SKY LAB is intended for theater, performing/performance artists, and multidisciplinary artists who center community in the development of their work. Artists must be willing and able to commit to approximately 50 hours of development over a 4 week period.

All artists and residency collaborators must be able to legally work in the United States. All personnel are required to complete a W9 form in order to receive payment. If you have questions about student participation, citizenship, or other eligibility questions that are not answered in the FAQs below, please contact us at programs@hi-artsnyc.org.

Hi-ARTS considers an artist’s individual experiences, perspectives and values with the same degree of care and attention that we pay to your creative portfolio. Both are considered alongside one another during the application process. We value artists who:

• center community in the development of their work and have an explicitly community-engaged practice;

• respond to social justice themes and/or bring visibility to their lived experiences;

• innovate and push known aesthetics into new and dynamic interdisciplinary forms;

• create new original works that expand the perspectives traditionally represented in contemporary theater, performance, and other creative areas;

• value interaction with community as a means of both developing content and providing broad public engagement;

• embody diversity along the lines of race, ethnicity, culture, gender, and sexuality;

• offer and uphold the perspectives and experiences of historically marginalized groups within their practice;

• create boundary-pushing forms of expressive culture and aesthetic practice.
  

Hi-ARTS welcomes applications from all artists and strongly encourages Artists of the Global Majority to apply. For the 2026-2027 Residency Cohort, Hi-ARTS is prioritizing solo and duo projects.

Artists must complete an application form which includes a project description and/or proposal as well as work samples. Candidates can apply for both CRITICAL BREAKS and SKY LAB Residencies in the same application form. 

Please note, the application form must be submitted in one sitting. Your answers do not save if you exit the application. Click here for an Application Preview.

The application asks for:

• Applicant Information: Applicant and Collaborator names and roles and basic information

• Project Information: Project overview and current stage of development

• Residency Information: Ideal timeline and residency goals 

• Budget Submission: Preliminary outline of needed resources and monetary allocation

• Work Samples: 1-3 examples of the applicant's work and/or the project

• Demographics: optional questions for statistic and funding purposes only

For questions, or assistance accessing any part of the application, please contact us at programs@hi-artsnyc.org.

General

• Rehearsal space at L10 Arts and Cultural Center (studio and theater)

• Artist Stipend

• Project Budget

• Residency Administrative Assistant

• WORK IN PROCESS Program

• Archival photo and video documentation

• Pre- and post-residency reflection and evaluation spaces

Creative

• Creative consultation and check-ins with Hi-ARTS staff

• Programmatic and curatorial support

• Administrative and scheduling support 

• Collaborative marketing support

Financial & Administrative

• Budgetary advising and preparation support

• Financial Distribution (paying, etc.)

• Hiring Support (for both creative and technical collaborators)

• Personnel contracting 

• Material purchasing and/or printing

Applications for the 2026-2027 Cohort of CRITICAL BREAKS and SKY LAB artists will open on June 1, 2026. The application deadline is June 30th, 11:59 PM. Artists will be notified of their status by August 3rd, 2026. Pre-residency administration will begin in mid-August, and the cohort will be publicly announced September 2026. 

Residencies will take place in the months of: September 2026, October 2026, February 2027, March 2027, and April 2027. The application will ask you to specify which month(s) you prefer. We do our best to work and accommodate artist schedules, but do ask for flexibility. 

To preview the application, please click here.

We recommend reading Frequently Asked Questions. For any additional questions, please contact us at programs@hi-artsnyc.org. You can expect a response within 2-3 business days.