Artist Residency Frequently Asked Questions

Updated: October 2025

We recommend reading this in full prior to submitting your application. For any additional questions, please contact us at programs@hi-artsnyc.org. You can expect a response within 2-3 business days. 

Application Preview

Application Process & Eligibility

  • Hi-ARTS currently offers two residency programs: CRITICAL BREAKS and SKY LAB. Applications for the Spring 2026 Cohort will go live October 2025.

  • Hi-ARTS residencies are intended for early and mid-career theater and performing artists. Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary artists are also encouraged to apply. 

    Artists must be eligible to work in the United States. For additional questions about eligibility, please contact us at programs@hi-artsnyc.org. 

  • Artists can submit one application for each application cycle. Artists are welcome to apply to both CRITICAL BREAKS and SKY Lab when submitting their application. Hi-ARTS Alumni are also welcome to submit, however they must apply with a new project.

    Hi-ARTS is committed to supporting alumni long after their residency concludes through Creative Continuum. If you are an alumni and interested in engaging with Hi-ARTS outside of a residency, please reach out to Program Manager Brandi Webb to schedule a conversation.

  • There is no application fee or cost to participate in a Hi-ARTS residency.

  • The application deadline is Friday, October 31st, 11:59pm EST. Review and selection take place mid November though early December. Artists will be notified of Hi-ARTS’ decision by December 8th, 2025 . 

    Residencies will take place in the months of: March, April, and May 2026. The residency application provides an opportunity to specify which month(s) you prefer. We do our best to work and accommodate artist schedules, but do ask for flexibility. 

Residency Programming

  • CRITICAL BREAKS is a residency program for artists who are in a pivotal phase of developing new theater and/or performance work. 

    As a process-centered incubation and innovation space, CRITICAL BREAKS allows artists to take their ideas to the next stage through an intensive development process. Artists are provided with time and space to concentrate on a specific project and/or element of a project. This is an ideal for works that have already been started, and/or have perhaps received some institutional support, but are still in need of additional concentrated focus, funding and space.

    The residency period culminates with a WORK IN PROCESS [WIP], which invites audiences into the artist’s creative practice and process. [WIP] programs are designed in collaboration with the artist and Hi-ARTS. Past [WIP] programs have included staged readings, workshops, open rehearsals, and more. 

    To learn more about CRITICAL BREAKS and our alumni, please click here. 

  • SKY LAB supports artists who center the community in their creative development, research, and consideration. This may include relationship building, deep listening and discussion, experience design, community collaboration, storytelling, and other interdisciplinary methods and practices that take place alongside and in relation to an artist’s identified community. 

    We welcome artists to define what “community engagement” means to them. Time spent in residence may be used to engage directly with community members, work with collaborators and stakeholders, relationship building and/or processing past community engagements. 

    Additional examples include: site-specific work that unearths the histories of the people who have lived there; multidisciplinary performance drawn from communal experience; creative collaboration spaces for non-artists to contribute to a story, etc. 

    The residency period culminates with a WORK IN PROCESS [WIP], which invites audiences into the artist’s creative practice and process. [WIP] programs are designed in collaboration with the artist and Hi-ARTS. Past [WIP] programs have included exhibitions, discussions, community gatherings, and more. 

    To learn more about SKY LAB and our alumni, please click here. 

  • A WORK IN PROCESS [WIP] is an end-of-residency sharing of your time and process at Hi-ARTS. This can look like a staged reading, artist talk, workshop, gallery tour/walkthrough, virtual discussion, etc. As Hi-ARTS residency programs are focused on process rather than final product or production, this is not a production, but rather an invitation for audiences to meet artists and experience their creative practice and process. 

    Hi-ARTS promotes [WIP] programming through our e-newsletters and social media platforms, and we often send personal invitations to our partners and supporters. The Hi-ARTS Marketing Department will work closely with artists in the development of their campaign. Artists and collaborators are provided with marketing assets and are supported in inviting their own communities, audiences, and networks.

    Hi-ARTS provides photo and video documentation which are made available to artists following their residencies. Photos may be used by Hi-ARTS for marketing purposes. Videos are for Hi-ARTS’ internal records and funding reports, and these will not be shared in full without permission.

    [WIP] admission is always free. We always welcome donations from our generous audiences.

  • CRITICAL BREAKS and SKY LAB are primarily for artists rooted in performance and/or theater. However, we do invite and encourage multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary artists and experimental performance artists/theater makers to apply. Residencies have been offered to directors, playwrights, choreographers, poets, writers, and other theater and performing artists. If your practice involves experimentation across mediums, or if you are interested in engaging with performance-based frameworks, your work could be a strong fit for the residency. Hi-ARTS places an emphasis on process, experimentation, and creative discovery.

Residency Support & Logistics

  • What kind of support is provided? 

    Hi-ARTS provides artistic, technical, fiscal, and administrative support. This comes in the form of an artist stipend, project budget, rehearsal space, access to sound and lighting equipment, creative mentorship, marketing and event outreach, and public programming.

    Artistic Support

    • Creative development consultation with Hi-ARTS team

    • Casting Support (within Hi-ARTS’ network)

    • Creative Hiring Support (Director, Dramaturg, Designers, Assistants, etc.)

    Administrative Support

    • Complimentary WiFi

    • Printing (scripts, schedules, etc.)

    • Basic rehearsal supplies (pencils, highlighters, spike/gaff tape, etc.)

    • Arranging travel, if needed

    • Managing artist payments

    Please note, Hi-ARTS works to support the development process of each artist throughout their residency. After residency confirmation, Hi-ARTS will meet with the artist to discuss their goals and assess how to best serve both the artist and the process.

  • Hi-ARTS is located within 651 ARTS, one of several creative institutional tenants in L10 Arts and Cultural Center. Space is generally available Monday through Saturday, 10 am - 6 pm. We do our best to accommodate requests for rehearsal time based on availability. 

  • Hi-ARTS Artists in Residence are awarded between $5,000 and $8,000, which includes an artist stipend and a project budget. Final budgets are subject to approval by Hi-ARTS Management. Please keep this in mind when submitting your application. 

    The Hi-ARTS Team will work alongside artists to finalize the budget and carry out all contracts, purchases, orders, and rentals on behalf of the artist. Please note that although artists are awarded a project budget for their residency, funds are not disbursed directly to them. All expenses will be managed by Hi-ARTS staff, based on the approved budget.

    Residency budgets are used to support the cost of project development such as materials, supplies, and artist fees. Please click here to read the Hi-ARTS Budget Guidelines. 

  • Budgets aid in our understanding of your residency goals and knowing where you are in your process. They are only a small part of our decision making process, and you will not be penalized for a lack of experience in building budgets. Please try to be as thorough as possible and include any potential anticipated costs — even if you are unsure.

    To build a budget, consider what you would like to focus on within the duration of your residency, and then consider what personnel, materials, and other resources you need to explore that narrative. While we ask you to be as specific as possible with your budget, we understand that your needs may change throughout the duration of your residency as your project develops and as you learn more about your own process. There is no expectation to complete a final production/product. Hi-ARTS is committed to supporting your creative development. We invite you to explore what process means to you.

    When building your materials and expenses list, consider the physical resources that you and each of your collaborators need to accomplish your residency goals. The more granular you can be with each line item, the better.

    Line Item Examples

    • Materials: fabric, canvases, paint, film, rehearsal snacks, batteries, construction materials, etc.

    • Expenses: flights, housing accommodations, equipment rentals, etc.

    Please note: budgets cannot be used to cover daily commuting costs or the purchase of technology and/or large pieces of equipment or machinery. Exceptions may be granted at the discretion of the Executive Director. Hi-ARTS’ Programming team will work closely with you and escalate your inquiries as needed.

    Hi-ARTS will handle all purchases and orders directly - we just need you to provide the links. In the case that direct purchase is not possible, Hi-ARTS will reimburse the purchaser upon substantiation of receipt. Residency budgets are used to support the cost of project development such as materials, supplies, and artist fees. Please click here to read the Hi-ARTS Budget Guidelines. 

    Please review a budget template here. You are also welcome to provide your own when you submit your application. 

  • Yes, if you have sources of income for your project outside of Hi-ARTS, please include them. This is not required. We do not require matching funds or outside resources for residencies. You will not be penalized for having or not having additional sources of income.

  • L10 Arts and Cultural Center is a creative hub located within a larger mixed-use residential tower in the Brooklyn Cultural District. L10 houses several creative institutional tenants, including Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) and the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA). Hi-ARTS operates on the 4th floor, out of 651 ARTS. To learn more about L10, check out the press release from Brooklyn Public Library. 

  • L10 Arts and Cultural Center is an ADA-compliant building. Elevators are available via the main entrance, and all restrooms are wheelchair accessible.

    If you know you will need assistance, please contact us in advance. For any additional questions, please feel free to contact us at (718) 497- 4282 (voice only) or info@hi-artsnyc.org.

  • Hi-ARTS is able to store a select few items for the duration of an artist’s residency. Please note that the 4th floor of L10 is shared amongst several arts organizations, and Hi-ARTS does not assume any responsibility for items stored during the residency. Special arrangements for small items are possible for extenuating circumstances upon discussion with the team.

    • Smoking 

    • Open flames

    • Burning of sage and/or incense 

    • Glitter

    • Smoke machine/fog machine

    • Cutting wood

    • Spray paint

    • Sale/serving of hard liquor and/or any liquor other than beer or wine. 

      • Hard liquor is defined as a distilled beverage with a high alcohol content: brandy, whiskey, rum, gin vodka, bourbon, scotch, tequila, and other liqueur

    • Walking with and/or drinking out of open containers

    • Nudity

      • “Creative nudity” is permitted during rehearsal and performance, with approval from Programming and General Management

    • Use of the studios without approved reservation from Hi-ARTS

    • Staying in the space beyond reserved hours

    • Sleeping in the space

    • Reservations outside of Hi-ARTS operating hours, unless previously approved

  • No, Hi-ARTS is not signatory with any union. If collaborating with union talent, it is important artists are aware of policies regarding working with a non-union institution.