Organizer Information
Chalk Hill Artist Residency is a nonprofit artist residency program located at Warnecke Ranch and Vineyard in Sonoma County, California. Founded in 2010, the program was inspired by the vision of the late John Carl Warnecke, an internationally renowned architect (1919–2010) who, in 1983, began planning an art colony on his 280-acre family property bordering the Russian River near Healdsburg. Warnecke established the residency as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to realize a vision of artists living and working together on what he considered "the most beautiful place in the world." The residency is run by the Warnecke family, now in its fifth and sixth generations on the land, and maintains community partnerships with regional organizations supporting artists with disabilities, including regular "studio days" that bring the current artist-in-residence together with partner-organization artists for shared art-making. The residency is affiliated with the Artist Communities Alliance and Res Artis.
Title & Description
Chalk Hill Artist Residency — 2027 Residency Program
Chalk Hill Artist Residency offers artists across mediums dedicated time and space to pursue creative work at Warnecke Ranch and Vineyard, an hour and a half north of San Francisco. Residents are given use of a shared artist house, studio space in a repurposed barn, and access to the ranch's oak woodlands, hiking trails, vineyards, and private frontage on the Russian River. The program is aimed at established, emerging, and visionary artists from a diverse range of backgrounds, abilities, and geographical locations, and residents have the opportunity to exhibit and sell work at the residency's seasonal Open Studio events.
Categories
- Residency
- Multiple Disciplines
- Visual Arts
- Sound/Music
- Poetry
- Design
- Multimedia
Eligibility
- Open to artists of all mediums, including fine arts, multi-media, design, singing/songwriting, and poetry
- Open to established, emerging, and visionary artists
- Ideal applicants are motivated, comfortable in a remote, rural setting, and able to accomplish their proposed project
- Couples and artists who plan to collaborate during the residency must each submit an individual application
- The residency does not discriminate based on age, race, gender, sexual orientation, disability, religion, marital status, or nation of origin in its admission policies
- Artists may reapply for residency every 2 years
Program Benefits & Awards
- Use of the artist house (three bedrooms, one shared bathroom, kitchen, and living space) and studio space in a repurposed barn
- Access to the broader ranch property, including hiking trails, vineyards, and private river access
- Opportunity to exhibit and sell work at seasonal Open Studio events
- A limited number of residency scholarships (up to 4 weeks) awarded based on merit and financial need
- Support for artists living with disabilities and mental health challenges, including accommodations for a care provider upon request
Application Fee
- $25 per application, non-refundable and required for all applicants.
- Residency Fee: for paying (non-scholarship) artists, a program fee of $500/week covers living and studio space
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 31 August 2026
- Announcements: Late 2026
Location
Healdsburg, California, United States
Additional Details
- Residency periods run between 2 and 4 weeks, depending on the artist's availability
- The program typically hosts one artist at a time, with exceptions for group or partnership collaborations
- Artists are financially responsible for their own food, materials, and transportation to and from the ranch
- Residents are expected to share evidence of progress and completion of their project with residency staff, which may include documentation, staff visits, and participation in an exhibition or performance
- Program fees can be paid via PayPal at the address provided on the residency's website
- Applicants are advised not to wait until the deadline to submit, as the application system may be overloaded, and to apply from a computer rather than a mobile device