Our First Project

Ultraviolet Studio Project is an artist residency designed by and for trans artists. Our inaugural cohort of seven interdisciplinary artists will come together at Light Manufacturing in Portland, Maine in June 2026.

Ultraviolet will provide a stipend and access to workspace, the connection of a shared studio practice, studio visits with peers, critics, and curators, and community housing placements. Artists will share with the extended community through a collective showcase at the conclusion of the program. Through dedicated time for independent work, connection with one another, and an opportunity to engage with the larger community, Ultraviolet Studio Project aims to rewrite who is built for, and who they can serve. 

Carter Shocket “I’ve been trying to reach you” 2025

Community Partners

This residency is made possible through material and logistical support from a number of community partners. We’re proud to be working alongside these organizations to bring Ultraviolet to life.

Light Manufacturing

Portland Yoga Collective

Hustle & Flow

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Yes, at some point! We don’t currently have an open call and are currently trying to build programming around what resources we have available to us. That means our next residency opportunity might not look like this one. It might not even be in the same place.

  • No. Our first cohort is interdisciplinary but our available resources are generally more geared toward visual artists. For this session, our artists include people doing dance and writing in addition to painting, drawing, and sculpture.

  • Our plan is to debrief our first residency in the fall and plan future programming in winter of 2026/2027, so we will likely not host another residency until 2028. This is a passion project being put together by a few emerging artists… so we’re taking things slow and trying to build sustainably.

  • For our summer 2026 session we are able to offer residents:

    • A stipend of $750 for the month, and a travel honorarium of $250 for residents coming from out-of-state

    • Arranging community-supported housing with local artists and organizations

    • Connection and studio visits with peers, critics, and curators

  • Unfortunately, we haven’t found a fully-funded, established residency program for trans visual artists in North America. We have found a number of small cool projects such as BTFA Collective, Chinkapin, Fire Island Artist Residency, and MOTHA.