The Studios of Key West Residency

The Studios of Key West, the premier arts organization at the Southernmost Point of the United States, offers a residency program for emerging and established artists and writers from around the world. We provide residencies to visual artists, writers, composers, musicians, media artists, performers, and interdisciplinary artists.

The program grants nearly 40 artists each year the time and space to imagine new artistic work, engage in valuable dialogue and explore island connections.

The Studios’ residency program is community-based and built upon the hope that visiting artists will take inspiration from Key West’s rich artistic past and present, and will engage with — and be inspired by — the remarkable people and culture that surrounds them.

Key West’s official motto, “One Human Family” reflects our commitment to living together as caring, sharing neighbors dedicated to making our home as close to paradise as we can. To that end, we encourage artists of all races, nationalities, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities to apply.

Required Support Materials for Visual Artist Submissions
Upload up to 9 examples of work completed in the past three years. The 9 examples may be 9 still images, 5 minutes of video, or a combination of both (example: if you send 4 minutes of video, you may send up to 8 still images). All types of visual art are accepted including but not limited to photography, painting, sculpture, ceramics, printmaking, mixed media, drawing, or textiles. Note that facilities specific to various media processes may not be available at The Studios.

Required Support Materials for Literary Artist Submissions
Fiction: Submit no more than 1 short story or one novel chapter, not to exceed 3000 words in length. If a portion of a novel is submitted, a brief (100-200 word) synopsis may be included and does not count toward the 3000-word limit.
Non-fiction: Submit no more than 1 essay or chapter, not to exceed 3000 words in length. If a portion of a manuscript or book is submitted, a brief (100-200 word) synopsis may be included and does not count toward the 3000-word limit.
Poetry: Submit up to 4 poems, combined length not to exceed 10 pages.
Drama: Submit 1 one-act play or 1 excerpt (monologues, acts, or scenes) from a longer work. Include a character list and brief synopsis. Total number of pages may not exceed 15.
Required Support Materials for Performing Artist Submissions (Dancers, Actors, Performance Artists, etc.) Upload up to 4 exa