Organizer Information
UTS Library is the library of the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), housed within UTS Central — a 17-storey building at the heart of UTS's city campus in Sydney. UTS Central has received several design and construction awards, including recognition in the Australian Library Design Awards and a 5-Star Green Star rating from the Green Building Council of Australia, and the Library and Reading Room occupy several of its levels. The Creative in Residence program is now in its 16th year, and past residencies have produced work ranging from sculptural installations informed by the Library's collection to an ongoing "Library ghost" character built around bibliomancy.
Title & Description
UTS Library Creative in Residence 2027
This is a six-month, paid creative residency (March–September 2027) inviting a creative practitioner to research and develop a project in dialogue with UTS Library's staff, students, and spaces. The resulting work becomes part of the Library's permanent culture, identity, and collection record. Residents are expected to be visibly present and engaged — this is explicitly not a residency for working in isolation — collaborating with Library staff to find ways the residency can extend into public programming, community engagement, and possibly designed materials or other outputs.
Categories
- Residency
- Multiple Disciplines
- Interdisciplinary Arts
- All Discipline
Eligibility
- Open to all applicants — affiliation with UTS is not required
- Must have current and valid work rights in Australia
- Must hold a current Working With Children Check (WWCC)
- Applicants who have applied in previous years are encouraged to re-apply, provided they submit fresh material (new ideas, refined works, or updated images) rather than resubmitting an unchanged application
Program Benefits & Awards
- Remuneration of $15,000, covering the resident's time, energy, intellectual and creative work, art-making, travel, accommodation, and superannuation
- Separate materials budget of $5,000 to realise the proposed concept, with budgeting support from Library staff
- A VIP staff card providing access to most Library areas (and usable as an ordinary library card)
- Use of a Library-supplied computer for the residency period (not retained afterward)
- Access to Library spaces to develop and present the work, within reasonable limits
- A launch event showcasing the completed work to the Library community and the broader GLAM (Galleries, Libraries, Archives, Museums) sector
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Email application to Mia.Turner@uts.edu.au
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 26 October 2026
- Successful applicant notified: early November 2026
- Contract commencement: approximately end of March 2027
- Contract end date: approximately 30 September 2027
Location
Sydney, Australia
Additional Details
- The application must be submitted as one PDF (max 10MB), containing: a 1-page project description; 2–10 examples of recent work (max 10 images, with captions for visual artists, or stills/short descriptions with links for other media); optional links to websites, reviews, or work-in-progress pages; and a CV plus short bio (max 2 pages combined)
- Selection criteria include: evidence of past work demonstrating capacity to complete a high-quality creative project; how the project activates the Library's collection, spaces, and culture; how it inspires playfulness, curiosity, or engagement; feasibility within the roughly 6-month timeline and $5,000 budget; and whether the residency would meaningfully advance the applicant's practice
- The Library reserves the right not to proceed with an appointment
- Discrepancy to verify before publishing: the official Info Pack (the source used for this article) consistently gives the application deadline as Monday 26 October 2026. A separate promotional announcement about this same residency states the deadline as Monday 26 October 2027 in one place and Monday 26 October 2026 in another — an internal inconsistency in that announcement. The Info Pack's 2026 date should be treated as authoritative, but this is worth double-checking with the organiser before publication.