Yaddo Application Guidelines

Application Procedures Change January 1 As of the January 1, 2011 application deadline, Yaddo will be accepting applications in all disciplines only through our online portal…more»

Eligibility

Artists who qualify for Yaddo residencies are working at the professional level in their fields. An abiding principle at Yaddo is that applications for residency are judged on the quality of the artists' work and professional promise. Yaddo accepts approximately 200 artists each year, about 18% of the number who apply.

Yaddo encourages artists of all backgrounds to apply for admissions. Yaddo does not discriminate in its programs and activities against anyone on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, gender, age, sexual orientation, marital status, ancestry, disability, HIV status, or veteran status.

Application Deadline is January 1

, for residencies starting mid-May of the same year, through February of the following year. August 1, for residencies starting late October of the same year through May of the following year.

Artists are eligible to apply once each calendar year – either January 1 or August 1, but not both. Completed applications must be clearly postmarked by the deadline to be considered. Late applications will not be accepted. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

Artistic Disciplines

Five admissions panels consider the following applications to Yaddo:

1. Literature, including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama, translation, and librettos
   
2. Visual Art, including painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, photography, mixed media and installation art
   
3. Music Composition
   
4. Performance, including choreography, performance art, sound art and multi-media installations
   
5. Film & Video, including narrative, documentary and experimental films, animation, and screenplays

Applicants should apply to the Admissions Panel that best represents the project they wish to undertake should they be invited for a residency. Applicants may apply to only one admissions panel, and in one genre, at a time. Applicants with concerns about choice of panel should contact Candace Wait, Program Director, 518.584.0746. or chwait@yaddo.org. Include your name and discipline in all correspondence..

Collaborations

Small groups (2 to 3 individuals) of artists wishing to work collaboratively are encouraged to apply. Each member of the group should submit an application form, resume and application fee. Work samples may represent individual work or previous collaborations. Specific concerns should be directed to the Program Director before application. Support personnel or interpretive artists, such as computer programmers, instrumentalists, set and lighting designers and dancers, cannot be included in a residency as part of a collaborative team.

International Artists

Yaddo has a strong tradition of internationalism, and welcomes artists working in all disciplines from around the world. Writers who work in languages other than English are welcome if they can supply samples of work in translation as well as in the original. A working knowledge of English is helpful for international artists. Yaddo does not provide an interpreter for artists who speak little or no English.

Admissions Panels

Applications are considered by five independent admissions committees in the artistic disciplines represented at Yaddo: Literature, Visual Art, Music Composition, Performance, and Film & Video. Membership in these committees rotates frequently and the members are artists whose work is recognized and esteemed by their peers.

References

Artists are required to have two current letters of reference on file for each application. The two referees should specifically address the applicant's professional capacity and temperamental suitability for a residency in a working community with other artists. Letters are considered current for a five-year cycle. Artists who have been to Yaddo within the past five years need not submit new letters.

Length of Stay

Residencies vary in length – the average stay is five weeks. The minimum stay is two weeks; the maximum is eight weeks.

Reapplication

All artists seeking residency at Yaddo must submit a complete application, including recent work samples. The criterion for repeat visit requests is the same as for first visits – the quality of the artist's work. However, preference is normally given to persons who did not visit Yaddo in the previous year.