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“From the community, to the resources, to the exhibitions and events at The Studios, to the town itself–all the myriad inspirations–this was a fantastic residency experience.”

– Melanie Almeder, 2021

Apply for a Residency

The deadline to apply for the 2023/24 Residency Season (October 2023-August 2024) has passed. 

We will begin accepting applications for the 2024/25 Residency Season in January 2024.
If you would like to receive a notification when the application period opens again, please leave your email here.

Current applicants will be notified of their status by July 18, 2023.

logo of a pear with the words Peyton Evans Artist Residencies

The deadline to apply for the 2023/24 Residency Season (October 2023-August 2024) has passed. 

We will begin accepting applications for the 2024/25 Residency Season in January 2024.
If you would like to receive a notification when the application period opens again, please leave your email here.

Current applicants will be notified of their status by July 18, 2023.

Peyton Evans Artist Residency (PEAR) Program

History

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The Studios of Key West was founded in 2006 with the initial inspiration of simply providing space for artists to live and work, thereby drawing creative people to our island and enriching the lives of all who live here. In those earliest days, our founder Peyton Evans gathered fourteen of Key West’s most successful artists and writers and arranged for them to participate in artist residency programs throughout the country, then return to help us craft our own program combining the best of what they’d seen and learned.

Hundreds of writers and artists have since come to Key West through the Peyton Evans Artist Residency (PEAR) Program, many returning and several relocating permanently. Each has benefited from the island’s unique character, and left something of themselves behind. The PEAR Program celebrates the spirit of exploration with which it was founded, the artists it was established to serve, and the vision, wisdom and generosity of the woman for whom it’s named.

About the Program

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The Studios of Key West, the premiere arts organization at the Southernmost Point of the United States, offers a residency program for emerging and established artists and writers from around the world. We provide residencies to visual artists, writers, composers, musicians, media artists, performers, and interdisciplinary artists.

The program grants nearly 35 artists each year the time and space to imagine new artistic work, engage in valuable dialogue and explore island connections.

The Studios’ residency program is community-based and built upon the hope that visiting artists will take inspiration from Key West’s rich artistic past and present, and will engage with — and be inspired by — the remarkable people and culture that surrounds them.

Key West’s official motto, “One Human Family” reflects our commitment to living together as caring, sharing neighbors dedicated to making our home as close to paradise as we can. To that end, we encourage artists of all races, nationalities, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities to apply.

Residencies are almost a full month, and run from the 16th of the month through the 14th of the next.