Artist in Residency (AiR)

The Charles Allis Art Museum Artist in Residency (AiR) program gives one artist the opportunity to engage with the Allis’ collection of more than 800 historic pieces from the early 20th century. Located in Milwaukee’s dynamic Lower East Side neighborhood, the program invites the artist to engage the community, develop public programs, and connect with art professionals through meaningful conversations about their practice. The program culminates in a distinct artist exhibition throughout the historic Allis home. The workspace is in the historic washroom in the basement of the 1911 Eschweiler-designed Tudor-style mansion. The program is open to most visual media. Across the street is Saint John’s On The Lake, a retirement community with views of Lake Michigan where the artist will live during the residency.

Artist accommodations are located at Saint John’s On The Lake (SJOTL), a retirement community and nonprofit organization across Prospect Avenue from the Allis. Their mission is to enrich the lives of older adults in their retirement through cultural, spiritual, and educational opportunities. In the early 1970s, the first of eventually 3 apartment condominium buildings was erected on the Prospect Avenue land. The Charles Allis Art Museum is thrilled to partner with SJOTL to provide a furnished apartment located in the original central tower building. 

Residency Objectives

• Offer artists funding and a space to explore new bodies of work, and / or complete in-progress projects, with the intention of exhibiting the new work at the Charles Allis Art Museum.
• Provide a platform for artists to connect with industry professionals and grow their professional network based on their creative practice, interests, and development goals.
• Foster a community by connecting the Allis's audience and Greater Milwaukee with living artists as well as providing opportunities for the public to engage with the artist's work through educational programming.

Residency Timeframe

• Orientation at The Allis and Saint John’s On The Lake: January
• Art creation, studio tours, collection research: January - May
• Exhibition opening: Thursday, June 24, 2027
• Tours, programming, workshops: June-September
• Exhibition closing: Sunday, September 26, 2027
• Studio Closing/Reflections/Moveout: October

Application Timeframe

• Submissions open: October 30, 2026
• Applications due: November 22, 2026
• Artists notified by: December 11, 2026
• Public announcement: January 20, 2027

The Program 

• Furnished studio apartment with private bathroom at SJOTL
• Access to amenities including gym, library, and pool at SJOTL
• Meals at the SJOTL dining facility included, provided the Artist dines with residents 3 or more times a week.
• Access to Allis creative materials, as available
• Access to Allis gallery spaces after hours
• Exhibition in the Historic House gallery spaces (Basement, 1st floor, 2nd floor)
• Staff support for programming, curation, installation, and collection research
• Time to engage with diverse groups in the Museum space
• Workshop development with Museum staff
• Professional documentation of exhibition artwork and studio space
• The Artist is required to participate in two exhibition-related programs (artist talk, exhibition walk-through, panel discussion, film screening, workshop, performance, etc.)
• $1800 Artist Honorarium
• Up to $400 travel stipend 

The Studio

• The Studio space is located in the Historic Washroom Basement of the Allis home.
• Light tools and materials are provided (sketchbook, pencils, acrylic paint, hot glue, drills, etc).
• Artists will be encouraged to spend a minimum of 5 hours a week in the space working on their practice.

Application Requirements

• The aim for the Artist in this collaboration is to create an exhibition that demonstrates their practice(s) and deeper creative process. We are currently accepting proposals for work in sculpture and three-dimensional work, painting and drawing, fiber and textile arts, mixed media, digital and new media. Performance and interdisciplinary artists are considered on a case-by-case basis. Couples or artist groups/cohorts can not be accommodated at this time. 

Review application instructions and residency expectations. Submit a single PDF file with the following information to residency@cavtmuseums.org:

• CV/Resume
• Artist Statement (max 1 page)
• Statement of interest (max 500 words)
• Workshop or community engagement proposal (max 1 page)
• Website and/or social media handles
• Examples of work within the last 5 years
• Up to 10 images
• Up to 10 minutes of video content
• 3 references