The application period for the 2024 Tough Art Residency is closed

• Produce artwork that is tough enough to withstand public interaction, especially that of children

• Work collaboratively with Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh staff to create and develop an engaging work of art to be exhibited in the museum

• Give artists a platform to display their work and reach a potentially new audience, which in turn, provides new avenues of art exploration for the museum

The residency program invites artists to be in residence May 28 through August 30, 2024.

During this time, they will work in the museum to develop and create new works to be exhibited in Fall/Winter of that year.

Artists may apply as individuals or as a team. Three artists/teams will be chosen to participate.

Each residency artist/team receives an honorarium and the Museum manages a materials budget for each project.

*Transportation to and from Pittsburgh, along with housing, is allotted for one out-of-town artist.

-$5,000 honorarium
-Up to $3,500 materials budget provided (all purchases are made  and approved by the museum)
-Access to fabrication facilities
-Opening reception
-Professional photographs of final artwork

One Out-of-town Artists will also receive:
-Housing for duration of residency
-Up to $1,000 to fund transit to/from Pittsburgh at the beginning and end of residency

Artists with demonstrated capabilities in their medium will be considered for the residency. The program is intended to support emerging artists and give opportunities for established artists to the share their work with a wider audience.

Artists with demonstrated capabilities for creating interactive, immersive, sculptural or media-based projects are encouraged to apply.

Artists from any location (local, national, international) are eligible.

You must be 18 years or older to apply.

The application period for the 2024 Tough Art Residency is closed.

Tough Art applications should include:

Application Materials

• Letter of Application (1 page limit)
• Résumé/CV (2 page limit)
• Short biography (150 words or less)

Artwork Portfolio (Please choose ONE of the following options):

• A maximum of 10 images
• Hyperlink/URL of video, sound and/or animation via a link in document. (A maximum of three minutes will be reviewed.)
• Combination of up to 5 images and up to 1:30 minutes of video, sound and/or animation

Full Residency Details

If you have additional questions about the Tough Art residency, please contact [email protected].

Check out projects created by the 2023 Tough Artists now on display

See past Tough Art projects here.