New graduates or early-career artists are invited to spend a month in residency at the world-leading Environment and Sustainability Institute (ESI) on the University of Exeter's Penryn campus.
Deadline: 12 noon on Monday 19th January 2026
Overview
We are delighted to partner with Arts and Culture, University of Exeter, together with the Environment and Sustainability Institute (ESI), to offer a 4-week artist residency opportunity.
Designed for new graduates or early-career artists based in Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly, this residency invites a creative practitioner of any artform — including visual, digital, sound or performing arts, craft, design, film, literature, or music — to spend a month in residence at the world-leading Environment and Sustainability Institute (ESI).
About the Residency
The residency aims to provide time, space, and inspiration to explore new approaches to your creative practice, in dialogue with the ideas emerging from research at the ESI. You will be invited to immerse yourself in research and development to experiment, develop new ideas, and produce creative outputs that respond meaningfully to themes of environment, ecology, and sustainability within an interdisciplinary university research context.
Practicalities
Residency Funding and Support
- Artist fee: £2000 (inclusive of travel, materials, and expenses)
- The selected artist will be based in-person at the ESI for 4 weeks throughout March-April 2026 (ideally as a block, but dates to be agreed at offer stage)
- Dedicated Private Studio Space: Sole use of the creative studio within the ESI throughout the 4 week residency (accessible 9am–5pm, seven days a week; can also be used as a temporary exhibition space for output display after the residency)
- Additional support for display/end of residency sharing (e.g. for interpretation boards, display costs, printing, catering etc – up to £500)
- Mentorship: An additional £300 allocated for 5 hours of mentorship with an established creative practitioner (to be selected jointly with the artist from Creative Kernow’s Associate Mentorship Programme)
- Support and guidance from:
- Annie Sheen (Arts and Culture Programme Manager, University of Exeter) and Anna Harris (Creative Kernow Associates Manager)
- The ESI Professional and Academic Leadership Team, Library Team, and FX Plus Special Collections and Archives
- Along with Communications and Marketing support about your residency from Arts and Culture and ESI
Expectations of the Residency
The selected artist will be expected to:
- Dedicate at least 5 days specifically to research and development at the ESI (this could include interviews with ESI collaborators, site visits, lab tours, seminars, and/or archive research)
- As well as this dedicated R&D time, make regular weekly use of the studio for creative experimentation throughout the residency period (Monday–Friday).
- Develop new creative output(s) with the intention of developing a small-scale solo exhibition/creative sharing on campus at the end of the residency. Curated with support and in partnership with the Arts and Culture team.
- Offer an open studio session and/or creative drop-in to share your process with the University community in partnership with the A&C programme manager
- Contribute a short blog post or video reflection as part of documenting your residency for the Arts and Culture website
- Complete light-touch evaluation and feedback in relation to the residency. This may include contributing to a film documenting the residency.
Eligibility
Applicants must be members of Creative Kernow Associates – membership starts at £5/month, and you can join here.
We welcome applications from artists who:
- Are new graduates or early-career practitioners currently based in Cornwall. We are happy for you to self-define as we realise ‘early-career’ might mean different things to different people but for guidance, we might expect an early-career artist to have been practicing professionally for no longer than 5 years.
- We welcome creative practitioners of any artform — including visual, digital, sound or performing arts, craft, design, film, literature, music, or multi-disciplinary artists.
Selection Criteria
- Can demonstrate a keen interest in ecology, environment, and social justice as part of their creative process and practice
- Experience of developing and leading creative workshops/seminars/sessions which share creative process with new audiences
- Are interested in developing their knowledge, skills and practice around sustainable approaches to creative making
- Have a clear understanding of their professional development needs and how these might be fulfilled through this residency opportunity
- Are open to collaboration, experimentation, and dialogue with researchers and academics from different disciplines and practices
- Can commit to being based in-person at the ESI for 4 weeks throughout March-April 2026 (ideally as a block, but dates to be agreed at offer stage)
How to Apply
Please complete the application form and send along with:
- 1 page CV which should include a reference contact details
- Accompanying page detailing images/links to some of your recent work
Please e-mail the application form and accompanying information to Anna Harris before 12 noon on Monday 19th January 2026 – anna@creativekernow.org.uk
About the Environment and Sustainability Institute
The ESI is an interdisciplinary research institute based on the University of Exeter’s Penryn Campus in Cornwall. A Research Institute is a melting-pot of academics and early-career researchers who come from a range of different disciplines to work on similar themes of research and knowledge exchange.
The ESI leads cutting-edge research focused on building sustainable futures, creating healthy and resilient ecosystems, and renewing biodiversity — placing people at the heart of nature.
Our approach is collaborative, working with communities, businesses, government agencies, and non-profit organisations to find creative, impactful solutions to environmental challenges.
During the residency, the selected artist will have the opportunity to:
- Engage with innovative academics, researchers, and professional services staff at the ESI
- Access mentorship and practical support
- Have access to a dedicated studio space within the ESI for the full duration of the residency. Visits to the studio space ahead of the application deadline are possible Mon-Thursday.
About Arts and Culture, University of Exeter
The Arts and Culture team’s mission is to champion creativity by providing time, space and opportunities.
Their work spans the University’s four campuses and the surrounding communities in Devon and Cornwall. They work with the University’s community of staff and students, as well as creative practitioners, and South West cultural organisations to help strengthen creative networks, raise the profile of creativity at the University, and support our community’s creative confidence through arts-based programmes and projects.
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