Based in a lively urban neighborhood in Pasadena, California, The Residency Project @ 880 provides space to live and work in an intimate, shared-living environment with access to the thriving arts scenes, diverse cultural landscape, and natural resources of Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley.
Winter/Spring 2025
Residency Season
Application Opens:
Summer Solstice
Thursday, June 20, 2024
Deadline:
August 20, 2024
Decisions by:
September 30, 2024
Residency Philosophy
The Residency Project is not envisioned as an organization. It’s imagined as an organism. The Residency Project lives and breathes, and it evolves with each artist-in-residence. Underpinned by Joseph Beuys’ concept of social sculpture and Nicolas Bourriaud’s concept of relational aesthetics, The Residency Project is an embodied investigation into how, through human interaction and intentional living, we can engage alternative social models not built upon the tenets of capitalism or colonialist notions of land ownership.
Based out of a little Craftsman bungalow inhabited by TRP’s stewards Matt & Sarah Umles, the Residency @ 880 asks specifically how the archetypal home can serve as both a physical and conceptual framework for contemporary art practice. In essence, the Residency @ 880 is an opportunity to live and work in an intimate space where creative cohabitation and collaborative meaning-making are key.
Residents are not required to end their residency with a finished "product." Rather, TRP encourages artists to research, explore, experiment, and play with new concepts and modes of making. At 880, artists-in-residence inherently become artist-collaborators, shaping The Residency Project through the work they pursue here.
Land Acknowledgement
Pasadena has a rich and storied history. The word Pasadena itself is a Chippewa term meaning "of the valley," a name adopted by white settlers of the Indiana Colony who established themselves in this area of Southern California in 1874 to escape harsh Midwest winters. While the city's name stems from the Chippewa, a Native American tribe from the mid-western territories from which these settlers came, the land now known as Pasadena was actually first known as Hahamog'na and was occupied by the Gabrielino-Tongva Tribe, whose inhabitance spanned the Los Angeles Basin. Despite horrific attempts to systematically eradicate indigenous peoples, the Gabrielino-Tongva community persists and thrives today. The Residency Project acknowledges their history, presence, and future. Reparations begin with acknowledgment, but they don't end there. The Residency Project would be proud to partner with Gabrielino-Tongva artists and leaders, and we make space for those conversations and collaborations.
FAQs
What’s provided:
$300 Stipend ✦ Private Room ✦ Studio Space ✦ Fully Stocked Self-Service Kitchen ✦ Pantry Basics ✦ Welcome & Farewell Dinners ✦ Peer Mentoring ✦ Optional Excursions ✦ Transport to/from Burbank Airport*
* Flight into Burbank is not required, but if flying into LAX or Ontario, ground transportation to The Residency Project is the responsibility of the artist.
What is the length of the residency?
Three weeks. You’ll be asked to indicate your dates of availability at the time of application.
What’s the financial cost/benefit?
Application Fee: $25
Program Fee: None - $0
Deposit: $150 (refunded to the Artist at end of residency)
Stipend: $300 (paid to the Artist at start of residency)
A $150 deposit is required to secure your spot in the program, which is refunded upon passing inspection of your room and the studio space at the completion of the residency.
Who should apply?
Artists at any stage of their career and from any disciplinary background for whom our Residency Philosophy resonates! Individual artists and partnered applicants are welcome to apply. "Partnered applicants" refers to intimate partners, as they will share a bedroom and queen bed. Both partners should maintain an active creative practice, either collaborative or independent from one another. If your partner does not have an active creative practice, we ask that you apply as an individual applicant.
We invite applicants of all races, ethnicities, national origins/citizenship (international applicants are welcome), religious affiliations, gender identities, and sexual orientations.
TRP awards these stipended residency spots to only a few outstanding artists each year. Pursuant to our mission, our priorities lie in providing opportunities to traditionally underrepresented artists (artists from marginalized communities, BIPOC/AAPI/Latinx artists, artists with disabilities, immigrants, women, LGBTQ+ artists, and parents), as well as artists who actively pursue environmentally sustainable practices.
Can writers apply?
Yes, we absolutely accept applications from writers! Generally speaking, a strong applicant will be one whose work is interdisciplinary and/or experimental, deviating from traditional formats and modes of output, publication, or distribution.
When submitting your writing samples, please keep each to a “bite sized” excerpt of just a page or two. We will really just be looking to get a gist of your unique artistic voice and how your conceptual interests are explored through the medium of language and text.
Can I apply with my intimate partner?
We encourage you to apply with your partner if you both maintain a creative practice, either collaboratively or independently from one another. Please keep in mind that you will be sharing accommodations.
If your partner does not maintain a creative practice, we ask that you apply as an individual applicant. During your residency, your partner may visit for a short-term overnight stay at no charge with prior written notice and permission.
Who else will be at the residency?
TRP’s stewards Matt & Sarah Umles and their little dog Kugel share the house with the residents. Depending on the residency schedule, there may or may not be another artist-in-residence here at the same time as you.
Tell me more about the space @ 880!
The property at 880 in Pasadena, California is a quaint Craftsman home built in 1914 with a backyard garden "urban oasis", located in a lively residential neighborhood. The house is a 3 bedroom-2 bathroom bungalow, with a spacious upstairs loft studio that is shared among residents. The bungalow sits on a 9,344 sq ft lot—providing plenty of space to work, sketch, write, read or just relax with a morning cup of coffee and observe the active backyard birdlife.
Common areas include a sunlit parlor/reading room and dining nook, a living room, kitchen, laundry facilities, an expansive deck with an outdoor living room and dining area, and a generous yard and garden.
Please note:
There are steps leading from the street up to the main level and a staircase leading up to the studio.
TRP Stewards Matt & Sarah Umles and their dog Kugel share the house with the residents.
What are the accommodations like?
Artist accommodations include a fully furnished bedroom with comfy queen bed. Depending on your residency, you may have a private bathroom or a shared bathroom with other residents.
What is the studio like?
Residents have access to a shared upstairs studio and are free to respectfully use other common areas of the house, including the back porch and garden, for their creative work.
The upstairs loft is a spacious dry studio with ample sunlight during the day. The studio is an unfinished space with insulated ceilings, exposed rafters, and sub flooring. It is a raw space that invites experimentation. Please note that the studio does not have walls for hanging artwork.
There is wifi connectivity throughout the property and electrical outlets throughout the house as well as outdoors.
What meals are provided?
The TRP stewards will warmly welcome you and bid you farewell with hosted meals. Residents have access to a fully equipped self-service kitchen at 880. Artists are responsible for preparing and cleaning up after their own meals. The pantry and fridge are generally stocked with basic essentials (rice, beans, pasta, bread, peanut butter, jelly, condiments, coffee, tea, nut milk, spices, olive oil, eggs, oatmeal, granola, etc.), and residents are encouraged to use what we have on hand. All other provisions and meals are the responsibility of the artist.
What are the optional excursions like?
Excursions provide residents with an insider experience of life in Pasadena. It may be a peaceful hike through the woods to a waterfall, a trip to an artist’s enclave hidden in the hills, a folk concert in a speakeasy music venue, a visit to a secret garden… Whatever we get up to, it’ll be fun!
What about furniture, equipment, and resources?
Here’s what we have!
tables & chairs
color ink jet printer/scanner/copier - prints and scans up to 11” x 17”
white boards & dry erase markers
shelving racks for storage
projectors & screen
TV monitors
bluetooth speakers
miter saw
sawzall
circular saw
dremel
router
drill
impact drill
finishing sander
angle grinder
hand tools like wire cutters, screwdrivers, pliers, wrenches
easel
drop cloths
water buckets (there is no sink in the studio)
ladders
extension cords
sewing machine
two 16”w x 16”d x 25”h pedestals
one 36”w x 36”d x 4”h floor pedestal
20% off at Remainder’s Creative Reuse (Art & Craft Supply Thrift Shop)
Access to Remainder’s large reference book collection
If there is equipment you need that we do not have, we may be able to partner with local organizations or borrow from one of our many local resources.
Library & Art Collection
The Residency Project offers a small selection of art history and contemporary theory books. This reference library is made readily available to our artists-in-residence. We also have a small-but-growing art collection. This collection is made available as a resource to our artists-in-residence and to members of the general public through rotating exhibitions at the residency space. Residents are welcome but not obligated to donate a book to the library or a work to the collection.