"When young people have the opportunity to engage in another artist’s practice, they don’t become that artist — they become themselves."
– Lily Binns, author and producer
Despite the many films, images, and stories designed for young people, due to the constraints of age and access, precious little art and culture is genuinely created with young people. What would an artistic landscape informed by the real experiences of young people look like?
About the Program
Founded in 2017, after a year of research into peer initiatives, Usdan’s Artists in Residence program takes the unique aim of uplifting the creativity, concerns, and experiences of youth in contemporary art making.
Through the program, we invite highly regarded artists — working in a variety of disciplines — to Usdan for residencies that typically span multiple years. During each residency, Artists in Residence immerse themselves in Usdan’s big community of students, faculty, administrators, production staff, and artists, young and old. Artists in Residence spend an initial year conducting creative research inspired by the Usdan landscape and community, followed by two years of direct art-making with Usdan students, who are engaged as equal collaborators in the development of new work. The process is overseen by trusted Usdan faculty and administrators, who collaborate with Artists in Residence to design authentic structures for student involvement.
A Two-Way Exchange
We have found the exchange is enormously beneficial to both our students, whose own artistry flourishes through collaboration with professional practitioners, and to our Artists in Residence, who enjoy rejuvenating access to Usdan’s unique community, natural environment, and institutional resources, while becoming role models and inspirations for future generations.
We ultimately hope that the collaborative works created through our Artists in Residence program are shown outside of Usdan in professional arts settings. In this way, we are working to center and honor the voices of young people — while they are still young people. For adults, this offers the chance to see the future a little faster.
Our Artists in Residence
- Lisa Schonberg (2025, 2026)
- DJ Kool Herc & Cindy "the First Lady of Hip Hop" Campbell (2024, 2025, 2026)
- Avi Amon & Rebecca S'manga Frank (2023)
- Superhero Clubhouse (2022, 2023)
- The Knights (2020, 2021, 2022, 2023)
- International Contemporary Ensemble (2017, 2018, 2019)
- Pedro Lasch (2017, 2018, 2019)
Get Involved
If you or someone you know would like to participate in the Artists in Residence program, please email director@usdan.org.
