Apply before October 19, 2025 at 11:59pm.
Beginning February 2026, ICA San Diego will welcome one local artist to serve as the ICA Artist-in-Residence (AiR) for one year. Through a collaboration with Studio 6608 in College-area, ICA San Diego will sponsor a year-long residency. In addition to a year of free studio space, the ICA AiR will receive a stipend, monthly materials budget, and the opportunity for a solo exhibition at ICA San Diego/North in 2027.
Residency Program
ICA San Diego’s residency program is designed to provide studio space and professional development support to artists living in San Diego County and Northern Baja California. The 2026 artist-in-residence will receive a year of free studio space at the artist-run studio complex Studio 6608, a $2,000 stipend, a $500/month materials budget, and mentorship from the ICA’s curatorial team. In addition, the artist-in-residence will also have the opportunity to exhibit in a solo show at ICA North that aligns with the 2026-2027 exhibition theme. Artwork storage and transportation is provided by the generous support of ArtWorks San Diego.
It is expected that the artist-in-residence will use their time to create or complete an innovative and thoughtfully-produced body of work for exhibition at ICA San Diego. Artists-in-residence may also be asked to contribute to, or participate in, public programming relating to the residency and/or their exhibition.
ICA San Diego’s Residency Program is made possible through the generosity of the Seth Sprague Education & Charitable Foundation, Anonymous supporters and ArtWorks San Diego.
More information and FAQs
Eligible applicants must be an artist who is 18+ years of age and resides in either San Diego County or Northern Baja.
For the purpose of this process, an artist is understood to be an individual generally recognized by critics and peers as a professional practitioner of the visual or performing arts based on their body of work, educational background and/or experience, exhibition/publication history, and/or past creation of artworks.
Please note: this residency provides studio space, NOT living space. Artists-in-residence are expected to provide their own transportation to/from the studio and museum locations.
For consideration, applicants must submit a complete application by October 19, 2025.
Applications will be scored based on artistic strength (vision, originality, and consistency); the clear and thoughtful communication of the proposed project; and their practice or project’s relevance to the ICA’s 2026-2027 season, The Hours Have Lost Their Clocks (description below). Applicants who advance to the interview stage must be able to demonstrate their professionalism and reliability, as well as their ability to successfully meet deadlines and work with a team of arts professionals.
Applications will be reviewed by a selection committee consisting of members of the ICA San Diego Art Committee and local arts professionals. Finalists will also be interviewed by ICA San Diego’s curatorial team.
Please note: priority will be given to applicants who do not have access to a studio space separate from their home.
THE HOURS HAVE LOST THEIR CLOCKS: NOSTALGIA AND SPECULATIVE FUTURISM
Over the course of two years, ICA San Diego will produce a series of exhibitions that explore nostalgia and/or speculative futurism. While these two concepts seem to pull in opposite directions, they are inextricably linked by a sense of longing in the present. Both nostalgia and futurism often share a utopian drive: the former yearns for an unattainable past, while the latter imagines, and plans for, idealized futures. Exhibition topics may include: reimagining or remaking the past; material or technological nostalgia or invention; critical examinations of socio-political systems, power structures, archives, and histories; reappearance or erasure; utopia, dystopia, time travel, hauntology, and notions of home.
- Application period is September 15 to October 19, 2025.
- An Information Session will be held on Saturday, September 27, 2025 at 10am via zoom. Please register at the link HERE.
- Finalists will be notified by mid- November, and all finalists will need to conduct an interview with members of ICA’s curatorial team.
- 2026 Artist in Residence will be announced by November 21, 2025.
- Residency Period: February 1, 2026 – January 30, 2027
- An exhibition of work by the 2026 Artist-in-Residence will take place at ICA San Diego / North from January to May 2027.
Please note: this residency provides studio space, NOT living space. Artists-in-residence are expected to provide their own transportation to/from the studio and museum locations.
The application period has closed. Thank you!
ICA San Diego Overview
ICA San Diego is a living laboratory for expanding the transformational power of contemporary art to build vibrant communities. Our exhibitions and events spark curiosity and open doors for new connections. Our learning tools help people connect the dots between art and their everyday lives. All our programs are designed to foster a thriving contemporary art ecosystem in San Diego, southern California, and northern Baja California. Each year, ICA San Diego undertakes five exhibitions of contemporary art featuring a range of emerging to mid-career artists that challenge our understanding of art and the world around us. These solo and group exhibitions are joined by our annual NextGen show, supporting the artists graduating from our region’s higher learning institutions and providing them with professional development resources to grow their careers.
Our commitment to supporting local artists continues to expand with a redesigned residency program focusing on providing studio space, mentorship, and financial resources to support artists in achieving success at home in San Diego. These values inform all other ICA San Diego programming, including our C You Saturday! public events; classes and camps for all ages; and outreach programming into local schools.
