Program Overview
SNAP! Photography is The Amistad Center’s signature teen artist residency supporting emerging visual storytellers from Greater Hartford through intensive studio instruction, portfolio development, museum engagement, and public exhibition. The four-week cohort model combines technical training with critical inquiry into photography as a tool for documenting identity, history, and community experience.
The 2026 cohort expands SNAP! into a multidisciplinary lens-based media residency integrating photography, video storytelling, graphic design, and curatorial practice. Artists-in-residence will receive a total of $800.00 in the form of a check stipend at the end of the residency if they attend every session.
Deadline for application is Tuesday, May 19, 2026 at 11:59pm EST.
Program Structure
The Residency Pays: $800 to each student if they attend every day, all days of the program
Length: 4 weeks, plus a capstone presentation and exhibition
Schedule: 4 days per week, usually around 4 hours per day
Cohort size: 12–15 students
Eligibility: Grades 9–12 (Greater Hartford region)
Program entails:
- studio instruction in digital photography
- portfolio development and critique
- professional workforce development
- visiting artist workshops
- museum-based learning sessions
- neighborhood fieldwork
- professional practice training
- exhibition production
- introduction to video and multimedia storytelling
- novest graphic design for exhibition and publication
- visiting artists and curators
- creative-career/education preparation
- capstone lecture presentation
- printed zine/catalog of student work
- exhibition opening reception and artist talk
The program culminates in a student exhibition at the Wadsworth Atheneum Museum of Art.
Teaching Team (Projected 2026)
Lead Teaching Artist
Assistant Teaching Artist
Associate Curator mentor
Visiting artist cohort
Graphic design instructor
Video instructor
Instruction historically includes studio, critique, seminar, and neighborhood fieldwork sessions.