any public events, which means that any non-residents coming into the building must enter on the basis of an individual invitation; and
- BCA studios are not sound-insulated and do not suit noisy practices. In addition, the studios have only light ventilation, so an art practice generating strong fumes cannot be accommodated.
Eligibility Requirements
- We do not accept students currently enrolled in school.
- A BA, MA, BFA, or MFA is not required.
- We do accept collectives, however, we ask that you apply by way of a single application and specify that you are part of a collective and will be sharing the space with other artists.
- BCA Studio Residency alumni must wait one year to reapply following their last residency. New applicants will be prioritized over alumni.
BCA Artistic Ethos and Selection Criteria
Applications will be evaluated based on the artist’s demonstration of:
- Experimentation: we support artistic work that displays innovation and openness to new ideas, perspectives, and techniques.
- Responsiveness: in the process of supporting new and innovative work, we value ideas that are relevant to contemporary interests and conversations.
- Community engagement: we encourage an artistic practice that engages meaningfully with the ecosystem where it exists through collaboration and exchange among artists and audiences.
- Potential impact: we seek to support artists for whom our involvement has the potential to propel their practice creating a path for growth artistically and professionally.
These criteria will be applied by an external jury whose composition includes mainly Studio Residency Alumni as well as diverse individuals with a broad range of lived experience and part of the Boston’s arts community.
Our goal is to gather a diverse and inclusive community of artists for the purpose of supporting innovative work across disciplines, connecting artists with peers and resources, and providing a vibrant platform for new art in Boston.
View more (links):
BCA Studio Residency Webpage
BCA Studio Residency FAQ
Current Artists at BCA Studio Residency
How to apply
Please fill out the form below to apply.
If you have any questions please contact us at visualarts@bostonarts.org
*Tip: Please use the “Save” option next to the "Submit" button at the end of this form if you want to continue later with your application.