Residencies
Residencies
Applications for our 2025 programs are now open and will close at midnight on May 31, 2024.
Our residency programs are an important way that we meet our mission, and provide dedicated individuals access to our resources and accommodations. All of our residents are selected based on their ability to demonstrate a current interest in plants, landscapes, and gardens, or more broadly, the natural world and humankind’s place in it. We welcome and encourage diverse applicants, and we are always excited to receive submissions that convey a unique relationship with, or perspective on, the natural world.
At OSGF, we believe that residencies are valuable for artists, writers, ecologists, and researchers who are working on creative projects. The time and space, as well as support, and access to resources, can be valuable to individuals at varying stages of their life and career. Our residencies and fellowship programs are designed to offer a balance of unstructured time for work and inspiration, alongside provided meals, and optional community-building activites.
Please click below for more information about current residency offerings, and to submit an application.
To learn about our 2024 fellowship opportunities, click on the button below:
Interdisciplinary Residencies
2-Week & 5-Week Residency Programs Offered
Perennial Residencies
A One-to-Three-Week Residency Program
Botanical Art Residencies
A Two-to-Four-Week Residency Program
Artwork by 2022 Botanical Artist in Residence Fatima Zagonel
In 2023 we are excited to offer a new 2-week Culinary Residency programs for a culinary minded individual to take a break from their professional obligations. and reconnect with food. To learn more and see how to apply, click below.
Goal and Focus of the Residency Programs at Oak Spring
The goal of our residency program is to provide individuals working in the arts, humanities, and plant sciences, as well as plant or landscape conservation, the opportunity to pursue their work in a beautiful, comfortable, and lively setting at the Oak Spring Garden Foundation (OSGF).
Residents are selected based on their work’s relationship to the mission of OSGF. Individuals who convey a unique lens or line of research to better understand plants, gardens, landscapes, and/or the role that plants play in the environment and humankind’s relationship to the natural world are strong candidates for our program. We do not require that residents address our site specifically in their work, although we often find that the beauty, history and unique resources of our site inspire residents in many different, and often unexpected, ways.
In addition to the focus on the specific mission of OSGF, our residency programs are unique in the balance they strike between allowing residents dedicated time and space to explore their work independently while also providing a communal environment to interact, learn, and grow with others. Residents will have the freedom to work autonomously as they please, but they should expect to live in shared accommodations, attend a few weekly meals, and interact with other program participants who might be on-site, and who are participating in programs or activities that are aligned with our mission.
“The [OSGF] residency was one of the most unique residences I’ve had the privilege to work. It was a challenge to leave. The setting, studio space, accommodations, and staff support allowed me to focus and experiment. The fellowship with other residents working in different disciplines also provided an interesting and diverse community.””
Residing at Oak Spring
Residents will attend a series of events during their first week at Oak Spring that will familiarize them with the layout and history of our site, and the tours will provide an overview of the resources available to residents. After this orientation period, residents are free to work independently on their projects, explore our 700-acre landscape and efforts in sustainable management, volunteer at the Biocultural Conservation Farm (BCCF), and make appointments to visit the Oak Spring Garden Library during staff hours (Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:00pm).
Residents live on-site in shared accommodations, where they have a private bathroom and bedroom, and share a kitchen and living room. Visual artists are provided a studio space, and all other residents will have a designated writing area in or adjacent to their bedroom. Our accommodations are fully furnished and include: furniture, dish ware and other cooking equipment to prepare meals, linens and towels, and basic cleaning supplies. Our accommodations are former tenant homes built in the mid-20th century that have been renovated within the last five years. Our accommodations are all two-story houses with stairs, and the washing and drying machines are typically located downstairs in the basement. Please note that, unfortunately, at this time we do not have ADA accessible accommodations available for residents. Due to the large nature of our site, residents without a vehicle should expect to walk 0.75 miles to and from their studio spaces, and about 0.75 miles to and from our communal dining space. Residents are housed about 1.5 miles from the Oak Spring Garden Library and Formal Garden.
Our Residents
Our residents are selected through a competitive, multi-round review processes in which rotating panels of external reviewers review and select awardees. Our goal is to support individuals who pursue excellence and are willing to live and interact with others other program participants with different or similar backgrounds to themselves. Through our residencies, we are building a network of individuals who know the importance of humankind’s relationship to the natural world.
We currently focus on three residency programs; 2- or 5-week Interdisciplinary Residencies; a Botanical Artist in Residence Program; and an Alumni Residency. Please click the tiles above to select and learn about the distinctions between each residency program, and to understand the eligibility requirements for each residency.
The Oak Spring Community
Residents and fellows are usually scheduled as a cohort, or to be on site when other residents will also be there. We hope that residents will arrive with a spirit of generosity and openness, especially towards their fellow residents. Residents will be asked to regularly interact with one another, and they will also very likely interact with other program participants who will also be on-site. Short course or workshop attendees usually convene in spaces in close proximity to the visual artist studios, and participants in these programs will usually share a few meals with the residents.
The OSGF staff includes about 60 employees who work full-time or part-time, on projects dedicated to maintaining and activating our resources and accommodations. We know that residents will most likely be interested in learning about the projects taking place on site. Staff however, might have limited availability, and as such we ask that residents collect and prepare information based on the books and research available online or in OSGF’s publications before reaching out to staff.
“The cohort was a great mix. I really liked being with people from diverse backgrounds, the dialogue becomes rich and the unexpected collaborations that occurred. It is a true gift to have time and space for my practice to evolve.”