2026 Virginia A. Groot Material Exploration Residency (WNC Residents)

Location
Asheville, North Carolina
(Residency takes place at the Center for Craft’s Ideation Lab in downtown Asheville)

Open to
Craft-based artists residing in the following Western North Carolina counties: Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Yancey, including the Qualla Boundary.

Applicants must be able to receive taxable federal income in the U.S. (or U.S. territories) through August 2026.

Application Fee
$10 USD

What’s Provided

• $10,000 honorarium

• 8-week residency

• Daily access (8am–10pm) to an approximately 200 sq ft private studio

• Flex Desk Cowork pass at the Center for Craft’s National Craft Innovation Hub

• Facilitated partnership with a regional craft organization to explore a new material or process

• Studio visits with regional curators, museums, and/or collectors

• Guided day trips exploring the regional craft scene

• Cohort-based experience (4 residents total)

What the Artist Must Cover
Not specified in the call.

Duration
8 weeks

Deadline
February 23, 2026

Application Requirements

• Cover sheet

• Artist statement (max 250 words / 1,500 characters)

• Proposal statement (max 250 words / 1,500 characters)

• Statement on relationship to craft (max 250 words / 1,500 characters)

• Demographic survey (anonymous; required for reporting purposes)

• Two references (contacted only for top-tier applicants)

• Portfolio: Up to 10 work samples (created within the last 5 years)

• Images (up to 5MB each)

• Video (up to 250MB each; max 1 minute per clip)

• 3D models via Sketchfab

• External media via YouTube or Vimeo

• Each work sample must include title, year, dimensions, medium, fabrication method, and photo credit

Additional Notes
Four artists will be selected: two Western North Carolina residents and two previous Virginia A. Groot Awardees or Honorable Mention recipients.