Organizer Information
Women's Studio Workshop (WSW) is a nonprofit visual arts studio and private press offering residencies and educational workshops, located in Rosendale, New York. It was founded in 1974 by Ann Kalmbach, Tatana Kellner, Anita Wetzel, and Barbara Leoff Burge as an alternative space for female artists to create new work, gain artistic experience, and develop new skills. The organization was founded during the feminist movement of the 1970s to address the underrepresentation of women artists in the visual arts canon.
WSW operates year-round with artist residencies, gallery exhibitions, artist lectures, and educational programs for children and adults, alongside a Summer Art Institute that includes study-abroad options. Its studios support a range of media with a focus on book arts, papermaking, and printmaking techniques including screen printing, letterpress, etching, and intaglio. WSW's artists' books are held in the special collections of major institutions, including the Library of Congress and the National Museum of Women in the Arts. The workshop marked its 50th anniversary in 2025 and today serves women, trans, intersex, nonbinary, and genderfluid artists across its residency and internship programs.
Title & Description
Artist's Book Residency Grant
This is an eight- to ten-week studio residency at WSW for an artist to produce a limited-edition book work. Residents work intensively in WSW's studios to print and bind their own books, with an encouraged edition size between 50 and 100 copies. WSW provides technical advice, training on equipment and materials, and production assistance throughout the residency. Following the award, the artist and WSW staff finalize a sales contract governing distribution of the finished edition.
Categories
- Residency
- Papermaking
- Printmaking
- Book Arts / Paper-based
- Craft
- Visual Arts
Eligibility
- Open to women and trans, intersex, nonbinary, and genderfluid artists
- Open internationally; artists based outside the United States may apply (this is not the workshop's Regional Grant, which is US-only)
- Currently enrolled students may apply, provided their academic program does not overlap with the residency period (September–June)
- Full-time participation preferred; the residency period cannot be split into parts
- Applicants may also apply separately to the related BIMA Artist's Book Residency Grant for Indigenous Artists by checking the appropriate box on the Submittable form
Program Benefits & Awards
- Stipend of $350 per week for the 8–10 week residency
- Up to $1,000 for materials
- Up to $250 for travel within the Continental US
- Free onsite housing for the residency period
- 24/7 studio access
- Technical advice, equipment/technique training, and production assistance from WSW staff
- 20% of the printed edition goes to the artist
- Artist receives a 50% commission on each copy WSW sells on the artist's behalf, paid out annually around June 30
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Applications Deadline: 15 November 2026
- Notification Date: March 2027
- Residency Length: 8–10 weeks
Location
Women's Studio Workshop, Rosendale, New York, United States
Additional Details
- An outside jury of artists and curators selects grant recipients
- Recipients work with WSW staff to schedule the residency within the September–June window
- A percentage of the final book must be hand-printed, though no specific ratio is required; digital printing may be incorporated
- Applicants without binding experience may still apply, provided they note in the application that they will need WSW's guidance on binding
- Of the finished edition, WSW retains 20% (at least 9 copies) for archival and institutional sales; the remaining 60% goes to general distribution and sale, with a 30% WSW commission plus 20% marketing cost on any sales
- No partners, children, or pets may accompany the artist during the residency