By Bernheim
Bernheim Forest and Arboretum launches applications for the 2026 Artist in Residence Program
Applications are now being accepted for Bernheim Forest and Arboretum’s 2026 Artist in Residence programs for regional, national, and international artists. Deadline for submissions is midnight EST, December 1, 2025.
Bernheim’s Artist in Residence Program promotes multi-disciplinary explorations of our relationship with the natural environment through artistic expression, expanding upon Bernheim’s long history of art in the landscape. The Artist in Residence Program is available to all visual and mixed media artists in any medium, including sound and performance art.
Established in 1980, the Artist in Residence program is the centerpiece of the Arts in Nature program at Bernheim and is integral to Bernheim’s mission of connecting people to nature.
“Our Artists in Residence tell the story of Bernheim like no other,” Arts Program Coordinator, Teresa Koester, said, “They imbibe the forest 24 hours a day, bearing witness to nature’s unfolding spectacle intimately. They see a different side of the forest after the park closes and are clued in to the minutiae of changes day to day. That level of observation and interaction with the natural landscape stimulates creativity in amazing ways.”
Artists are invited to apply for one of the four residency slots awarded annually, each with a $2,500 stipend. One residency is dedicated to a regional artist currently living in Kentucky or in Clark and Floyd counties of southern Indiana. One residency is dedicated to an artist whose work addresses environmental issues and climate change. Selected artists will live at Bernheim for six to eight weeks in 2026, where they are encouraged to explore new avenues in the creation of site-specific ecological and environmental artwork.
In exchange for comfortable rustic housing, access to studio space, financial and staff support for the development of new work, artists will create a site-inspired artwork, temporary installation, or project as a donation to the Bernheim Foundation. Recipients are also asked to engage the public with their work and process, which may include demonstrations, workshops, lectures, and participation in one of Bernheim’s programs or annual events.
To apply or learn more about the Artist in Residence program, visit https://bernheim.org/arts-in-nature/artist-in-residence/ and download the request for proposals. Bernheim will accept artists’ entries through midnight EST on December 1, 2025.
Visual and mixed media artists of all mediums, with the broadest range of diverse perspectives and experiences, are encouraged to submit work for consideration.
