2025 /2026 AIRIE Residency

Open Call launches
January 6th, 2025

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AIRIE invites emerging or professional artists, designers, writers, curators, choreographers, musicians and other creatives who want to contribute to the interpretation and communication of environmental themes through the inspiring nature of Everglades National Park. Please visit airie.org/applicationandresidencyinfo for more information and our FAQ.

Eligibility:
Must be an emerging or professional artist in any artistic discipline, including (but not limited to) visual, performing, or literary arts pursuing research & development in their practice

• Must be 21+ Years of Age 

• Must be eligible to travel to the United States. AIRIE is not responsible for procuring or sponsoring visas to the United States. 

• Each participant must commit to being in residence for the full month assigned to them

• Must comply with contractual residency requirements

• You are responsible for all your transportation needs
  

AIRIE provides a $4,000 fellowship grant to each accepted Fellow, a one-month residency in Everglades National Park, as well as a $1500 travel/food stipend to support artists as they dedicate time to their practice and discoveries in the Park. Artists are provided a furnished, air-conditioned single apartment, or a dorm style apartment with a shared kitchen, for the length of the residency. Everglades National Park (ENP) welcomes AIRIE Fellows as Park Volunteers during their residency, providing the same liability and insurance that all National Park Service volunteers receive. The ENP will facilitate introductions to rangers and scientists working inside the park and provide residents with resources for exploring the various habitats and wildlife. In addition, AIRIE facilitates other varied experiences for residents throughout the Everglades with local partner organizations.

Yes! We welcome past fellows to apply.

An application cost of $20 to apply for the AIRIE Residency Program.

For those in need of a fee waiver via refund, please email hello@airie.org for more information.

In addition to your general contact information, the application asks for:

• a brief artist statement
• biography
• résumé/CV (optional)
• response to prompts about your intended work and the theme
• information about diversity demographics(optional)
• Work samples: For visual/music/video arts: 5 - 10 pieces, with the ability to upload images, audio, and/or video. JPG images are preferred. For literary arts discipline, they may upload at least 2 samples with a 10-page maximum for each sample or 20 pages total. PDF is preferred.

No work samples will result in immediate disqualification.

Yes, you can!

The $4,000 grant noted above would be awarded to the collective as a whole. Additionally, the travel support budget is based on a single traveler and would not increase based on the members of the group. Finally, the residence space is a studio that is suitable for single occupancy. A larger collective would need to procure additional housing.

The Florida Everglades is a unique and expansive wetland ecosystem located in the southern part of the state. Covering approximately 1.5 million acres, the Everglades is often referred to as the "River of Grass" due to its slow-moving waters and vast sawgrass marshes. This diverse habitat is home to a wide array of wildlife, including alligators, manatees, panthers, and numerous bird species. The Everglades also boasts a rich variety of plant life, such as mangroves, cypress trees, and orchids. As a designated World Heritage Site, a Wetland of International Importance, and a biosphere reserve, the Everglades plays a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance and providing natural flood control and water filtration for South Florida.

During your stay in the Everglades, you can expect an immersive experience in one of the most distinctive natural landscapes in the United States. Engage in a variety of outdoor activities, such as airboat tours, hiking, kayaking, and wildlife watching. You might encounter a serene and tranquil environment by day, with stunning sunsets and star-filled skies at night. Be prepared for a warm, humid climate and the possibility of sudden rain showers, which are common in this subtropical region. Remember to take precautions against mosquitoes and other insects, and always respect the natural habitats of the wildlife that make the Everglades their home.

More info at the Everglades National Park website.

Our AIRIE Cabin is a single-room space with private kitchen and bath. We also have option for an ADA accessible private room in a shared dorm-style unit with a shared kitchen and zero entry shower in Everglades National Park. Both options are air-conditioned, furnished apartments equipped with a kitchen, bathroom, laundry, and WiFi connection.

The AIRIE Cabin accommodations are large enough to provide studio space and are located in the Royal Palm area near Park Headquarters and the Ernest F. Coe Visitors Center. It is approximately a 15-minute drive from the nearest towns of Florida City and Homestead, where supermarkets, supply stores, and other resources are readily available.

Solitude Alert: You will be the only artist in residence in the park during the time you are here. While there are park staff living nearby to the residence and rangers working during the days, your work will be mainly individual.

Artists are expected to leave the accommodations neat and clean and to comply with all regulations and standards governing park employees and visitors. Artists should be self-sufficient and also willing to work closely with park staff, the AIRIE / ENP Residency Coordinator, and the local community to achieve program goals.

We welcome everyone to our residency and are committed to making our programs and events accessible. As noted, we also have option for an ADA accessible private room in a shared dorm-style unit with a shared kitchen and zero entry shower in Everglades National Park. Our housing options are air-conditioned, furnished apartments equipped with a kitchen, bathroom, laundry, and WiFi connection. Please inform us of accessibility needs (including limited mobility) to allow us to provide seamless access and a positive residency experience.

Accepted residents will need to bring personal clothing, food, and art supplies. The AIRIE Cabin is stocked with simple pantry items, pots, dishes/utensils, towels, linens, a TV, and a Bluetooth speaker. A selection of art supplies, bug protective gear, and camping gear are also available.

A bicycle is available for use at the AIRIE Lab; however, a car is highly recommended and necessary to reach nearby towns and access the remote parts of the Everglades ecosystem. The fellow must have the ability to drive autonomously or provide transportation. AIRIE cannot provide transportation or drive the artist.

During the summer season, which runs from April to October and brings mosquitoes and thunderstorms, artists should bring rain gear such as a rain jacket, poncho, and rain boots

Artists are required to respect Park Regulations. They should not bring natural, organic materials to the Park, use natural materials from the Park in their work, or remove any natural materials from the Park. Their work must not involve ground disturbances or manipulation of wildlife in any way. It is the resident’s responsibility to be informed of Park rules and to follow them.

Interaction with visitors: Each AIRIE resident is asked to volunteer a few hours to interact with interested Park visitors and staff during the residency. These interactions may take the form of lectures, exhibitions, demonstrations, performances, “art walks” equipped with cameras or sketchbooks, or mini-workshops. These outreach activities are programmed in collaboration with ENP and AIRIE staff.

Artists are expected to spend one (1) month in residence in the everglades and use their time exploring, learning about and responding to the dynamic qualities of Everglades National Park and local communities.

• Selected applicants must spend the entire allotted month in the Everglades 

• Instagram Takeover: A three day Artist takeover of the AIRIE account

• Donation of one artwork to Everglades National Park: Deed of Gift must be offered within 1 year 

• Annual Cohort Exhibition in the Nest Gallery: Following Residency

• Participation in our AIRIE Ask Program: Our monthly artist talk led by our Residency Coordinator

In Residence:
- Instagram Takeover of AIRIE Account
- Public Program with ENP Park Staff
- AIRIE Asks Artist Talk Live Program

After Residence:
- Artwork Donation to the Park

Annual:
- Cohort Exhibition in the AIRIE Nest Gallery

Each AIRIE Fellow is required to make a donation of artwork to the Everglades National Park collection.

Visual Art Donation: Each artist is expected to donate an artwork no later than one year after the residency is completed. The artwork should grow out of and reflect the residency and should be representative of the artist’s style. AIRIE is committed to showing artists’ work in high level venues and therefore requests a museum-quality donation, in order to better represent the artist in future.

AIRIE exhibitions: Artists expected to provide a digital image of the donated work and grant ENP the right to reproduce the work.

Literary Donation: ENP requires non-exclusive publication rights to a literary work produced during or following the residency. This work should grow out of and reflect the residency experience.

Performance Donation: Usually in the form of video or recording, details of the donation will be negotiated with AIRIE and ENP.

All donations are required within one year from the last day of the residency.

Promotional Images Donation: Each artist is asked to contribute a minimum of 5 images of their art, sketches, or themselves at work, that are produced during or as a result of their residency. The artist will give AIRIE permission to use these photos for promotional purposes.

When exhibiting, performing or publishing any work generated during or as a result of an AIRIE residency and patronage, AIRIE Fellows will offer press and/or event-based acknowledgment of the role of the residency in generating and/or presenting the work. The credit line should read: “This work was produced following [or during] a residency at Everglades National Park, [YEAR], Artists in Residence in Everglades (AIRIE).”

AIRIE applications are assessed in two rounds. The first-round jury consists of industry experts who will verify excellent artistic and creative expression of the applicants as well as response to application prompts.

The final selection of artists will be made by members of the AIRIE National Advisory Committee (NAC). They will assess applicants’ artistry and response to prompts, with the additional curatorial responsibility of choosing an ideal group of artists to be named AIRIE Fellows. These artists will not only interpret the nature and stories of the Everglades but be able to present meaningful answers to the application prompts that inspire connection and discourse through their work. The NAC will work in collaboration with AIRIE Staff and and Everglades National Park representatives.

Proposals that incorporate the following will be preferred:

• Artist’s work and perspective explores environmental and social justice themes

• Artist’s work aligns with AIRIE and Everglades National Park core missions