Penumbra Foundation 2026 Workspace Residency And Risograph Residency

The Penumbra Foundation offers six-to-eight weeks of facility access for Workspace residents, or a one-month intensive production residency with distribution support for Risograph book projects.

Overview

The Penumbra Foundation’s 2026 residency programs invite photographers and lens-based artists to push the boundaries of their practice through two distinct tracks: the Workspace Artist-in-Residence (A-I-R) Program and the Risograph Publication Residency. The Workspace A-I-R is designed for emerging US-based artists, providing a six-to-eight-week period for deep research, experimentation, or project completion. In contrast, the Risograph Residency is open to both US and international practitioners, offering a one-month intensive to produce a small-edition photographic artist’s book.

Practical Info

Applications for both residencies must be submitted via the Picter platform. Applicants for the Workspace program must provide a 10-20 work sample, a detailed proposal, artist statement, resume, and letter of intent; Risograph applicants must submit a project proposal, 15-30 supporting images of the projects, details of prior experience (if any – this is not a requirement) with print and book production and risograph printing, and a statement of why the proposed project might be well suited to Risograph reproduction.

The Penumbra Workspace A-I-R Program benefits emerging artists with access to time, facilities, critical and technical support, and honoraria. The extension of the program is six to eight weeks depending on the time requested by the selected artists. Participants have liberal access to our comprehensive facilities and are expected to use their time to pursue their own projects: researching, photographing, scanning, printing, working on an exhibition or editing a book. Artists will have opportunities to meet with Penumbra’s Advisory Board and engage with the community during and after their residency, as determined by the Directors.

The Penumbra Risograph Publication Residency provides the opportunity for artists to propose a photographic project to produce in print form, at our Risograph facilities in New York City. Artists receive resources, assistance, and time for the production of a small edition risograph photobook project. A basic overview of the operation and use of the ME9450 Risograph is provided - no prior risograph printing experience is required. Residents are allotted roughly one month to produce their projects in June, July, or August of 2025. Penumbra Foundation will assist in the distribution and promotion of the projects. The residency concludes with a book launch at In The Fold, Penumbra’s photobook forum, held in September, 2026.

About Penumbra Foundation

Penumbra Foundation is a NYC-based nonprofit arts organization committed to promoting a broad understanding of the contemporary photographic medium. We support a diverse community of artists, researchers, and curators through education, artist residencies, exhibitions, and a lecture series.

Our two residencies, the Workspace A-I-R Program and Risograph Publication Residency, empower artists working with the photographic medium to take risks in their practice and create boundary-pushing work.