Early Career Artist Residency Program - Anderson Center at Tower View

Early Career Artist Residency

Early Career Artist Residency Program

Focused Creative Time in an Inspiring Environment for Early Career Artists in NYC & MN

Anderson Center’s Early Career Artist Residency Program offers month-long residency-fellowships at Tower View to a cohort of emerging artists from Minnesota or one of the five boroughs of New York City for concentrated, uninterrupted creative time to advance their personal artistic goals and projects. The program is an ideal fit for early-career artists in need of focused time and dedicated space in an inspiring residency work environment that empowers them take risks, embrace challenges, and utilize unconventional approaches to problem-solving.

Thanks to generous support from the Jerome Foundation, selected emerging artists receive an artist stipend, documentation support, art-making resources, lodging & studio space, a travel honorarium, groceries, and chef-prepared communal dinners.

The Anderson Center’s Early Career Artist Residency is geared toward generative art making, as well as exchange across an interdisciplinary cohort. The program is well suited for vocational early-career artists in pursuit of time, space, and resources to truly commit to a project and explore new creative territories.

Sculptor Jeremy Quiroga in the Anderson Center's Residency Studio

Anderson Center seeks to support emerging writers and artists with an uncompromising drive to create new work at Tower View that demonstrates significant potential for cultural and community impact, is technically accomplished, and engages diverse communities. The goal of the program is to support early career artists with a distinctive vision and authentic voice who are deeply considered, imaginative, and provide artistic experiences that communicate a unique perspective.

Anderson Center also believes that the environment and resources of Tower View, along with an exchange of ideas between artists working across disciplines, can serve as a catalyst for new inspiration and innovative directions for the work emerging artists create while in residence.

While Anderson Center’s general Artist Residency Program hosts artists with a wide range of talent and experience, its Early Career Artist Residency Program exclusively focuses on meeting the specific needs of artists who are in the early stages of their artistic development and career.

Anderson Center seeks to support emerging writers and artists with an uncompromising drive to create new work at Tower View that demonstrates significant potential for cultural and community impact, is technically accomplished, and engages diverse communities. The goal of the program is to support early career artists with a distinctive vision and authentic voice who are deeply considered, imaginative, and provide artistic experiences that communicate a unique perspective.

Anderson Center also believes that the environment and resources of Tower View, along with an exchange of ideas between artists working across disciplines, can serve as a catalyst for new inspiration and innovative directions for the work emerging artists create while in residence.

While Anderson Center’s general Artist Residency Program hosts artists with a wide range of talent and experience, its Early Career Artist Residency Program exclusively focuses on meeting the specific needs of artists who are in the early stages of their artistic development and career.

Anderson Center defines an early career artist as someone in the early stages of their creative development with 2-10 years of generative experience, and:

have a focused direction and goals, even while still developing their artistic “voice”
have yet to be substantially celebrated within their field, the media, funding circles or the public at large
are vocational (as opposed to avocational, academic, amateur or educational) artists

The Anderson Center’s goal is to serve a spectrum of artists typically in their 2nd to 10th year of creative practice, post-student status (if applicable). This spectrum is framed by artists with some track record of creating and presenting full work (not beginning artists), and artists who are NOT at a point in their careers where they receive consistent development and production opportunities and significant recognition, awards, and acclaim (not mid-career or established artists).

Artists who have been in the field for longer than 10 years (excluding any time in a degree-granting program; as a dancer in work created by others; remounting the work of other choreographers; or time away from working as an artist due to circumstances–e.g., having children, caring for family members, long-term illness, etc.) are generally not eligible, even if they feel under-recognized.

Age is not a determining factor. Career stage is assessed by the cumulative number of years an artist has been generating their own work. Mid-career or established artists shifting from one artistic discipline to another will not be considered early career. For example, a composer with a substantial career in music who is now moving into film will not be considered early career.

Anderson Center has defined the 2–10 year span recognizing that some artists may experience enormous success and move past early career status well before their 5th year or 10th year. The organization recognizes that the number of opportunities afforded to artists may differ significantly based on discipline, race/ethnicity, class, gender, physical ability, and geography among other factors. Consequently, some artists may be past their 10th year and still be on the spectrum of early career status due to taking time out of active artistic practice for school or other circumstances. The Anderson Center understands that the lack of an absolute or rigid definition leaves room for interpretation but embraces this flexibility in recognition of the many variables that impact artists’ careers.

Artists who have been in the field for longer than 10 years (excluding any time in a degree-granting program; as a dancer in work created by others; remounting the work of other choreographers; or time away from working as an artist due to circumstances–e.g., having children, caring for family members, long-term illness, etc.) are generally not eligible, even if they feel under-recognized.

Age is not a determining factor. Career stage is assessed by the cumulative number of years an artist has been generating their own work. Mid-career or established artists shifting from one artistic discipline to another will not be considered early career. For example, a composer with a substantial career in music who is now moving into film will not be considered early career.

Anderson Center has defined the 2–10 year span recognizing that some artists may experience enormous success and move past early career status well before their 5th year or 10th year. The organization recognizes that the number of opportunities afforded to artists may differ significantly based on discipline, race/ethnicity, class, gender, physical ability, and geography among other factors. Consequently, some artists may be past their 10th year and still be on the spectrum of early career status due to taking time out of active artistic practice for school or other circumstances. The Anderson Center understands that the lack of an absolute or rigid definition leaves room for interpretation but embraces this flexibility out of our value around diversity and in recognition of the many variables that impact artists’ careers.

The four primary eligibility guidelines for Anderson Center’s Early Career Artist Residency are:

Legal residency in the State of Minnesota or one of the five boroughs of New York City.
Not enrolled in any degree-granting program from time of application through residency period.
Self-identification as an “early career artist” with 2-10 years of generative experience in the field.
An artistic practice centered in generating and creating entirely new work.

The Jerome Foundation generously provides support for the Anderson Center’s Emerging Artist Residency Program. The Jerome Foundation, founded in 1964 by artist and philanthropist Jerome Hill (1905-1972), honors his legacy through multi-year grants to support the creation, development, and presentation of new works by early career artists. The Foundation makes grants to vocational early career artists, and those nonprofit arts organizations that serve them, in all disciplines in the state of Minnesota and the five boroughs of New York City.

Supported by:

Early Career Artist Residency Alumni