Roman J. Witt Residency Program

U.S. National – The mission of the Roman J. Witt Residency Program is to support an artist in the production of new work in association with the University of Michigan’s Stamps School of Art & Design. The program awards one residency per academic year to a visiting artist/designer to create new work at the school while engaging the university community.

The Institute for the Humanities will provide their renowned contemporary gallery as an installation and project space. The gallery has long been a nimble and progressive place, a space for critical inquiry with the ability to respond to complex and timely issues. Each exhibition offers a point of accessibility for public engagement, making more visible the connection between humanities research and real‑world problems, with a deliberate commitment to social practice.

The Institute for the Humanities Gallery presents five to six visually driven art projects annually which can include artist residencies, community and student engagement, cross‑campus collaborations and artist/curator led classes.

The residency is expected to culminate in the realization of the proposed work, as well as its presentation. The cumulative exhibition will open in Fall 2027 and will occupy the IH Gallery— with possibilities for additional programming to extend beyond the gallery space. Plans should show consistency conceptually regarding the inherent overall structure of the project, have a strong visual impact and potential for engagement.

This, along with the proposed exhibition, will strongly determine selection of the artist/designer.

The Witt Residency is open to both established and emerging artists/designers. The residency provides students an alternative learning opportunity to engage with practicing artists/designers who can make use of resources across campus, therefore the ideal candidate must value collaboration, have good social and communication skills and be interested in generating creative partnerships across disciplines. It is the goal of the Witt Residency to foster an atmosphere of inventive creative activity that extends throughout the University community.

Witt Residents receive an honorarium of $20,000 for up to twelve weeks in residence served over an academic year. In addition to the honorarium, residents will be provided with housing, studio space, and up to $10,000 in materials, research and development funding to support the creative process. Applications are encouraged from individuals as well as from artist collectives or creative teams, but please be advised that the resources listed above are finite, including the travel budget.

If teams apply, the award will be shared between its members.

$15 Application fee. Applicants to the Witt Residency Program submit application materials and portfolios online.

• Proposals due – January 15, 2026. All applications must be submitted by this deadline.
• Selection committee review – February/March, 2026. Selection Committee reviews materials and selects a shortlist of candidates for further review, and from the shortlist selects a slate of finalists to present their projects and interview.
• Shortlist candidate follow‑up – March/April 2026
• Finalist presentations and interviews – April/May 2026

Within five years of opening in its current location, Stamps Gallery has emerged as a leader and vital center for contemporary art & design discourse and practice. It has been awarded with prestigious grants including the Andy Warhol Grant for Visual Art (2020–2022) and the Michigan Council for Cultural Affairs Project Grant (2020–2021). Every year Stamps Gallery presents and develops 2–4 exhibitions with artists working nationally and internationally, while also facilitating important curriculum‑based exhibitions with students and faculty.

The Gallery is an expansion of the classroom—a creative pedagogical space—and vital resource for students at Stamps school and U‑M to benefit from an opportunity to obtain hands‑on experience and curatorial, research and installation skills working with and learning from leading‑edge artists,…