EFA is launching a new iteration of its SHIFT Residency in partnership with Momus, focused on the productive intersections between artistic practice and critical writing. The six-month program will bring together four New York–based practitioners whose practices move between visual art and art criticism—artists who write, or writers who make art—to explore the ways these disciplines can inform and challenge one another.

The cohort will convene at EFA under the mentorship of Ajay Kurian, a New York–based multidisciplinary artist, writer, and founder of NewCrits. Through studio access, seminars, and conversations with visiting professionals, residents will foster cross-disciplinary exchange and develop new critical frameworks that privilege dialogue and exchange over evaluation, and experimentation over fixed definitions. At its core, the residency is about creating space for reflection, mutual support, and the collective development of language around artistic and critical practices.

The residency will run from July through December 2027 at EFA’s studio complex at 323 West 39th Street in Manhattan.

Timeline:

*Application opens November 1, 2026

*Application deadline: December 15, 2026 

*Selected applicants notified in Spring 2027

*Residency period: July - December, 2027

*Culminating Project: December, 2027

Eligibility:

*Anyone who works in the arts and still maintains an art practice is welcome to apply. In the past, we’ve hosted art educators, administrators, freelancers, museum security guards, accessibility professionals, and more from various non-profit as well as for-profit institutions. We support arts workers who feel like a shift is needed in their practice

*Applicants must be employed and working at least 32 hours a week as an arts worker at a NYC-based arts entity (non-profit/for-profit institutions, galleries, education, freelance, etc.)

*Applicants must be based in New York and are able to commit to being in person over the course of the residency

*Applicants should also commit to participating in the exhibition’s public programming

*Applicants must not be enrolled in an academic program during the residency period  

Program Offerings:

*Shared studio space at The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts

*Artist honoraria

*Career development opportunities

*Monthly peer critiques

*Guest studio visits

*Culminating project or event

Accessibility:

EFA Project Space staff is committed to supporting accessibility needs.    EFA Project Space is located on the second floor of 323 West 39th Street. It is accessible via an elevator (its door width is 32” and car width is 65”), or two flights of stairs. At the building’s ground-level front desk, you will be asked to sign in with your name but not to provide ID.    Studios are wheelchair accessible. Studios will be shared, with individual desks, shelves, and chairs for each resident. The studios have windows and AC.  

FAQ: Can international artists apply to the SHIFT residency?

International artists may apply, as long as they have permission to work in the USA during the residency period. EFA is unable to sponsor visas or assist with travel or lodging.