McKnight Residencies

McKnight Residency for Ceramic Artists

Applications will open on Friday, March 13, 2026.

Additional information will be provided in the coming months.
For inquiries, please contact the Studio Program Coordinator at anastasiaspeer@northernclaycenter.org

The program provides recipients with the opportunity to be in residence for three months at Northern Clay Center, where they can develop their work and exchange ideas and knowledge with Minnesota ceramic artists. Up to three, three-month residencies will be awarded in 2026 through a competitive application process, and will take place during the 2027 calendar year. NCC will invite one to two other artists through a nominative process.

Each resident artist will receive a $6,000 award to account for expenses during their residency, studio space provided at no cost, and a glaze and firing stipend. During the residency each artist will present a public lecture, for which they will receive an additional honorarium. At the culmination of the grant period the recipients will be featured in a catalogue and group exhibition at Northern Clay Center that will also travel to 3 – 5 sites around the state of Minnesota and western Wisconsin. Recipients are also required to submit a final report at the end of the grant period.

This program is made possible by the generous support of the McKnight Foundation, Minneapolis.

Eligibility

• You cannot be a resident of Minnesota
• You must be a ceramic artist. Your work may be either functional or sculptural in nature. Your work may incorporate other materials, but must be primarily ceramic.
• Are mid-career with a body of work that demonstrates a sustained level of accomplishment, commitment, and artistic excellence. 
• Can only apply to one McKnight Artist & Culture Bearer Fellowships Program in any artistic discipline within a year.
• Have not been a recipient of a McKnight Artist & Culture Bearer Fellowships Program within any artistic discipline in the last five years. 
• Demonstrate growth and ongoing artistry since their most recent McKnight Artist & Culture Bearer Fellowships Program.
• Are not staff, board, or immediate family of the McKnight Foundation or fellowship administrative partners. 
• Are not enrolled full-time in an academic program.

Application process

Applications will open on Friday, March 13, 2026.

Additional information will be provided in the coming months.
For inquiries, please contact the Studio Program Coordinator at anastasiaspeer@northernclaycenter.org

Applications will be reviewed by a three-member panel, which will select recipients on the basis of perceived artistic excellence and demonstrated professional achievement, using artist statements as support material. Applicants will be notified of the outcome of the selection process shortly after the jury convenes.

There is no fee to apply. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.