NEA Grant Supports The Color Network Residency at Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts
"This September, eleven artist participants from The Color Network’s mentorship program will gather in person for a two-and-a-half-week residency at Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts’ newly renovated 54-acre campus in Edgecomb, Maine. The residency will be facilitated by one of the co-organizers from The Color Network as well as Watershed’s dedicated staff. Watershed and The Color Network (TCN) are partnering for a fourth time to host an artist residency focused on mentor-mentee relationship building among artists of color who work in clay. The session will be funded in part by a $30,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA)."*
ELIGIBILITY
Any artist who has signed up for the TCN Mentorship program (as a mentor or mentee) by the time their residency application is submitted is eligible to apply, whether or not you have yet been paired with a mentor. Applicants may apply as individuals or mentor-mentee pairs. Applications will be prioritized as follows: Mentor-mentee pairs, Individual Mentors, and Individual Mentees. Priority will be given to applicants who have not yet had the opportunity to participate in a prior TCN + Watershed mentor-mentee residency.
Artists must be comfortable working independently in a clay studio. Formal instruction is NOT provided at Watershed.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
Application is free. Residency fees are covered (including housing and meals Sun - Fri). Each participant will receive a material stipend of 50lbs of Watershed stocked clay. Residents are able to purchase additional materials. Firing costs will be covered in total, with the exception of the wood kiln. Travel will be reimbursed up to $500 USD per person.
DATES AND DEADLINES
Deadline to apply is April 30 at 11:59pm EST. Applications will be evaluated by a team of jurors. Late applications will not be considered. Due to the number of applications received, The Color Network is unable to provide application feedback.
11 applicants will be accepted.
The residency will take place at Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts from September 3-19, 2025.
-
4: Exceptional application. Compelling work. Compelling Statement of Interest.
3: Strong application. Strong work. Clear Statement of Interest.
2: Satisfactory. Meets requirements. Work does not stand out. Statement of Interest is vague.
1: Unsatisfactory. Does not meet requirements. Late.
CONTACT
For any questions or concerns, please contact The Color Network at thecolornetwork.org@gmail.com
*For the complete press release, visit Watershed's blog.
For more information about Watershed, visit Watershed's website.
Apply to the Mentorship program as a mentor or mentee here.