Jerome Early Career Printmakers Residency at Highpoint
Three artists are selected annually to participate in the Jerome Early Career Printmakers Residency at Highpoint. Thanks to the generous support of the Jerome Foundation, this program has existed since 2003 and has served more than 50 early career printmakers. The year-long residency begins in September and features an exhibition in June.
GENERAL INFO:
Jerome Residents at Highpoint Center for Printmaking receive:
Twelve months of access to a state-of-the-art printshop
Technical support from the residency coordinator
Storage space for tools and materials
Use of inks and standard shop supplies
$500 credit toward Highpoint classes and/or individual instruction
Group discussions and critiques
Group exhibition and public reception at the end of the residency
Professional digital documentation of the exhibition
$3,500 stipend
Recording of informational session
Timeline:
June 24 - Applications due
July 12 - Applicant notification
September 3 - Residency begins
June 13, 2025 - Exhibition opens
July 19, 2025 - Exhibition concludes
December 31, 2025 - Residency concludes
Eligibility:
The Jerome Residency program is open to emerging Minnesota printmakers who already possess training in one or more traditional printmaking techniques, and can provide original examples of such work. An “early career” artist is defined here as an artist with a record of creating and exhibiting original work, yet has not received consistent development and production opportunities and significant recognition, awards, and acclaim regardless of age or recognition in other fields.
The Jerome Foundation’s ultimate goal is to support the artistic and career development of early career generative artists that exercise ultimate artistic control in creating new works and who demonstrate:
Imagination and rigor in their practice and production of new work
Technical proficiency and a high level of craft
Compelling and distinctive vision and authentic voice
Connection to intended audiences/participants
A self-awareness of their place in the creative practices and artistic communities in their field(s)
Innovation and creative risk-taking
Exploration of and challenges to conventional artistic forms
Critical inquiry of creative practice within their field and their arts community
Applications are not accepted from artists who are also enrolled in degree-granting programs at the time or application or who will be students during the grant period. Highpoint, the independent panelists, and the Jerome Foundation reserve the right to review and determine applicant status as early career.
Highpoint and the Jerome Foundation are committed to equity in the Minnesota arts landscape. We recognize that historically, access and opportunity for artists have not been fairly distributed. We ask our panelists to be mindful of these potential disparities when evaluating the applications.
To be eligible, artists must illustrate proficiency in at least one traditional printmaking technique (intaglio, lithography, screenprinting, monoprinting, or relief). Priority will be given to artists who have had little or no opportunity to work in a professional, non-academic printshop environment.
Residents will be required to observe Highpoint’s studio policies, guidelines, and etiquette as well as the conditions outlined in the Jerome Resident Contract. Artists are also expected to give a brief gallery talk during their exhibition. Artists may not be a student during the residency period. Minnesota residency must be maintained during the entire program. In addition, applicants must have resided in MN for at least one year prior to the residency start date (September 1). Highpoint Center for Printmaking provides equal opportunity to all individuals regardless of race, national origin, color, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, or disability. Artists from communities which have been underrepresented within the co-op at Highpoint including but not limited to persons identifying as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color are strongly encouraged to apply.
APPLICATION PROCESS:
NEW FOR 2024 - applications will be accepted only through Submittable. Please follow the directions on submittable to complete your application. The following materials/information will be required?
Image Sample - 15 examples of artwork made within the last 5 years
At least 10 of the images must incorporate (one or more) printmaking technique(s)
lithography, monotype, intaglio, relief, screenprinting, letterpress, etc.
Images must be clear and professionally presented
Detail images will count against the allowable total of 15
Applicants are allowed to submit up to 2 videos in their image sample
Title, medium, and dimensions are required for each submitted image
Artist Resume - maximum 2 pages
Statement of Artistic Practice - maximum 2 pages written or 4 minutes spoken (video)
For helpful information about preparing your application materials, click here.
Selection Process:
Applications will be evaluated based on the artistic merit of the artwork and on the artists’ dedication, interest, and potential with printmaking as well as the quality and clarity of their plan for the residency. A panel of two professionals including artists, curators, and/or arts administrators will first view the materials of each applicant independently while using a rubric to score each application. Then, the panelists come together for an in-person image review and deliberation during which they select the Residents. The rubric scores do not necessarily determine who is offered the residency, rather they are simply a tool to help the panelists record their thoughts and enable us to provide direct feedback to applicants.
The rubric that panelists will use to evaluate the applications uses the following criteria, these are largely based on the Jerome Foundations goals (listed above in the ELIGIBILITY section):
The submitted artwork is effective, visually and otherwise
The submitted artwork demonstrates understanding/command of the media and technique(s) used and/or the submitted artwork successfully employs the media/techniques used
The submitted artwork demonstrates an authentic, well-considered conceptual foundation
The statement of artistic practice demonstrates an understanding of the content found in the artwork
The application demonstrates a capacity for growth (visually, conceptually, professionally)
The application demonstrates motivation and dedication to capitalize on the opportunity the Jerome Residency provides
Following the completion of the review process, each applicants’ rubric scores and notes will be made available to them upon request.
THe printshop:
Highpoint is the premier community-access printmaking workshop in the Upper Midwest. The 10,000 square-foot, ADA compliant center is fully equipped to support all forms of intaglio, relief, lithography, and screenprinting.
For more information visit the facilities page on this site
