Applications for 2026 residencies are now closed. Applicants can expect to hear back about results by November 1. Please check back in May of 2026 for the announcement of our application cycle for 2027 residencies!
For questions please email residency@crosstownarts.org.
Crosstown Arts offers multidisciplinary residencies in Memphis, TN, to visiting and Memphis-based artists and curators working in any creative discipline including visual arts, music, film, and writing in all genres.
All residencies include a private studio workspace. Studios have varying configurations and amenities. In addition to a private practice space, musician residencies include other amenities through Crosstown Arts Musician & Artist Services department.
Live/work residencies also include a furnished private bedroom/bathroom next to a common living area and kitchen. Some accessible housing is available for differently abled residents. All residencies are offered at no cost to participants, who are responsible for covering their own studio materials and travel expenses to and from Memphis.
All residents are asked to participate in a limited number of public engagement activities (such as informal artist talks and open studio events) while in residence.
Three-month residency sessions are offered in 2026 during the spring (February 12 – May 12) and in the fall (September 15 – December 15), with a two-month session in the summer (June 4 – August 4). Crosstown Arts offers select specialized residencies each year as part of the application process.
Specialized residencies include dedicated equipment and software that is particular to certain disciplines. See details about specialized Composer and Film/Video residencies on the application.
*Crosstown Arts Residency is not considering applications from alumni for the 2026 application.
Anyone who will be 18 years of age or older at the time of their residency is welcome to apply. There are no specific project requirements for accepted residents who are encouraged to experiment and explore new ideas or further develop current work already in process.
Residents are given a membership, for the duration of their residency, to Crosstown Arts’ on-site shared art-making workspace. This facility includes a range of analog and digital fabrication and production resources, including a wood shop, multiple CNC/laser cutters, a Mac-based computer lab, a large-format digital printing service, a silkscreen/print shop, a small recording studio, and individual editing bays for video/audio production. Additionally, Residents have the privilege to reserve and utilize the Musician & Artist Services production spaces at no expense.
Founded in 2010, Crosstown Arts (501c3) completed the renovation of Crosstown Concourse in 2017, a one-million-square-foot former Sears & Roebuck distribution warehouse. The Concourse building is now home to Crosstown Arts’ contemporary art center, which includes the artist residency program, multiple galleries, large-scale exhibition/installation spaces, screening rooms, and a space dedicated to live music performance. Crosstown Arts also operates a 419-seat black box performing arts theater and a craft cocktail bar.
Crosstown Concourse is also home to a major health and wellness initiative, including a walk-in clinic for the uninsured and a fitness facility, both available to participants in Crosstown Arts’ residency program. A variety of restaurants are located in the Crosstown Concourse building, as well as a small grocery store, coffee shop, pharmacy, and other commercial, retail, and residential tenants.
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For more about the Crosstown Concourse, visit crosstownconcourse.com
Photo credit: Jamie Harmon