Norwalk Residency
Imagine yourself here: the Helen Frankenthaler Printmaking Cottage, a dedicated studio and lodging for CCP’s Artist-in-Residence.
Within this space, Resident Artists have the opportunity to immerse themselves in a concentrated, face-paced project. The Cottage offers a single artist uninterrupted time and privacy 24/7 in a well-equipped studio with onsite living accommodations.
This solo residency has proven to be an ideal opportunity for experimentation and collaboration with CCP’s professional printers. Artists can add to their work practice, explore new mediums, create an edition, or otherwise advance their printmaking skills. We strive to advance outcomes from the residency that stimulate original and inventive work that the artist might not otherwise have attempted absent these amenities.
APPLICATION TIMELINES
- Summer Session: Mid-May – Early September (Application Deadline: January 1st)
- Winter Session: November – February (Application Deadline: July 1st)
IMPORTANT DETAILS
- Duration – Residencies are only one or two weeks in length. You are not applying for the entire 4-month session!
- Eligibility – There is only one rule: you must be a printmaker! Both emerging and established printmakers may apply, but you cannot be a sculptor or a painter who has never explored printmaking before.
- Funding – Fully-funded residencies are only available during the Summer Session. Winter Residents must provide some or all of their own funding. See the Costs section below for more details.
Are you ready??
Get answers to your questions and learn how to apply below.
RESIDENCY FAQs
What transportation options and amenities are in the Norwalk area?
Norwalk is a small city with walkable sidewalks, a bus system, and a dedicated stop on the Metro North commuter rail that links New York City with New Haven, CT. CCP is located within a relatively safe neighborhood, and residents can easily walk to nearby restaurants, convenience stores, and shopping areas.
The South Norwalk train station is about a 25 minute walk from the Cottage. From there it is about an hour’s ride into New York’s Grand Central Station, which will connect you with the rest of the city and JFK airport.
While having a car is not strictly necessary, many residents enjoy the increased flexibility and convenience a car provides. Parking at the Cottage is free.
May I bring my spouse/partner, children, or pet?
Resident artists may bring their spouse or partner with advance notice. Lodging at the Cottage consists of a small one-bedroom apartment with a full-size bed and efficiency kitchenette. It is large enough to comfortably accommodate two adults.
Children may be allowed if they have dedicated childcare while the artist is working in the studio. Unsupervised children are not allowed. Artists must consult with CCP staff if they plan to bring children.
Pets are not allowed.
How long is the residency?
Applicants may choose to apply for a one week stay or a two week stay. Longer stays are not offered.
Are meals included?
Meals are not included. The Cottage has a fully equipped kitchenette where residents can prepare their own meals. Residents must purchase their own groceries. There are also a number of walkable restaurants and cafes.
There is no funding support for meals. Do not include meals in your proposed budget.
Is there air conditioning, laundry, and WiFi?
Yes, the Cottage has a modern HVAC system with air conditioning. There is a washer/dryer on-site for the Resident’s use. There is WiFi throughout and the password will be provided.
What studio materials are provided?
The Cottage studio is fully equipped with traditional printmaking needs including two etching presses with press blankets, glass-topped work tables, palette knives, plexiglass plates in many sizes, a drying rack, blotters, a paper-soaking tray, a large shop sink, newsprint, various inks, ink modifiers, tarlatan, solvents, cleaning supplies, and multiple brayers and rollers in various sizes. All of this is included in the residency.
Please see our facilities page for more details and technical specs.
Paper and matrices: Fully-funded residents will have their paper and plates/blocks provided by CCP, including special orders arranged ahead of time. Partially-funded and self-funded residents may bring their own paper and matrices, or keep track of any used from CCP’s supply for settlement at the end of the residency. Please see the budgeting portion of the application process for more details.
Are there any materials restrictions? Which printmaking processes are supported?
The Printmaking Residency supports both traditional and innovative types of printmaking, including etching, aquatint, relief, plate or stone lithography, screenprint, monotype, collagraphy, cyanotype, and photographic methods such as photogravure and solarplate.
Artists may work with oil-based inks, soy-based inks, or water-based inks. Screenprinting is water-based only. Processes that require a kiln or pose a fire risk are not allowed.
Depending on the process, some artists will need to use the facilities in the Main Building in conjunction with the Cottage studio. This is perfectly allowed and expected, but artists will only have access to the Main Building during business hours, and will need to respectfully work around other studio users and scheduled programs.
Please see our facilities page for more details and technical specs.
Will there be other artists-in-residence?
No. This is a solo residency. Only one artist-in-residence occupies the Cottage at a time, and there are not other residency spaces. Resident artists have exclusive, 24/7 access to the Cottage studio and lodging during their residency, although CCP staff will be allowed to check in with them as needed.
Other artists and members of the CCP community may be using the Main Building studios during the residency period, and the Resident Artist is welcome to interact with them, but otherwise, the residency is not considered a communal experience.
How many applicants are chosen for the Summer and Winter Sessions?
The Summer Session is our most competitive residency. We typically receive dozens of applications, and only have spots for 2 or 3 residents throughout the season.
The Winter Session is less popular, partly because we do not offer fully-funded residencies in the winter. Artists with their own sources of funding and flexible schedules are encourage to apply for the Winter Session, which accepts 1-2 artists per season.
May I apply again if I’ve already completed a residency stay at CCP?
We do not typically accept repeat residents.
If you have applied in the past and not been granted a residency, we encourage you to consider applying again, especially if your printmaking practice has evolved since your previous application.
How do fully-funded or half-funded artists receive their financial support?
The Center for Contemporary Printmaking does not issue cash grants or any cash reimbursement. The financial support is in the form of provided lodging, studio time, equipment, facilities, staff support, and materials supplied directly by CCP.
The artist’s travel and meals are not supported. Please see more details in the Costs section below.
What are the next steps after I submit my application?
Once we have received your completed application and application fee, we will follow up with an email acknowledging receipt.
All applications are reviewed together after the deadline. If you apply before the deadline, we will hold your application until the Review Committee meets. The Committee usually meets 3-4 weeks after the deadline, and artists are notified of their decisions about 4-6 weeks after the deadline has passed.
If you are granted the residency, we will contact you with the good news and set the dates of your residency on our calendar. After the dates are set, we will send you a Welcome Packet with all the information you need to begin planning.
We will also schedule a brief video call with our print staff to coordinate the details of your residency project.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Please read carefully through the following Application Guidelines, and when you have gathered all the required materials, click the APPLY NOW button below.
For questions regarding Residencies or the application process, please email etella@contemprints.org
Application Materials
Prepare the following materials ahead-of-time for submission via the online form:
- A detailed Project Proposal. Please be as specific as possible (500 words maximum). We want to know what you want to accomplish during your residency and how the opportunity to come to CCP with its facilities, expertise, and staff experience can benefit your project development and uniquely help grow your printmaking practice. Consider the following:
- Why us? What does a Residency at the Center for Contemporary Printmaking uniquely offer for your work?
- Be forthright and clear about what you want to do and how we can help at a practical level.
- Be conservative in your scope. We expect some level of completed work at the end of your Residency.
- A Proposed Budget. See “Residency Costs” section below
- CV (2 page maximum) and Artist Bio (250 words)
- Seven-ten images of recent work related to your proposal (jpgs, 5MB max each), with an accompanying image checklist specifying Title, Date, Medium, Dimensions, and Edition. Note! While we understand that printmakers often create art in other mediums, we expect the images submitted for this residency to be primarily Original Prints.
- Two professional references who can speak about your work, provide name, contact information, and relationship/association to you
- An application fee of $35 (payment link will be provided)
Residency Outcomes
As you craft your project proposal, please keep in mind that the Center for Contemporary Printmaking requests three outcomes from Resident Artists:
- Project Completion
- Print Collection
- Community Involvement
Project Completion
Although one of the stated goals of the Printmaking Residency is to provide a supportive environment for artist development, the Residency is ultimately project-driven. CCP expects artists to complete their proposed projects before departing the residency. If an artist’s stated project or edition is still in process as the residency period ends, they will need to make arrangements with CCP to fulfill their print obligations within six months.
Print Collection
To support the Artist-in-Residence (AIR) Program, CCP will retain a number of the artist’s prints for the Archives and Collection. CCP exhibits its AIR Collection during an annual gallery exhibition and at print fairs. In this way, the Resident Artist’s work is promoted, and proceeds from the sale of the artworks is used to continue funding the AIR program. The remainder of the art created during the Residency is the exclusive property of the Artist.
The number of prints retained by CCP varies according to Residency Type:
- Fully-Funded Residency: CCP will be allowed to select up to half of the prints from each project or edition
- Half-Funded (Professional Development) Residency: CCP will be allowed to select three prints from each project or edition, one print for its Archive, and two prints for its Collection
- Artist (Self) Funded Residency: CCP will be allowed to select two prints from each project or edition, one print for its Archive, and one print for its Collection
Community Involvement
As a nonprofit arts organization, part of CCP’s mission is to bring printmaking to our community. We request that each Artist-in-Residence participate in one Community Involvement Program during their residency. Artists can choose what type of program they want to host, but popular options are an artist talk or lecture, a demonstration, a workshop, or an open studio. CCP will help promote the Community Involvement Program.
Residency Costs
With each application, we ask for a full budget of a resident’s proposed project, even if your residency is self-funded.
**We recommend downloading this spreadsheet template to help you create your budget.
Budgets should not exceed $5000.
Budgets should include the following:
- Cottage Stay: $1500 for 1 week, $1,000 each additional week (2-week maximum)
- Production Fee: $20/day of printing. This fee covers standard studio supplies such as all cleaning solutions, paper towels, newsprint, black proofing ink and modifiers. If you have questions about a particular supply, please contact us.
- Materials: These include plates, paper, most inks, and any special order items. Please be specific.
- Printer Fees: Resident artists may work independently and/or reserve up to 12 hours with one of CCP’s staff printers or professional collaborators on an hourly or daily fee basis. $65/hour Staff Master Printer, $55/hour Staff Printer
- Do not include travel and food in your budget.
For details about our facilities and equipment available during residencies, please visit our FACILITIES PAGE.
Residency Funding Methods
The Center for Contemporary Printmaking offers three categories of funding:
- Fully-funded – In order to expand opportunities for artists who may not have other funding, CCP will underwrite funding for accepted Resident Artists up to $5,000. This funding is available for artists applying to Summer Session only. (Artists with other funding are not excluded from applying to the Summer Session.)
- Half-funded (aka Professional Development) – Artists with support from another source–usually teaching artists who have secured a grant or faculty development funds from their academic employer–are invited to apply for the Professional Development Residency. CCP will match 50 percent of residency costs to a maximum of $2,500.
- Artist (Self) Funded – All costs related to the project and cottage stay will be the responsibility of the artist.
Have you read all of the details above?
If not, go back and read them now. Applications that do not comply with the guidelines risk being rejected by the Review Committee.