Curatorial Residencies

SOMArts’ Curatorial Residency program is a response to the ongoing displacement of Bay Area artists, the closure of nonprofit art spaces, and the loss of local art schools and curatorial MA programs, which contribute to an increasingly homogenous and culturally inequitable arts landscape.

Artists and community-based organizations contribute to the resilience of communities by creating space for people to come together, share their stories, celebrate beauty, mourn community losses, and transform their thinking. SOMArts’ Curatorial Residency program is a unique opportunity for emerging curators and artists to utilize mentorship and support to execute a large-scale exhibition in our 31,000 square foot gallery. Prioritizing the voices of historically underrepresented artists and curators, residencies are awarded each season through an open call. The residency is designed to offer emerging and mid-career artists and curators the tools to further their curatorial practice and explore timely social issues.

This 9-month incubator has supported a wide range of artists, curators, and cultural communities ranging from The Indigo Project (curated by Bushmama Africa and Isha Rosemond, 2022), Recoding CripTech (curated by Vanessa Chang and Lindsey D. Felt, 2020), Forever, A Moment: Black Meditations on Time and Space (curated by Yetunde J. Olagbaju and Kevin Bernard Moultrie Daye, 2019), The Third Muslim (curated by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Yas Ahmed, 2018), Visions into Infinite Archives (curated by Black Salt Collective, 2016), WorkMORE! #6 (curated by Mica Sigourney, 2014) and Mourning & Scars: 20 Years After The War (curated by Roxana Leiva, 2013).