Sankofa: Hybrid Art Residency – Cohort 4, Fort McDowell, Arizona, USA

Eligibility

Eligible countries: No country restriction

Sankofa: Hybrid Art Residency- COHORT 4-Fort McDowell, Arizona, USA Deadline: 15 May 2027 Country: United States The Sankofa Art Residency is a 6‑week hybrid creative incubator for artists seeking renewal, cultural grounding, and transformative community. Rooted in the West African principle of Sankofa—the practice of returning to the past to reclaim what was forgotten—the residency invites artists to explore personal and ancestral narratives while developing new work within a supportive global cohort. Over the first five weeks, participants engage in virtual workshops, cohort circles, artist talks, and interdisciplinary studio prompts that nurture reflection, experimentation, and embodied creative practice. The sixth week culminates in an in‑person overnight graduation ceremony in Fort McDowell, Arizona where artists gather to honor their growth, share work, and participate in communal ritual. The residency is free to apply, and accepted artists pay a $1000 fee that covers the full program, all ceremony materials, and round‑trip transportation from the airport to the accommodations. Duration of residency The Sankofa Art Residency is a 6‑week hybrid program. Artists participate in: 5 weeks of virtual programming, including weekly workshops, artist circles, creative prompts, and professional development sessions hosted on Microsoft Teams. 1 in‑person overnight graduation ceremony during Week 6 in Fort McDowell, Arizona (USA), where the cohort gathers for communal reflection, ritual, and celebration. The virtual portion is designed to support artists working from their own studios, while the in‑person gathering provides a grounding, restorative close to the residency experience. Accommodation The Sankofa Residency culminates in an overnight, in‑person graduation ceremony held at a private location in Fort McDowell, Arizona (USA) exclusively for the cohort. While the 5‑week virtual portion is completed from each artist’s home studio, the final in‑person gathering provides a restorative, communal environment designed for reflection, celebration, and creative closure. Artists stay in shared accommodations arranged by the residency for the duration of the overnight ceremony. The space is intentionally intimate to support connection, ritual, and cohort bonding. All participants receive: Round‑trip transportation from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport to the accommodations Shared lodging for the overnight ceremony Communal meals prepared for the cohort Ceremonial gifts honoring each artist’s creative journey Access to all closing rituals, workshops, and celebration activities The accommodation and ceremony space are reserved exclusively for Sankofa participants, ensuring privacy, and safety. Disciplines, work equipment and assistance The Sankofa Art Residency welcomes artists working across a wide spectrum of creative disciplines, encouraging experimentation, cultural storytelling, and interdisciplinary practice. Artists may come from visual arts, digital media, photography, film, writing, performance, sound, craft, textile arts, social practice, or hybrid forms, and all are invited to explore new ways of making through Sankofa’s thematic lens of memory, transformation, and embodied creativity. Because the residency is primarily virtual, participants create from their own home studios during the five‑week online phase, while Sankofa ensures that everyone has the tools needed to participate fully. Each artist receives a curated set of required materials—guided worksheets, ritual‑based reflection tools, journaling prompts, mixed‑media starter items, digital templates, and ceremony‑related materials—mailed or delivered digitally depending on their medium.Studio / Workspace The Sankofa Residency is structured as a hybrid creative incubator that allows artists to work from the comfort and intimacy of their own personal studios while remaining deeply connected to a structured, global cohort. Throughout the five‑week virtual phase, artists create from their home workspaces as they develop new projects, respond to weekly prompts, and engage in guided creative practices that support both experimentation and reflection. This model honors the rhythms of each artist’s personal environment while still offering the accountability, mentorship, and communal energy of a shared residency experience. All virtual programming takes place on Microsoft Teams, which serves as the residency’s central creative hub. Within this digital studio, artists participate in weekly live sessions—including workshops, critiques, artist circles, guest talks, and creative business development—while also accessing shared workspaces for posting works‑in‑progress, exchanging feedback, and collaborating across time zones.Fees and support The Sankofa Art Residency is committed to remaining accessible and transparent in its financial structure. There is no application fee, and artists may apply from anywhere in the world at no cost. Accepted artists pay a flat residency fee of $1,000, which covers the full 6‑week hybrid program, including all virtual workshops, artist circles, professional development sessions, and access to the Microsoft Teams creative hub. The fee also includes the in‑person overnight graduation ceremony along with round‑trip transportation between the airport and the accommodations, communal meals, and ceremonial gifts prepared for each participant. Sankofa provides all required creative materials for the residency, ensuring that artists can fully engage with the thematic explorations and ritual‑based practices without needing to purchase additional supplies. While the residency does not currently offer internal scholarships, we provide letters of support. Expectations towards the artist The Sankofa Art Residency invites artists into a supportive, exploratory, and low‑pressure creative environment rooted in the values of play, experimentation, and intuitive creation. Artists are encouraged to attend the weekly virtual sessions on Microsoft Teams, participate in cohort discussions and reflective practices, and engage with creative prompts that inspire curiosity and risk‑taking. Throughout the program, artists are invited to share works‑in‑progress in a spirit of openness and exploration, maintaining a generous and collaborative mindset as they experiment with new materials, ideas, or processes. There is no requirement to complete a finished artwork during the residency; participants may develop new work or continue ongoing projects at their own pace. All artists are also invited to contribute one work or work‑in‑progress created during the residency to a dedicated exhibition in the Sankofa Virtual Gallery. This exhibition serves as a living archive of the cohort’s creative journey, a global showcase. Application information Artists can apply to the Sankofa Art Residency through our online application form: westbrooklegacyfoundation.org/sankofa Application Link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeydzszIrHWw0ZWrgUQD7NDBYNkI7acYGuMhEpcavkGqBOPgg/viewform?usp=header for updates: Discord: https://discord.gg/D58e72WD4m Residency Instagram: @WLF.SAR Nonprofit Instagram: @WLF.LTD There is no application fee, and artists from all disciplines and locations are welcome to apply.

How to apply

Apply via the linked Google Form; updates shared on Discord and Instagram.