Now in its 2nd year, The Kyoto Retreat is a residency program founded by Japan-based independent curator Dexter Wimberly. It offers artists, curators, and writers from around the world the opportunity to spend four weeks in Kyoto for research, exploration, and inspiration. Selected participants receive a roundtrip flight, private accommodation, and $800 USD to supplement meals and local transportation. There is a $95 application fee.
The program welcomes applicants at all career stages working in drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, film, video, new media, installation, fiction and nonfiction writing, poetry, and interdisciplinary and social practice. Applicants must be over 21.
For artists, Kyoto’s temples and shrines, from the golden splendor of Kinkaku-ji to the serene rock gardens of Ryoan-ji, offer a gateway into traditional Japanese aesthetics. The interplay of light and shadow in these sacred spaces, alongside intricate wooden architecture and ornate carvings, provides fertile ground for creative discovery.
Curators will find Kyoto’s living heritage arts, including tea ceremony, ikebana, and Noh theater, alongside its galleries and artisan workshops, a rare opportunity to trace the evolution of Japanese artistic tradition from classical to contemporary.
For writers, Kyoto’s tranquil gardens, winding streets, and the changing hues of autumn offer a stunning backdrop for contemplation and storytelling. Walking the bamboo groves of Arashiyama or the Philosopher’s Path can stir deep reflection on nature, philosophy, and the human experience.
Selected participants will be notified by September 1, 2026.
