The Regional Workspace Residency is a 3-month program that supports early-career photographers based in the Rochester, NY region with tailored residencies to help them expand their photographic practice and to provide professional development opportunities. There will be two cycles of the residency in 2026. One proposal is chosen for each residency cycle. Applicants will be considered for both cycles. 

The Regional Workspace Residency cycles will take place during the following periods:

Cycle 1: June 1st through August 31st

Cycle 2: September  14th through December 14th

Regional Residents will be provided a $1000 stipend for supplies and $1000 for project-related travel. Residents will be given access to the VSW workroom and darkroom and time with VSW staff that will be dedicated towards the progress of their photographic project.

Residents will arrange periodic meetings with Program Manager, Hernease Davis. These meetings are meant to provide guidance towards determined professional development goals, feedback on works in progress and to plan a culminating presentation of the residency project. The Resident, with the guidance of VSW Staff, will determine what form that culminating presentation will take (i.e. artist talk, work installation, workshop, etc). 

One photographic artist will be selected for a 3-month workspace residency. Their culminating program will take place during the month following the end of this 3 month period. The Regional Workspace Residency cycles will take place during the following periods:

Cycle 1: June 1st through August 31st

Cycle 2: September 14th through December 14th

Regional Workspace Residents have access to the VSW digital printing lab, darkroom and workroom area. The digital printing lab includes printers (large format Epson inkjet, laserjet) film scanners for all formats and Mac computers with Adobe Creative Suite. The darkroom comes equipped with an enlarger that can print from negatives sizes 35mm to 5×7 and standard silver gelatin chemistry. The darkroom can also accommodate most non-silver processes.

Residents will also have access to VSW’s digital and film camera equipment (i.e. camera bodies, lenses, strobe or led lights). 

The VSW building is wheelchair accessible.

Eligibility is open to early-career photographic artists who live full-time within the Greater Rochester region, which includes the following counties: Monroe, Genesee, Livingston, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates counties

Currently enrolled students are not eligible for residencies at this time. PhD candidates who have completed their coursework and are in the dissertation phase of their studies are eligible to apply.

We define early-career photographic artists to be those who have been developing their photographic practices for 1-10 years and who have yet to be widely recognized in the photographic field, the media, or with exhibitions of note. 

Who are the application reviewers?

Applications are reviewed by a committee comprised of VSW staff members.

Collaborations are welcome and, in the case of a collaborative proposal, an additional 100-word bio and web links for proposed collaborators may be submitted. Both collaborators must be living full-time in the greater Rochester region. Honorariums are split between the collaborators.

Applicants will be able to rank their cycle preferences. Selected applicants are not guaranteed their first choice, however. VSW staff will do our best to accommodate schedules.

The following information is required:

A  proposal that describes your artistic practice and the project you want to develop (500 words max).

A statement describing the professional goals you would like to explore during the residency (100 max).

Jpegs of recent photographic works made within the past 3 years (15 max). 

A biography with an optional website link (100 max).

Click this link to apply!