2027 RESIDENCY APPLICATIONS ARE OPEN

SEPTEMBER 1 DEADLINE

REVIEW DETAILS BELOW BEFORE APPLICATION

Artists and writers of international, national and Texas origin are invited to apply for two-month, funded studio residencies to produce work in rare scale and focus, with generous support and immersive space, in an historic setting fifty miles south of Dallas, Texas. Residents are hosted at 100 West - a vast, two-story former Odd Fellows lodge, virtually unaltered since its 1890s construction, preserved and minimally furnished with pieces designed and built from the first-floor wood shop. Private artist studios are 2,400 square-feet; writing studio is 600 square-feet; kitchen and dining room are shared. Studio work is prioritized and complemented by introductions to professional networks and world-class institutions in North Texas.

This residency takes place in downtown Corsicana - the birthplace of the Texas oil industry and the intersection of this country’s cultural and geographic South and West. Oil booms in the 1890s and 1920s produced an exuberant setting, which declined in care and use by the late 20th century before reviving in the last decade. The complex story of rural and small-town America contributes generative context to this residency experience and consequentially enriches contemporary art and literature.

179 artists and writers from across the United States and 18 countries have been granted residencies since 2012. Our programs take place within a collection of sites: 100 West (studio and living space), Bookstore (residents’ published work and recommendations), Anteroom (exhibitions), and Dallas-area universities (education programs).

RESIDENCY PROGRAM

2-Month Terms: 2 Artists and 1 Writer hosted each term:

• WINTER: January 4 – February 23

• SPRING: March 1 – April 27

• FALL: October 11 – December 7

Residents are granted:

• Fully-funded, private, furnished studios with lodging accommodations at 100 West.

• Professional documentation of work in photo, video and writing.

• Engagement with Dallas / Forth Worth cultural network at events and special visits.

• Engagement with Corsicana’s community of support.

• Studio visit by regional professional at mid-term.

• Equipment access includes digital projectors, intaglio printing press, construction tools, wood shop.

• Staff support for studio and logistic needs.

• Transportation to / from Dallas / Fort Worth airports, bicycles provided in Corsicana.

Expectations of Residents:

• Studio focus and productivity is the first priority; social programming is second.

• Self-directed and self-sufficient without need for studio production help. Occasional support is available.

• PRESENTATION: second Thursday of residency: 20-minutes, Artists project image / video / slideshow of past work. Writers deliver readings.

• OPEN STUDIOS: last Saturday of residency from 12 - 4 PM.

• Optional: Studio visits with university master of fine art students, followed by 40-minute presentation of work, in Dallas, for $500 honorarium.

APPLICATION

6 artists and 3 writers accepted for residency in 2027.

International, United States, and Texas-based eligibility.

Applications are limited to 1 person / studio.

Ceramic, fiberglass and aerosol-based work not accommodated.

Sound-based work is generally not hosted. Performance, composition and sound-based applicants should inquire before applying by contacting residency director to ensure the residency can support their practice successfully. Headphones are generally expected to prevent sound from traveling to fellow resident studios.

Artist Applicants submit 5 examples of work.

Writer Applicants submit 2 examples of work, max 2000 words each. (Poets may include multiple works in each sample).

Two references listed, no recommendation letters.

Application Fee $30.

Notification of acceptance, waitlist or decline by October 1, 2026.

Accepted applicants confirm their 2027 residency dates in the first week of October.

FUNDING

Funding covers all studio and lodging accommodations, and public programming. Accepted applicants who commit to a residency term are responsible for a one-time, non-refundable $200 Administration Fee paid to the residency by November 1, 2026. No additional cost to attend. Travel, meal, material and research expenses are the resident's responsibility.

100 WEST STUDIOS

Constructed as an Odd Fellows Lodge in the 1890s, this unaltered building offers a third-floor artist studio in the original Encampment Hall, a third-floor writing studio in the Encampment Hall’s ante-chamber, and a second-floor artist studio in a former community meeting hall. A kitchen, dining and living room are shared on the second-floor. A laundry room with machine washer and dryer is on the first-floor. Two digital projectors (4500 and 6000 lumen) available for studio use. An intaglio printing press (24 x 48” bed) is available to the second-floor studio. Limited wood shop access is available on the first-floor. The building is furnished with period and artist-made pieces produced from the wood shop in the monastic tone defining 100 West.

Expectations for residents’ care of studios do not tolerate any lasting trace of a resident’s practice or work. Drop cloths and underlayment are provided. Expenses to repair damage from negligent use apply to residents. Residents are expected to return their studios in the same condition as provided.

SECOND-FLOOR ARTIST STUDIO

THIRD-FLOOR ARTIST STUDIO

• 2400 square-foot studio (222 square-meters)

• wood floor, 13' ceiling, concrete walls

• two 3 x 6’ worktables, two moveable stand-alone 8 x 8' work walls, four 6 x 12’ leaning work walls, easel, desk

• 500 square-foot bedroom, extra-long twin bed, bath attached to studio

THIRD-FLOOR WRITING STUDIO

• 400 square-foot studio (37 square-meters)

• wood floor, 13’ ceiling, drywall

• two desks

• spiral staircase to rooftop

• extra-long twin bed, full bath attached to studio

DISCLAIMER for WRITING STUDIO: This studio is matched best with writers who work well in settings without absolute quiet and privacy. The third-floor is shared by one artist and one writer, and true to the original floor plan, the Writing Studio is still a hallway on one side of the room to access the Artist Studio. An 8’ tall, floating wall with doors on either side spans the full-width of the Writing Studio for visual privacy of bed, workspace and bathroom. A second writing desk beneath the window is in the hallway area. Resident writers must be comfortable with the sound of a fellow resident passing through the hall. Follow this link to view more studio photos and details of the writing studio layout.

ACCOMMODATIONS

Bed and bath accommodations include an extra-long twin bed, pillows, sheets, blankets, bath towels, and closets for clothes and personal belongings. Each resident has a personal bathroom with sink and lavatory. Writing Studio bathroom includes a clawfoot tub. The shower room is shared on the second-floor.

Cleaning service weekly (full cleaning of kitchen, baths and shared living space, with vacuum only in private studios).

Kitchen is shared and furnished with standard appliances - refrigerator, oven, cooktop, microwave, blenders - with dishes, utensils, basic spices.

Laundry room with machine washer and dryer with supplied detergent is available on the first-floor.

Wi-Fi Internet is available throughout 100 West.

100 West remains private to residents, with locked street-level doors accessible only to residents and staff.

Visitors may book brief stays at accommodations in the Carriage District 10-blocks from 100 West.

Families and pets are not accommodated.

TRANSPORTATION & ACCESSIBILITY

Cars are not necessary. For residents bringing a car to Corsicana, parallel parking spaces are located alongside 100 West.

Bicycles with baskets are available for use downtown and to the neighborhood.

Grocery stores are accessible on foot / bike within five blocks of 100 West.

Café’s, restaurants, post office, tailor, hardware shops, copy center, YMCA (fitness center) are within a five-block radius.

Air-Travel to Corsicana: nearest airports are Dallas-Love Field (1-hour north) and Dallas-Fort Worth International (1.5-hours north).

Car-rides to and from the airports to Corsicana are complimentary upon residency term arrival and departure dates. Rides to and from airports outside of these dates or for visits in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex can be scheduled.

Corsicana’s downtown is largely walkable for general, everyday needs and lifestyle.

100 West is accessible only by steep staircase, without elevator. Please contact residency director for mobility concerns.

CLIMATE

100 West is heated adequately for Fall and Winter terms with 1940s Dearborn gas heaters.

No central air-conditioning exists. For warmer Spring days in April, residents may use portable air-conditioning units that exhaust through the window. Generally, no air-conditioning is used and windows are cracked for cross-breeze.

Fans are available throughout 100 West.

Summer heat and limited access to air-conditioning forces annual summer hiatus.

LOCAL COMMUNITY

Artists and writers come to Corsicana to pursue extensive studio work within a two-month frame. It's quiet here with a focus stimulated by small-town atmosphere and massive windows. Residents generally prepare meals individually, with a tendency to cook dinner together several times per week. Family-owned taco shops, coffee shops, and a classic diner neighbor 100W for affordable and delicious meals. The rooftop is ideal to watch sunsets and storms roll-in. Freight trains pass three blocks away with horns sounding regularly. The local Opry hosts country bands on weekends. A ‘20s vaudeville theatre and community blackbox are regularly showing. At 100W, guests from Texas’ creative community, galleries, museums and friends are invited for studio visits and dinner. Community extends across the street from 100W with several private live-work studios of this residency’s founders.

Corsicana represents many expectations of a small-town in rural Texas with a southern culture of hospitality. The population of 26,000 is predominately Christian (Baptist, Protestant, Catholic), socially and politically conservative, and combines approximately one-third each of African American, White and Hispanic races. Though, the downtown setting is vastly more complex than these metrics suggest. This residency welcomes all nationalities, races, gender identifications, and sexual orientations into an accepting environment, surrounded with generous local support that welcomes differences from their own identity generalized above. Part of this residency’s mission is to engage residents with locals, through residency events, downtown programs, with occasional invitations from locals to their homes for dinners. Residents are expected to respect the ranging composition of values, beliefs and politics encountered in Corsicana. The residency’s priority is to provide private and focused studio space and time without interruption for self-directed work in a safe and welcoming environment.