Virginia Center for the Creative Arts Residency

RESIDENCIES AT MT. SAN ANGELO

Residencies can be transformative to an artist’s process and the effect on an artist’s career profound. A residency at VCCA gives artists the time and space to explore and go deeper into their work. Away from the constraints of “the real world” and in an accepting environment of talented peers, one can dream and create with the feeling that anything is possible.

VCCA’s Mt. San Angelo location in Amherst, Virginia, typically hosts 360 artists each year in residencies of varying lengths (no minimum; up to six weeks) with flexible scheduling. A residency at Mt. San Angelo includes a private bedroom with private en-suite bath, a private individual studio, three prepared meals a day, and access to a community of more than 20 other artists in residence.

Nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, VCCA is surrounded by natural wonders and hiking trails. Many local sites and additional inspiration can be found in short drives to Lynchburg (20 minutes), Charlottesville (1 hour), Roanoke (1.5 hours), or Richmond (2 hours).

APPLY

VCCA Fellows are selected by peer review on the basis of professional achievement or promise of achievement in their respective fields. Separate review panels are created for each category (poetry, fiction, nonfiction, playwriting/screenwriting, children’s literature, performance, film/video, book arts, drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, installation art, music composition, etc.). Panelists undergo periodic review and rotate regularly to ensure VCCA admission decisions are guided by high caliber artists who represent a diversity of styles and tastes.

All VCCA residency and fellowship applications are accepted online via SlideRoom. The standard application fee is $30. If the application fee presents a significant barrier to application, artists should reach out to Artists Services at vcca@vcca.com to request an application fee waiver at least five days before the deadline.

A variety of fully-funded fellowship opportunities are available at each application deadline. In addition, significant financial assistance is available throughout the year.

See below for more information on scheduling periods and corresponding application deadlines.

Please note: As of June 2022, artists may be in residence at Mt. San Angelo only once every two years; returning Fellows must wait to reapply accordingly. The first question on the application for Mt. San Angelo residencies clarifies whether or not you are eligible to reapply for that period.

Applications for VCCA’s residency program at Mt. San Angelo in Amherst, Virginia, are accepted three times a year for three distinct scheduling periods. Flexible scheduling is available for residencies of varying lengths within each period. Residencies are available throughout the year on the following cycle:

FALL PERIOD

Residencies Available: September – December 2024
Application Opens: October 1, 2023
Application Deadline: January 15, 2024
Notification: sent by April 30, 2024

WINTER PERIOD

Residencies Available: January – April 2025
Application Opens: February 1, 2024
Application Deadline: May 15, 2024
Notification: sent by August 31, 2024

Visit https://www.vcca.com/apply/ for more details.