Nancy Foster Artist in Residence Application

We are excited to announce the 2026 Nancy Ingersoll Foster Artist Residency Program presented by Oliver Art Center in Frankfort, Michigan. This residency program provides a two-week-long working retreat to allow a visual artist to focus on a special project while exploring the inspiration and peacefulness that northwest Michigan offers.

The Parsons Center for Arts and Sciences is located at 5833 Bellows Lake Rd, Lake Ann, Michigan

The sign inviting you to the Jean Noble Parsons Center

The Residency program will be housed this year at the stunning Parsons Center for Arts and Sciences, located in Lake Ann, Michigan. Exhibits and workshops will take place at the nearby Oliver Art Center in Frankfort, about a 30-minute drive from the Parsons Center. Both locations are nearby to Traverse City and the Sleeping Bear Dunes coastline of northern Michigan.

The Parsons Center for Arts and Sciences is an 86-acre interdisciplinary educational center and natural area located in northern Michigan. The Parsons Center is the legacy of the late Jean Noble Parsons, a renowned sculptor and potter. It is run by the College of Arts & Sciences at Eastern Michigan University with special attention from the School of Art & Design. The successful applicant will have access to the private house and large studio space, and/or the ceramic studio on-site.

The house has a living room, a fully outfitted kitchen, washer/dryer, a desktop computer, wireless Internet and a landline phone for local calls only. The Studio building/Classroom space contains a large open art studio with worktables, a tool room, and wireless internet. There is a rowboat available for use on Bellows Lake, which adjoins the property, and there are miles of hiking trails to enjoy.

The Ceramic Studio is a one-person space that includes worktables, a sink, and a commercial electric kiln.

The Village of Lake Ann has two small grocery stores, Red Door Coffee House, The Stone Oven restaurant and other business establishments. Large grocery stores and more can be found in nearby Interlochen and Traverse City.

The Oliver Art Center was founded in 1948 and operates as a nonprofit art gallery and arts education center for northern Michigan. We have 10,000 square feet of exhibit and classroom space on the shores of Lake Michigan and are housed in a renovated historic Coast Guard building. The Art Center includes a Ceramics Studio, Printmaking Studio, and a Digital Arts Studio that could also be utilized by the successful applicant.

Oliver Art Center is located at 132 Coast Guard Road in downtown Frankfort, Michigan

2 weeks’ private lodging and access to the Parsons Centers studio space
$500 honorarium upon successful completion of the Residency
Opportunity to exhibit at the Oliver Art Center at the completion of the residency
Interaction with and support from our staff, members and instructors
Web, email and social media promotion throughout the residency

Our aim is that independent artists will have an opportunity to expand and explore their work while engaging with the natural environment of the area and share their work with the Oliver Art Center community at large.

The resident is required to provide educational or community components such as an artist talk, workshop, demonstration or lecture on a topic related to their work, media, or process. We welcome a creative approach to this engagement and encourage artists to provide a description of proposed engagement with their application.

The artist will share promotional information about Oliver Art Center to their email lists or social media accounts during their stay.

The artist will donate one small piece of art related to the work done during the residency to the Oliver Art Center within the twelve months after the conclusion of their stay. This will be utilized to help raise funds for future residency opportunities.

An “open studio” or “meet the artist” event will be held at the Parsons Center on the 2nd Saturday of the residency. (September 12, 2026). A final exhibit of work accomplished during the residency (and other works as desired) will be scheduled sometime during the last several days of the residency. (These events are subjct to rescheduling as needed.

Transportation is not provided, a car will be required for access to the residence, the town and nearby sights, and the Oliver Art Center.

The resident is responsible for their own food during their stay.

Artists 18 years of age or older, exhibiting excellence in their creative field in a variety of disciplines including: painting, drawing, photography, sculpture, fiber arts, ceramics, glass, or other visual arts or mixed media. Artists must demonstrate a strong commitment to arts education and community engagement. The residency is open to all media and styles except those that may be inconsistent with the mission of the Oliver Art Center or incompatible with the accommodations of the Parsons Center. Artists must be available from September 5, 2026 to September 19, 2026.

The Artist in Residency Review Committee is made up of professional, established artists and executive staff of the Oliver Art Center. Applications will be reviewed on the quality of current/previous work, the quality and thoughtfulness of the proposed residency project concept, and the artist’s plans to engage with the OAC community in a creative way.

Please complete the application below and upload all required documents. Resume, Artist Statement and Bio are required. Submit no less than six images of recent work JPG, GIF, or PNG format (1MB maximum file size per image).

Submit all pertinent contact information, including your website if applicable.

To be considered for the Fall 2026 Residency, applications must be received by July 27th, 2026, at 11:59 pm. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Applicants will receive an email confirming their application has been received. OAC will announce the successful applicant on August 3rd by 5:00 pm EDT via phone call, web posting and an email announcement.

Applicant Name

First NameLast Name

Email

example@example.com

Mailing Address

Street Address

Street Address Line 2

CityState / Province

Postal / Zip Code

Best Contact Phone Number:

Please enter a valid phone number.Format: (000) 000-0000.

Your website or portfolio link:

Facebook page: (if applicable)

Instagram page: (if applicable)

Any additional social media sites or links, list here:

Applicants must be 18+ to be considered. Please confirm your age range below -note that your age will not affect consideration as long as you are over 18:

Biography - Please attach a brief bio describing your arts background and any relevant personal information you would like to share.

PDF or Word file please

Resume - Please attach a resume and/or CV outlining your relevant experience and education. Feel free to include exhibits, but do not limit the document to a list of shows. We are interested in the range of your experience to date, even if that is just classwork or prior projects.

PDF or Word file please

Artist Statement - Please attach an artist statement that shares information about your creative process and techniques, your goals, influences, and artistic vision.

PDF or Word file please

Images: Please submit at least 6 and no more than 15 images of your work. Focus on work that best highlights the type of project you would like to pursue during this residency. Please include media, size, creation date, and any relevant information by uploading a separate image list with relevant details for your images. We want to make sure we know what we are looking at! Feel free to upload a PDF containing your images and supporting data, but please be sure the images are large enough for viewing details.

.pdf, .tif, .jpg, .png please limit to 1MB per image

Tell us about your work and what your plans are for the residency if accepted. Use this space to share your current goals, obstacles, project ideas, etc. along with how you would use this opportunity to achieve your vision.

Why is this opportunity important to your development as an artist, what do you hope to gain from the experience?

Artists are required to provide community engagement/education during the residency. What would you propose to offer for this component? Think about a workshop, demonstration, lecture, interactive event, etc. - be creative! This component will most likely take place at the Oliver Art Center towards the end of the residency. Please plan a day to present this during your stay.

Are you available to attend the entire residency? Dates are September 5th - September 19th. Check-in typically is available Sept 4th in the evening or Sept 5th in the morning.

Anything else we should know? Share it here!

Questions? Problems? Email Theresa Gimpel, Associate Director, at theresa@oliverart.org.

Nancy Ingersoll Foster Artist in Residence Application 2026

2026 Dates of Residency: September 5th - September 19th Parsons Center for Arts and Sciences, Lake Ann MI and Oliver Art Center, Frankfort MI

What the Oliver Art Center will provide:

What is expected from the artist during the residency:

Who may apply:

Selection process:

How to apply: