Parent-Friendly Artist Residencies
For artists who are also parents, finding opportunities that meet both their creative and childcare needs can often be a challenge. That’s why we’ve put together a selection of funded art residency programs that welcome and support artists with families.
We have highlighted a few below, or you can take a look at the entire list here.
The topic of parenthood has been gaining increased attention in the art world in recent years —specifically with regard to the lack of opportunities that meet the needs of artists who are also parents. On top of the difficulties that come with balancing a creative practice and childcare, artist-parents often find themselves excluded in the art world, or even stigmatized, faced with the myth that art and parenthood don’t mix. And gaps in their CV due to a lack of visibility and access create more obstacles when returning to work and applying for opportunities.
Artists and initiatives have been working to change this in a number of ways. Earlier this year, for example, art critic Hettie Judah collaborated with a group of artists to prepare a set of guidelines for institutions and residencies, under the title “How not to exclude artist parents”. The guide includes advice for making artist-parents feel welcome, as well as for being accommodating and flexible when it comes to planning and setting dates.
In Berlin, Kunst + Kind is an initiative that advocates for equal opportunities for artists and cultural workers with children or other care responsibilities. The initiative was founded in 2018 by the artists Ines Doleschal and Rani Le Prince, and their activities include working towards the creation of residency scholarships that cover childcare costs and ending age restrictions on opportunities, among others. They also organize a jour fixe every second Thursday of the month to facilitate networking and exchange among the community.
Thanks in no small part to the efforts of these initiatives, and of artist-parents themselves, there are some art residencies that offer specific programs and stipends for artist-parents. Some such programs provide or help cover essential services like childcare and prepared meals during the residency period. While other organizations offer space and access to artists with accompanying family members as part of their general residency program, but might not cover costs for childcare needs. And, like art residencies in general, family-friendly residencies may also take a variety of forms: self-guided, flexible, or more programmatic; from a one-week duration to a month or longer-term.
Here’s a look at some of the options and ways residencies are making family- and child-friendly programs available to artists.
Interlude Artist Residency
This one’s fairly new, and, as a residency program uniquely tailored to the needs of artist-parents, it’s “the first of its kind in the US”. Based in the Hudson Valley in Livingston, NY, Interlude Artist Residency was created in 2019 with the mission of addressing the gap in available residency opportunities for artists with families. To support both the creative and parental needs of its residents, the program offers a studio and family living space, as well as several prepared meals per week, and a stipend for childcare, transportation, additional food, and materials. Plus, artists receive the support of a program coordinator on site.
Interlude Artist Residency views
Symposium Künstlergut Prösitz
Founded in 1992, Symposium Künstlergut Prösitz is a unique program in Germany, offering women artists with children a one-month scholarship to work in the fields of sculpture, installation and object art. The artist house is based in a small Saxon village, and was established by sculpture graduates of Dresden University of Fine Arts who had personally experienced the difficulty of trying to pursue an artistic career as a woman with young children. The symposium is open to artists Europe-wide, offering them a scholarship of 500 euros, accommodation and childcare services (up to 12 years old). At the end of the scholarship period, a group exhibition and catalog are also produced.
Symposium Künstlergut Prösitz views
Artist Residency in Motherhood
Founded by artist Lenka Clayton in 2012, An Artist Residency in Motherhood is described as “a self-directed, open-source artist residency” designed for artists who are mothers. What this means is that the residency is customisable and completely flexible, there are no costs, and no application process. The residency also takes place wherever the artist is based. Its aim is simple: the residency seeks to reframe thinking around motherhood, and parenthood, situating it as material and site for creativity, as opposed to as an obstacle to be overcome. To help guide artists who want to do their own Artist Residency in Motherhood, a D.I.Y. kit is available on the website. In the kit, artists find guidance on how to structure their residency, an adaptable manifesto, customisable business cards, and a form to register their residency on the website and join the community..
Cow House Studios
The Parenting Artists Residency at Cow House Studios is an annual two-week residency program located in Wexford, Ireland, specifically designed for artists with children under the age of 18. Participating artists are invited to bring their children and partners along for the residency, where they will be given accommodation, meals, childcare, and a stipend of €500. During the residency, artists are given time and space to work on existing projects, develop new work, or to use the opportunity to delve back into their practice after taking time off to have children. The residency seeks to provide a supportive and productive environment for parenting artists, who often otherwise experience isolation and exclusion from the art ecosystem.
© Cow House Studios 2025
McColl Center for Art & Innovation
McColl Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, USA offers a summer artist-in-residence program for educators and parents, making it possible for them to participate in a residency outside the constraints and responsibilities of the school year. Families are welcome to join residents during the 12-week program and are provided with a furnished apartment. In addition, artists receive a $6,000 stipend for living, material, and travel costs (note this stipend is only available to US-based artists), as well as a private studio, curatorial guidance, participation in a group show, and more.
Located in Harbor Springs, Michigan, the Good Hart Artist Residency offers 10-day to 3-week stays for writers, visual, and interdisciplinary artists. Nestled on the shores of Lake Michigan, it provides quiet studio space, meals from local farms, and opportunities for community engagement. The program is known for being parent-friendly, offering generous childcare stipends that allow artists to attend with or without their children.
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