The Dresher Ensemble Artist Residency (D.E.A.R.) was established in 2012 to support Northern California artists actively exploring new aesthetic premises and pushing the boundaries of conventional art forms and media. The program provides early to mid-career artists up to four weeks of free and full-time use of our studio and equipment, production & fundraising consultations, and a production stipend as well as fiscal sponsorship to a very diverse group of theater, dance, and music creators whose work is pushing boundaries and challenging assumptions about what the arts can be in our lives and culture. D.E.A.R. grants 6 awards annually to individual artists or to groups of artists collaborating on a single project. The lead artist must be a Northern California resident and not a student at the time of the application and residency.

EACH RESIDENCY PROVIDES: – Full-time access {24/7} of 1 to 4 weeks to the Ensemble’s West Oakland rehearsal studio (40′ x 42′ sprung dance floor with Marley floor covering;  20′ ceilings and two 9-foot concert grand pianos) and fabrication shop. Residency weeks may be contiguous or spread out over several months.

– A production stipend (currently up to $1500) – Access to state-of-the-art sound, lighting, projection, and recording equipment;

– Technical, financial, and managerial consultations from professionals on the Ensemble’s staff (providing fiscal sponsorship if needed).

– Performance opportunities

SELECTION CRITERIA / PROGRAM PRIORITIES:

– The artistic quality and potential impact of the project on the artist’s artistic growth and their audiences; Projects whose realization requires continuous and/or multi-day access to our studio space and our available technologies;

– Artists who work with multiple disciplines and/or from culturally diverse perspectives;

– Preference may be given to artists whose work is not currently receiving significant institutional support.

APPLICATION Online application for 2025 Residencies is open now.

Applications are due Friday, November 15, 2024, 11:59 pm PST. Residencies will be announced to artists in February 2025.

Info Sessions – RSVP here.

October 29, and November 12 (7 PM Zoom Sessions)

November 2 – Studio visit & Info Session (11 AM)

View the online application  –  Consult our FAQ – Download “How to Prepare your 2025 Application.”