Applications from visual artists will be considered by a panel of arts professionals in February 2027 for move-in starting in May 2027. Studio memberships are awarded for two years and can be renewed following a review process. We accept between 6–9 artists a year and receive 200-300 applications per cycle.

Applicants are required to submit an application, statement, work samples, and resume. This is a free application. Applications are reviewed anonymously and evaluated based on artistic merit demonstrated in the work sample. All applicants will be informed of the jury's decision in March. Finalists will be invited for first-round interviews from late March to early April, and final interviews and decisions on studio assignments will be determined by the end of April. 

Applications open October 1 and close December 1 each year.

Please contact chiara@efanyc.org if you need accommodation with completing the online application.

DOWNLOAD COMPLETE APPLICATION GUIDELINES (PDF)

The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts (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 Studios 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 creates space for reflection, mutual support, and the collective development of language around artistic and critical practices.

Residency Schedule:

NOVEMBER 1, 2026 - Application opens 

DECEMBER 15, 2026 - Application deadline

MARCH 2027 - Finalists notified & interviewed

JULY–DECEMBER, 2027 - Residency period

Required In-person Dates:

Thursday, July 1,  11 am – 1:30 pm

Orientation and Cohort Lunch

Wednesday, July 7, 2-4 pm & 6–8 pm

Critical Seminar #1 and Keynote Lecture 

Friday, July 9, 4–6 pm

Critical Seminar #2  

Wednesday, Sept 1, 4–6 pm

Critical Seminar #3 

Wednesday, October 6, 4–6 pm

Critical Seminar #4 

October 8, 4–9 pm & 9, 1–6 pm

EFA OPEN STUDIOS (expected dates, subject to change) 

November 10, 6:30 - 8:30 pm

Panel Discussion & Open Studio

December 1, 4-6 pm

Critical Seminar #5

Friday, December 31 

Move-out deadline

Eligibility:

* Artists who write, or writers who make art. 

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

*Applicants should also commit to participating in the residency's public programming, including Open Studios and the culminating public event.

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

*Must be 24 years or older at the beginning of the residency. 

Program Offerings:

*Shared studio space at The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts

*Studio visits with critics, curators, and artists

*Monthly critical seminars

*Culminating public event

*Artist honoraria ($2000)

*Open Studios