Residency Ready
An Artist Residency Masterclass.
Get in, get funded, and get focused.
Created by an artist residency alumni who has served on reading and fundraising committees for top funded artist residencies.
This is a self-paced course for artists across disciplines who have never applied to a residency before or have applied but have never gotten in. It will also be helpful if you've applied to some but want to refine your strategy or applications.
There are additional resources in this program for parents and artists of color looking for residencies that suit them.
What You'll Get
✔️ A powerful dashboard to plan, track, and strengthen your residency applications
✔️ Example proposal templates, timelines, and questions to prepare for
✔️ Pep-talk mini-podcasts for the inevitable doubt spirals, rejections, and anxiety around preparing to go to your first residency
✔️ Application checklists and residency packing lists
✔️ A professional class with real-world advice from both sides of the application process
FAQs
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"Artist residencies, also known as artist-in-residence programs, are opportunities given to artists to work on projects, develop new ideas, and explore their practice in an environment other than their studio, removed from the distractions of everyday life." (Source)
Funded residencies are residencies in which the lodging, workspace, and food are paid for by funders and the organization itself - once you get in, you typically just have to pay to get there and back. Some funded residencies offer an additional fellowship or stipend for travel expenses and childcare.
There are funded and self-funded residencies. This class will be helpful for both.
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This is a great program for anyone interested in applying for artist residencies. If you have heard of them but have been too afraid to apply to them, I will walk you through every step. If you have applied and been rejected, this may help you refresh your materials. If you've been to one or two and want more structure in how you apply to them - I can help!
My experience lies in applying to programs that support literature but many seek dance, architecture, sculpture, film, and other artistic disciplines. My advice will help across disciplines.
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Nope. This course includes global opportunities, with a special emphasis on fully funded residencies. You'll learn how to evaluate what's a good fit for your work and your life.
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Not at all. This course is beginner-friendly and includes foundational information, but it's also rich with tips and resources useful to artists who’ve applied before but want better results or more confidence and structure for their process.
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Special care has been given to offer additional resources to creatives of color, queer creatives, and creatives with children. Residencies are often cis white spaces. I built this programming to make the process easier to apply to them, for people seeking the resources they offer. As an Asian, non-binary, queer author I've benefited a lot from them, and I want to see more of my kin benefit from them, too!
Course curriculum
We'll go from the beginning of researching residencies to post-residency routines. This course includes an explanation of different residency styles, a tracking template, how to craft your application materials, pep talks, packing lists, and more.
Templates, lists, and trackers will be customizable to your needs - so you'll be able to use them over and over again over the course of your artistic career!
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1Module 1: Residency Landscape & Strategy
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2Module 2: Application Toolkit
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3Module 3: Logistics & Prep
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4Module 4: During & After the Residency
A sliding scale option that goes directly to an arts non-profit:
If the price is cost prohibitive, you can donate at a sliding scale between $55-125 to the Museum of Nails Foundation and email me your receipt.
I'll offer you a comped seat for this program and you'll have made a tax-deductible donation to an arts nonprofit dedicated to beauty labor.
About the Instructor
Arabelle Sicardi is a writer and interdisciplinary artist whose work focuses on beauty, power, and systems of care. Their work explores beauty, power, and survival across text, object, and collective experience. They've written two books: Queer Heroes and The House of Beauty (out October 2025). They also write a best-selling newsletter.
They’ve attended prestigious artist residencies including MacDowell, Yaddo, Hedgebrook, SPACE on Ryder Farm, The Martha's Vineyard Institute of Creative Writing, and Wildeacres Retreat. They've also been on the Fundraising Committee for MacDowell and Planned Parenthood of NY. With years of experience navigating and supporting the residency ecosystem, Arabelle created Residency Ready to help artists of all disciplines find structure, strategy, and space for their work.