Organizer Information
The Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation was established in 1976 by Indoo Shivdasani to formalize his existing philanthropic activities into a permanent, independent body. Over nearly five decades, the Foundation has supported more than 1,300 scholars, awardees, fellows, and grantees across academic, scientific, artistic, and cultural fields, with a particular focus on enabling outstanding young Indians to pursue opportunities both in India and abroad. Its work spans scholarships, research and travel grants, and — since 2012 — artist residencies developed to support young Indian artists gaining international exposure.
Skowhegan is a summer art school founded in 1946 by artists Willard "Bill" Cummings, Sidney Simon, Henry Varnum Poor, and Charles Cutler on the Cummings family farm in Madison, Maine. Structured as a non-degree, need-blind program, it brings together roughly sixty to sixty-five emerging artists each summer with resident and visiting faculty for nine weeks of studio work, lectures, workshops, and communal life on its 350-acre rural campus. The Inlaks Foundation and Skowhegan maintain an ongoing partnership through which Skowhegan waives its application fee for eligible Indian applicants and the Foundation funds the residency costs of the selected participant.
Title & Description
The Inlaks Residency at Skowhegan, Maine, USA
The Inlaks Residency at Skowhegan is a partnership between the Inlaks Foundation and Skowhegan, offering a fully funded, nine-week place in Skowhegan's intensive summer art program to one artist based in India. The residency places the recipient within Skowhegan's community of emerging and faculty artists for a concentrated period of studio production, critique, and exchange, alongside access to the school's shops, library, performance space, and fresco barn, as well as its lecture and seminar program.
Categories
- Residency
- Visual Arts
- Multiple Disciplines
- Culture
- Art
Eligibility
- Applicant must be an Indian passport-holding citizen and resident in India at the time of application
- Applicant must be 35 years or younger in the year of application
- Applicant must be accepted to Skowhegan's summer program
- Applicant must not have received any prior grant from the Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation for any other overseas project
- Indian applicants meeting Inlaks eligibility criteria must contact Skowhegan before submitting their application in order to have the application fee waived
Program Benefits & Awards
- Accommodation at Skowhegan, including housing and all meals
- Private studio at Skowhegan
- Access to all fabrication shops, the library, the performance space, and the fresco barn
- Access to the learning program, including weekly lectures, workshops, reading groups, and theoretical seminars
- Collective and some individual studio visits with faculty
- Travel subsidy: return ticket for the artist up to $1,200 USD, paid directly to the artist over and above tuition
- Materials stipend of $1,000 USD, paid directly to the artist over and above tuition
Application Fee
Skowhegan's standard application fee is $25, rising to $50 for the final two days of the application period. Eligible Indian applicants under the Inlaks partnership can have this fee waived by contacting Skowhegan (help@skowheganart.org) before submitting their application.
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 16 October 2026
- Residency Dates: June 5, 2027 – August 7, 2027
Location
Skowhegan, Madison, Maine, United States
Additional Details
- Selection comprises three rounds of review by different practitioners, followed by finalist interviews
- Applicants should not have received a prior overseas grant from the Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation
- Queries about the opportunity can be sent to gladys@inlaksfoundation.org