Residency Program

The Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts offers up to fifty juried residencies per year to working artists from across the country and around the world. Residencies are awarded to visual artists, writers, composers, interdisciplinary artists, and arts or arts education scholars. The Center does not discriminate on the basis of disability, sex, age, race, religion, or national origin.

Residencies are available for two-, four-, six-, or eight-weeks stays. Each resident receives a $100 stipend per week, free housing, and a separate studio.

The Center can house up to five artists at any given time. Artists interested in applying can learn more by reading the information provided here regarding the facility and the local setting.

Questions? E-mail us: info@khncenterforthearts.org

Residency Application Fee

Application Fee:
$25.00 (U.S. dollars only) Payable by check or money order to “Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts.”

Residency Application Deadlines

We have two deadlines annually. Applications must be postmarked before or on the deadline and received within 10 days following the deadline. If the deadline should fall on a Sunday, plan to postmark your application before the deadline.

September 1 is the deadline for Session 1 residencies to take place the following January – June.

March 1 is the deadline for Session 2 residencies to take place the following July – December.

Specific begin and end dates are listed below for upcoming sessions.

Session Dates

2011 Session 1: January 3, 2011 – June 24, 2011
2011 Session 2: July 11, 2011 – December 16, 2011
2012 Session 1: January 2, 2012 – June 22, 2012
2012 Session 2: July 9, 2012– December 21, 2012

Apply for only one session at a time. When you indicate preferred dates on your application be sure they fall within the session for which you have applied.

Also note that residencies begin on Mondays and end on Fridays.

Application Notification by E-mail

Acknowledgement of receipt of applications and notification of the results of the juried application process will be sent by e-mail from a "@khncenterforthearts.org" address.

Be sure to adjust your e-mail filter to receive these important messages.

We expect to contact applicants with juror results for Session 1 residencies by the preceding November 1 and for Session 2 residencies by the preceding May 1.

Application Guidelines *

* Please Note: the guidelines have been revised in June 2009.

The following five-item list gives general requirements for all applicants. Before submitting your application, also read the SUPPORT MATERIALS guidelines for your discipline and follow the directions specific to your discipline to prepare files and discs.

To apply, mail the following five items (and no more) to Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts, 801 3rd Corso, Nebraska City NE 68410.

1 A signed and completed paper copy of the application form. (Jurors will not see the application.)

2 One digital copy (RTF or PDF format) of your current resume or vita no more than 5 pages in length. Include your name and contact information in the content of the resume or vita. (Jurors will not see your resume or vita.)

3 One digital file (RTF or PDF format) containing two statements: (a) a brief artist’s statement (100 – 200 words) about your work followed by (b) a brief description (100 – 200 words) of what you propose to work on while at the Center and why the residency is important to you at this stage in your career. Remove your name from the content and name of this file.

4 Support materials for your discipline as outlined below. Support materials are samples of artwork and must be submitted anonymously. All artists must remove their names from support files.

5 A check or money order for $25 payable to “Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts."

SUPPORT MATERIALS : All Writers (click to download pdf of guidelines)
Previously published material is eligible. Only writing submitted in English will be considered. RTF or PDF files only.

Submit one CD with your name written on the CD. The CD should contain two files: (A) an RTF or PDF vita or resume (item 2), and (B) an RTF or PDF statements/writing sample file (combine items 3 and 4 in one document). Jurors will view only the statement/writing sample file: remove your name from that file.

Fiction
Submit no more than two short stories or novel chapters, not to exceed 7500 words in length. If a portion of a novel is submitted, a brief (100-200 word) synopsis may be included in the 7500 words if desired.

Non-fiction
Submit no more than two essays or chapters, not to exceed 7500 words in length. If a portion of a manuscript or book is submitted, a brief (100-200 word) synopsis may be included in the 7500 words if desired. If the work submitted is memoir or biography, you may disregard the requirement to remove your name from the writing sample text.

Poetry
Submit ten poems, combined length not to exceed thirty pages.

Drama
Submit one or two one-act plays or one or two excerpts (monologues, acts, or scenes) from a longer work. Include a character list and brief synopsis. Total number of pages may not exceed thirty.

Combination of Genres
You may choose to submit samples of work from more than one genre. If combining genres, total submission should not exceed 7500 words or thirty pages in length.

SUPPORT MATERIALS : Music Composers (click to download pdf of guidelines)
Submit excerpts or complete works from three representative compositions. Each excerpt or work must be no more than 5 minutes long. Excerpts or works must be submitted as MP3 files only. Representative samples that include video are also acceptable. Video files should be submitted in MPG or MPEG format. A combination of audio-only and audiovisual pieces can be submitted; submit a total of 3 samples, each no more than 5 minutes long.

All work samples must have your name removed from the files. Files should be labeled with a number and the title of the work, example: 01-Self Portrait.mp3. These numbers should correspond to the order of the works as listed in your work identification list. A work identification list should be included at the end of your statements (item 3). Title, instrumentation, duration and date made for each composition should be noted.

If sending only audio files, submit one CD with your name written on the CD. The CD should contain the following files: (A) your RTF or PDF vita or resume (item 2); (B) your RTF or PDF statements (item 3) followed by – in the same file – the title, date of composition, instrumentation, and a short description (50 words or less) of each sound recording submitted; and (C) your three MP3 files. Jurors will view only the statement/identification file and the MP3 files: remove your name from these files.

If submitting audiovisual pieces, two copies of audiovisual submissions are required. That is, 2 identical discs containing only the video in MPG or MPEG format with your name removed from the files and the disc. In addition send the CD as above with the text files and other audio samples. If sending audiovisual samples, you will be mailing us 3 discs.

SUPPORT MATERIALS : Visual Artists (click to download pdf of guidelines)
Submit a total of 10 examples of work completed in the past three years. The ten examples may be ten still images, ten minutes of video, or a combination of both (example: if you send two minutes of video, you may send up to 8 still images).

Still images must be in JPEG format only no larger than 1440 pixels in either dimension. Video submissions must be in MPG or MPEG format and may be no longer than 10 minutes total. Files should be labeled with a number and the title of the work (example: 01-Self Portrait.jpg). These numbers should correspond to the order of the works as listed in your image list. An image list should be included at the end of your RTF of PDF statements (item 3). Title, media, size (or duration) and date made for each image or video should be noted.

If sending only still images, submit one CD with your name written on the CD. The CD should contain the following files: (A) your RTF or PDF vita or resume (item 2); (B) your RTF or PDF statements (item 3) followed by – in the same file – an image list containing the title, media, size and date of each JPEG or video submitted; and (C) your JPEG files. Jurors will view the JPEGs and the statement/image list file: remove your name from those files.

For video, submit up to 10 minutes total of excerpts or complete works. Two copies of video submissions are required. That is, 2 identical discs containing only the video in MPG or MPEG format with your name removed from the files and the disc. In addition send the CD as above with the text files and (optional) still images. If sending video, you will be mailing us 3 discs.

SUPPORT MATERIALS : Interdisciplinary Artists
Support materials will be reviewed by jurors in the relevant disciplines. Submit materials as outlined for the disciplines listed. (If you have questions, please inquire.)

Travel

Residents should plan to arrive at the Center between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. (local time: CST or DST) on a Monday and depart by noon on a Friday.

There are two airports about an hour away: Omaha Eppley Airfield (OMA) and the Lincoln Airport (LNK). At this time there is no public transportation between Nebraska City and either Omaha or Lincoln. In addition, rental cars cannot be returned in Nebraska City. The least expensive option at this time is to book a Nebraska City taxi (currently $90 per trip between Nebraska City and Omaha, taxi reimbursement through the Kimmel Foundation is available). The Kansas City Airport (KCI) is two hours away.

Transitional Residencies

The Kimmel Harding Nelson program gives special support to emerging artists by reserving a number of "transitional" residencies for recent masters degree graduates. The application process is the same for all applicants, however applications from artists in transition following graduation from an accredited degree program are reviewed as a separate peer group.

Nebraska Artist Residencies

The Kimmel Harding Nelson program provides special support to Nebraska artists by ensuring that a number of residencies are awarded to Nebraska artists each year. The application process is the same for all applicants, however applications from Nebraska artists are reviewed as a separate peer group.

Re-Applying

Applicants not awarded residencies may re-apply at the next deadline. (Please note that jurors generally serve for two years.)

Former residents are eligible to re-apply for the session two years after his or her residency. (For example: a resident during Session 1 2008 would be eligible to apply for Session 1 2010.)

Resident Reviews

Following is a sampling of recent comments.

Christopher Jette, composer, kept a blog while here August 10 - 21, 2009

Stephanie Elizondo Griest, writer, 7-week resident April - June 2007 wrote…

Joan Waltemath, visual artist, - week resident Sept. – Nov 2007 wrote…

Ian Williams, writer, 2-week resident in October 2007, wrote…

Josh Goldman, composer, 8-week resident in February-April 2007, wrote …

Sonja Hinrichsen, visual artist, 7-week resident in April-June 2007, wrote …

Jurors

Residency awards are based upon the recommendations of two jurors who independently review support materials (without names attached) submitted by applicants. Jurors normally serve for two years. Current and past jurors include the following artists and artist/educators.

Music Composition
Ken Bales
Ivan Elezovic
Cynthia Folio
Darlene Mitchell
Koji Nakano
Samita Sinha

Visual Art
Kimberly Cridler
Aaron Fine
Martha Horvay
Bonnie O'Connell
Gary Rattigan
Larry Roots
Amy Ruffo
Susan McGilvrey

Writing
Liz Ahl
Royal Eckert
David Groff
Greg Kosmicki
Steve Langan
Jill Patterson
Lee Ann Roripaugh
Mary K. Stillwell

Residency Application Form

Please download our current 2-page application as either a Microsoft Word document or a PDF document.

You may download Adobe Reader for free to view and print the PDF file.

Lincoln Mayor's Applicants

Beginning in 2009, in cooperation with the Lincoln Arts Council and the Kimmel Foundation, two special awards for emerging artists working in Lincoln, Nebraska, will be granted annually. The Lincoln Mayor's Kimmel Foundation Award includes a two-week residency at the Kimmel Harding Nelson Center for the Arts and a $1000 stipend. The awards will go to one emerging visual artist and one emerging writer. Only artists working in Lincoln, Nebraska, will be considered. Jurors for these awards will be selected by the Lincoln Art's Council.

The LMA application requires no application fee and must be postmarked by the March 1 deadline. To apply for the Lincoln Mayor's Kimmel Foundation Award, download the application at one of the following links: LMA Application as a Microsoft Word document or LMA Application as a PDF document. Follow the instructions on the application: see the checklist at the bottom of page 2 of the application. You will find instructions for support materials for your discipline in the Application Guidelines on this web page (above).

You may download Adobe Reader for free to view and print the PDF file.