Organizer Information
Cow House Studios is a rural art residency and studio provider in County Wexford, Ireland, situated on the O’Gorman family farm — 180 acres of pasture and woodland. Since its founding (in 2008), Cow House has offered studio space, accommodation, and a supportive creative environment for artists across disciplines. Their mission emphasizes cross-cultural learning, creative exchange, and fostering contemporary artistic practice in a rural setting.
Title & Description
Parenting Artist Residency, 2026 — This is a two-week residency designed specifically for parenting artists with dependants aged 2–12 years. The program acknowledges that many artists reduce or pause their creative practice while raising children, creating a cultural gap. This residency aims to support parenting artists — enabling them to develop new work, progress existing projects, or return to their practice after a break, while providing the necessary support (childcare, accommodation, meals, studios) to allow focus on their art.
Children (and partners) are welcome to come along; the residency provides a family-friendly environment. The aim is also to foster solidarity among artists with families — a community often excluded from standard residencies.
Categories
- Visual Art (Painting, Drawing, Mixed Media, etc.) — the call is explicitly open to “visual artists.”
- Given the inclusive studio environment at Cow House, there may also be room for other practices rooted in visual art contexts (e.g., installation, sculpture), depending on the applicant’s medium.
Eligibility
- Must be a visual artist.
- Must have children aged between 2 and 12 years old.
- Artists (and their families) must live within a two-hour time difference from Ireland.
- Families (children and partners) are welcome — the residency is designed for parenting artists.
Program Benefits & Awards
- A €500 stipend for the two-week residency.
- Accommodation: a private room in the 300-year-old renovated stone barn on the Cow House premises.
- Studio access: private studio space and access to Cow House’s tools, facilities and materials.
- Meals: Three nutritious meals per day (breakfast — self-service; lunch and dinner prepared in the communal kitchen). Dietary needs (e.g., vegetarian, vegan, allergies) are accommodated.
- Childcare: Provided weekdays, from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM, allowing artists to work uninterrupted during core daytime hours.
- Family-friendly environment: children and partners are permitted; partners or both parents (if both are artists) may come (though if only one is selected, the other may benefit from the residency too).
This combination — financial support, logistics (housing, food, childcare), studio access — is quite generous compared to many residencies, particularly for artists with families.
Application Fee
None
Application Requirements
- A portfolio, as a PDF (max size 10 MB). The number of images is not strictly specified, but applicants are advised to submit only relevant materials to keep file size reasonable. Each image should have a caption or short description.
- For video/film/audio works: you can provide links (e.g., Vimeo, YouTube) rather than embedding files.
- A statement about your artistic practice and interests (past, current, ongoing projects), and — importantly — reflective on how having children has impacted your art practice and why this residency would help.
- Family details: you’ll need to include information about your children (names, ages), and any special requirements (accessibility, childcare needs, personality/temperament — so the organizers can prepare proper care).
- Basic personal info: name, address, nationality, birth date, contact info, etc.
If your partner is also an artist, they should apply separately (unless you have a collaborative practice). Each artist’s application is considered individually. However, if one application succeeds, the whole family (including partner and children) can come.
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 4 January 2026
- Notification Date: 26 January 2026
- Residency Period: 30 March – 12 April 2026 (2 weeks)
Location
Rathnure, County Wexford, Ireland
Additional Details
- The residency hosts 2–4 families during the Parenting Artist Residency.
- The accommodation is a renovated 300-year-old stone barn, with en-suite bedrooms, a communal dining/living area, a visual-arts library, and a kitchen. Typically, each family gets a room (shared bunk beds for families), but if you have special needs, you can note them in the application.
- Meals are home-cooked, often drawing on local produce; dietary restrictions (e.g. vegan, vegetarian, allergies) are accommodated.
- The “studio tools, facilities and materials” are described as “student-grade” — if you require specialized or professional-grade materials for your practice, you may need to bring or ship them to the studio ahead of time.
- If you cannot make the approved transport times (from Dublin via public transport), Cow House notes you can arrange alternative travel (by cab, for instance).
- The residency draws on prior successful cooperation under a pilot program called “Satellite,” run in collaboration with The Mothership Project. This shows some institutional experience in supporting parenting artists.