The University of Michigan’s Stamps School of Art & Design and the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA) invite artists and designers to apply for the 2027 – 28 Roman J. Witt Residency.
The mission of the Roman J. Witt Residency Program is to support an artist in the production of new work in association with the University of Michigan’s Stamps School of Art & Design. The program awards one residency per academic year to a visiting artist/designer to create new work at the school while engaging the university community. The residency runs from September 2027 through June 2028. It will culminate in an exhibition at UMMA’s Irving Stenn, Jr. Family Gallery, opening in March 2028.
Recent Witt artists-in-residence include:
Conrad Egyir, 2027 (in partnership with the U‑M Institute for the Humanities)
Holly Bass, 2026 (in partnership with UMMA)
Stacey Kirby, 2025 (in partnership with Stamps Gallery)
Machine Dazzle, 2024 (in partnership with UMMA)
The Stenn Gallery
The 1,200-square-foot Irving Stenn, Jr. Family Gallery is a glass-walled, street-facing exhibition space on UMMA’s ground level, beside the Diag, a major campus circulation route. Its visibility connects the museum to campus activity: visitors inside the gallery and passersby outside may encounter the work. Its location and glass frontage offer opportunities for projects that consider public visibility, the movement of people through campus, or the relationship between the museum and its surroundings.
Recent Stenn Gallery exhibitions include Courtney McClellan, Witness Lab; Machine Dazzle, Ouroboros; Zina Saro-Wiwa, Table Manners: Season 1; Cannupa Hanska Luger, You’re Welcome; Mark di Suvero, Tabletops; Ceal Floyer, Things; Mari Katayama, Mari Katayama; and Tristin Lowe, Under the Influence.
Please see the gallery floor plan for reference.
Project and residency
The University of Michigan offers extensive resources across research, expertise, facilities, and people. Its Ann Arbor campus brings together 19 schools and colleges, with research and creative work across the arts and humanities, sciences, engineering, medicine, education, public policy, and other fields. This breadth offers opportunities to engage with people, expertise, and questions across disciplines.
The program gives students an opportunity to learn from practitioners who draw on resources across campus. The ideal resident values collaboration, communicates effectively, and is interested in building creative partnerships across disciplines. Through this exchange, the residency aims to foster inventive creative activity across the University community.
The Witt Residency is open to established artists and designers. Proposals may address any subject or take any artistic or design approach. Proposals should explain how the project would respond to the Stenn Gallery’s setting and scale. Applicants should identify campus connections or resources that could support their project and explain how these might inform its development. The residency period runs from September 2027 through June 2028. During this period, the resident will spend up to twelve weeks in Ann Arbor. The selected resident will develop the project with UMMA and Stamps. Together, they will determine the residency schedule, checklist details, exhibition dates and duration, installation approach, and programming.
Engagement with students and faculty
The resident is expected to engage actively with the Stamps community and UMMA community. Proposals should include one student engagement and one public program connected to the project. For each, describe the intended audience, format, and relationship to the work.
A portion of the resident’s time at the University will be spent in direct interaction with students and faculty. Activities might include providing critiques of student work; giving public talks, lectures, or workshops; and hosting open studio hours.
Selection
Proposals should demonstrate conceptual consistency and a coherent overall project structure, strong visual impact, and potential for engagement. These qualities, together with the proposed work, will be central to the committee’s selection. Proposals will also be evaluated for artistic merit, potential engagement with students and the public, the project’s relationship to the Stenn Gallery, and the applicant’s demonstrated ability to realize the work. UMMA and Stamps will assess each proposal’s feasibility, including whether it can be supported and realized within the residency timeline and available resources. Applicants will receive a gallery plan and protocols to inform their proposals.
Support and responsibilities
The residency includes a $20,000 honorarium for up to twelve weeks in residence during the September 2027 – June 2028 residency period, housing, studio space, and up to $5,000 for materials, research, and development. Travel support and other resources are limited. UMMA will provide curatorial support and support the project’s installation, de-installation, and shipping. Stamps will provide academic and programmatic support. Applicants should include a preliminary work plan and budget outlining anticipated production, research, travel, installation, de-installation, shipping, access, and programming needs. Final plans will be developed with the selected resident. Work created through the residency remains the property of the artist or designer.
How To Apply
Apply through SlideRoom. Applications include a résumé/CV, references, and portfolio media, which may include video, audio, or PDF files. SlideRoom charges a $15 processing fee for media uploads and storage; applicants pay SlideRoom directly. Technical assistance is available at help.liaisonedu.com.
In addition to the SlideRoom materials, proposals should include:
- Description of the project’s concept, development stage, and proposed presentation (View Stenn Gallery floor plan).
- Explanation of how University resources or relationships could contribute to the project.
- Description of the proposed student engagement and public program.
- Preliminary schedule and work plan, showing when and for how long they expect to work on campus, along with any planning that could take place remotely.
- Budget, including production, installation, de-installation, shipping, and programming needs.
- Portfolio examples demonstrating the applicant’s practice and ability to realize the project.
Application Schedule
- Proposals due: January 25, 2027
- Selection committee review: February/March 2027
- Shortlist follow-up: April 2027
- Finalist presentations and interviews: April/May 2027
- Notification: June 15, 2027
The selection committee will identify a shortlist and invite finalists to present their projects and interview. Applicants will be notified by email.
About the Organizers
Stamps School of Art & Design
The undergraduate and graduate programs at the Stamps School of Art & Design offer non-media-specific degrees at the intersection of art and design. Free of traditional concentrations, the undergraduate program challenges students to define their own pathways and undertake self-directed culminating projects in their final year. The dynamic two-year MFA program integrates creative production with rigorous academic study, international study with regional community engagement, and theoretical grounding with skills development. It expands the intellectual reach of creative work and supports a comprehensive process for bringing that work into the world. Stamps enrolls 700 undergraduate and 24 graduate students. Forty-two full-time faculty, a cohort of part-time faculty, and administrative and technical staff support the School’s programs. Learn more at stamps.umich.edu.
University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA)
UMMA seeks to place art and ideas at the center of campus and public life. It creates experiences that enrich our understanding of one another, foster joy, and build a more just future. Through exhibitions, programs, research, and community partnerships, UMMA is redefining what a campus museum can be.
Established in 1946, UMMA is a public expression of the University’s commitment to art. Its collection spans over three millennia of global art-making, displayed in galleries dedicated to art from Africa, China, Japan, Korea, and South and Southeast Asia, as well as American, European, and modern and contemporary art. UMMA presents approximately 8 – 10 exhibitions annually and serves nearly 180,000 on-site visitors and more than 680,000 online visitors. UMMA is always free and fully accessible. Its audience is concentrated in Southeast Michigan, and the Museum serves the breadth of the region. https://umma.umich.edu/
Location
Ann Arbor is located 40 miles west of Detroit on the Huron River. The city is an intellectually and culturally rich community with a population of approximately 114,000. Learn more at annarbor.org.
Stamps Facilities
Stamps facilities are located in Ann Arbor and Detroit. The main facility is on the University’s North Campus and includes media studios for drawing, painting, lithography and intaglio printmaking, clay, wood, fibers, hot metals such as welding, casting and brazing, cold metals and machine tools, video, and photography, including large- and small-format printers. The School also has a range of digital fabrication tools. Stamps maintains faculty and graduate studios at 1919 Green Road in Ann Arbor. This 33,000-square-foot facility has 66 private studios for full-time faculty and graduate students, large shared work and meeting spaces, wood and metal shops, multipurpose shops, and a digital media studio. Engagement with the University’s scholarly, human, and technical resources is encouraged and facilitated. Access to facilities and other campus resources will be discussed with the selected resident in relation to the project’s needs.
Contact
Roman J. Witt Residency Program
Stamps School of Art & Design at the University of Michigan, 2000 Bonisteel Boulevard, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 – 2069
Email: chrissti@umich.edu
Application Portal: um.slideroom.com