Textile Arts Center

TAC AIR combines studio access with a rigorous interdisciplinary curriculum, regular critical dialogue and mentorship, providing residents an opportunity to learn and explore the textile medium, and an alternative to traditional higher education programs. The residency culminates in a group exhibition produced and hosted by TAC. Since 2010, TAC AIR has graduated over eighty artists and designers whose work continues to further textile art within the fashion, fine arts, design and art education fields.

Program Details

Program Activities

Faculty

Facilities & Benefits

Tuition & Scholarships

Application & Selection Process

FAQ

Over the course of 9 months, TAC AIR residents delve into a full curriculum of technical classes, textile history and conservation and professional development. Ongoing critical dialogue, allows residents to gain a greater awareness of their practices and contextualize their work within contemporary and historical textile art.

October–December: Play

The first 3 months are a time for play and exploration, learning new techniques and getting acquainted with a studio practice in this particular setting. Curriculum will include master classes on technical development, such as weaving, machine knitting, natural dyeing and surface design treatments, as well as professional development topics such as social media, marketing and photography.

January–March: Research & Concept

Starting the New Year, residents dive into research and development of their final project for the exhibition. Curriculum will include seminars in textile history, conservation, and contemporary craft theory, as well as writing workshops. At this time, residents are introduced to their personal mentor, with whom they will work one-on-one to help guide the development and completion of their personal project. At the end of this period, residents are expected to present formal project proposals for the final exhibition.

April–June: Project Creation

The last portion of the program is dedicated to project creation and professional development. Seminars are based in personal writing reflection, grant writing, art law and material sourcing. Each cycle culminates in a formal critique, where it is expected that residents present matured concepts and work for the final exhibition.

Classes, critiques and mentorship are facilitated by some of today’s leading textile artists, designers, curators and arts administrators. A sampling of guest critics, lecturers and mentors include:

Sarah Scaturro / Gina Gregorio / Pascale Gueracague / Grace Bonney / Tara St. James / Sabrina Gschwandtner / Rebecca Kelly / Sarah Byrd / Annie Coggan / Carin Kuoni (Vera List Center) / Alexa Winton (Parsons) / Marci McDade / Liz Collins / Elana Herzog / Elissa Auther / Shannon Stratton / Erin M Riley / Pascale Gatzen / Natalia Nakazawa / Carolyn Sickles / Samantha Bittman / Carlos Motta / Misha Kahn / Kiva Motnyk / Mary Ping / Sarah Jimenez / Bill Carroll /Annie Larson / Doug Johnston / Sarah Zapata / LJ Roberts / Chloe Bass / Nina Katchadourian / Paolo Arao / Dexter Wimberly / Caroline Kaufman / + more

Studio Facilities

24/7 access to personal 8’ x 8’, well-lit space. Each space has 3 full walls, including shelving, as well as a “tack” wall.
24/7 access to TAC studio and equipment (includes floor looms; home and industrial sewing machines; knitting machines; drying rack; utility sink; dye lab for natural and synthetic dyes; dryer; steamer; screen printing facilities which include 3 yardage tables, large exposure unit and washout booth

Additional Benefits

Access to resources and fiber arts community
Exposure through TAC marketing and social media
$750 worth of free classes at Textile Arts Center, followed by 30% off all additional classes taken

Tuition

The tuition of Textile Arts Center’s Artist in Residence Program is $10,000 per resident, split into the following payment plans:

$1000 upon acceptance (June, 2021)
$9000 due on the first week of October, 2021

$1000 upon acceptance (due June 17, 2021)
$2000 due on the first week of October, 2021
$790 monthly from October 15, 2021 through June 15, 2022

Scholarship

The Textile Arts Center is committed to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion in all its programs. The TAC Artist In Residence Scholarship will support one artist or designer who demonstrates commitment to their art practice, identifies with a historically underrepresented community in the arts and states the need for financial assistance to participate in the program and advance their artistic practice. Applications for the scholarship are submitted along with the program application.

TAC AIR Scholarship is made possible from donations of TAC AIR and WIP alumni and instructors’ work, WIP workshops and by TAC.

Eligibility

We are looking for artists and designers at all career stages, working in textile/fiber media or looking to explore and develop a new body of work in this medium. Eligible applicants must be 21+ years old and have good English proficiency. We encourage international artists to apply, but applicants are responsible for all necessary VISA arrangements and fees.

Application

Application fee: $25 (Early Bird, application submitted by March 1); $35 (applications submitted by March 22)

All applications must be submitted digitally through Slideroom by March 22, 2021

Application URL: https://tac.slideroom.com/#/permalink/program/59438

Selection Process

The selection process is led by a committee of Textile Arts Center’s staff, as well as professionals working in different fields of textile arts.

Selection criteria include:

Quality of work
Clear plan on work to be created during time of residence
Desire to work within a strong community

Selected applicants will be asked to come in for an interview.

Application Calendar

Application Dates for Cycle 13:
February 1- March 22, 2021

Interviews:
Mid-April, 2021

Notification of Acceptance:
Mid-May, 2021

Next Cycle Dates:
Cycle 13: October 2021-June 2022

What is the TAC AIR application process?

Applications for Cycle 13 of AIR open on February 1, 2021. All applications must be submitted electronically through the online platform by the deadline, March 22, 2021.

You will need to write about your work, interests and experience, and —most importantly—your desire for participating in the program. Additionally, you’ll be required to submit a portfolio of 5-10 high-resolution images of your best work that most relates to what you hope to accomplish during the program.

If you experience any issues with the online application platform, please contact isa@textileartscenter.com by March 14 in order to answer your questions in time. Please do not wait until the last minute.

Is there an application fee?

For AIR Cycle 13, there is an application fee of $25 for application submitted by March 1, 2021; and a fee of $35 for applications submitted by March 22, 2021.

Do you accept international applicants?

Yes! In the past we’ve had several international artists move to NYC for the duration of the program. TAC can offer some guidance and support for your VISA application, but residents are responsible for all VISA arrangements and fees.

Is there any degree requirement to apply?

There is no degree requirement to apply to TAC AIR and we encourage applicants from all backgrounds.

What’s the selection process?

All applications will be reviewed by a jury committee made of TAC staff, and professionals working in different fields of fiber arts. After the first round, selected applicants will be contacted for an interview. Interviews will be held during the month of April. Candidates will be contacted by mid-May with their acceptance status.

What are interviews like? Who conducts them?

Interviews are typically about 30-40 minutes, and are conducted by Kelly Valletta and Isa Rodrigues, TAC Co-Executive Directors. Applicants should be ready to discuss their work, their reasons for wanting to participate in the program, and what they hope to accomplish creatively and professionally.

What if I am not in NY and get invited for an interview?

We strongly prefer that candidates be able to have an in-person interview, but definitely understand that this is not always possible. In these cases, we will schedule a video call interview. We do not hold phone interviews in order to be able interact with you in some way and get to know you.

If I’m accepted for TAC AIR, what is needed upon acceptance?

Accepted applicants must notify TAC of their official acceptance to be part of TAC AIR no later than June 1st. At this time, you will be required to sign the AIR Contract and submit a tuition deposit of $1000.

Are there any financial aid options available?

The Textile Arts Center is committed to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion in all its programs. The TAC Artist In Residence Scholarship will support one artist or designer per cycle who demonstrates commitment to their art practice, identifies with a historically underrepresented community in the arts and/or states the need for financial assistance to participate in the program and advance their artistic practice. TAC AIR Scholarship is made possible from donations of TAC AIR and WIP alumni and instructors’ work, WIP workshops and by TAC.

Since only one artist per cycle will recieve the Residence Scholarship, we encourage applicants to begin researching third-party funding by the time of application, including artist grants, loans, credit, or others.

Here is a brief list of some places to look for grants and resources:

Additionally, we encourage and support residents to organize their own crowdfunding campaigns.

What kind of time commitment is the AIR program?

We expect that accepted residents make the program a priority for the full cycle. It is an intensive professional development program that will take a lot of focus, work, and time. We believe the investment in you and your work makes it worth this level of effort and attention.

However, we do know life goes on and NYC is a tough place to survive and be creative. We want this program to work for artists and designers as a complement to their lives – not remove, isolate, or bring them down. We absolutely accept candidates that have full or part time jobs.

Critiques and class times are twice per week, generally totalling to about 6 hours per week. Monday evenings are critique nights, while class evenings are usually on Thursday evenings or weekends. This can vary throughout the cycle based on instructor availability. Residents are updated on dates far in advance, and given a calendar to work around.

We expect and recommend that residents spend about 15-20 additional hours per week in their studio on their work. Residents have 24/7 access to their studios, so weekends and late nights are okay.

Have a question for an AIR alum about their experience?

Here’s a few you should feel free to contact:

If you still have questions, feel free to email Isa Rodrigues.

Applications for TAC AIR Cycle 13 are now closed. We will announce the new cohort later in the Summer.

Current TAC AIR Cycle 12 Artists

Clare Hu

Clare Hu is an interdisciplinary artist working in textiles, digital collage and sculpture. Hu's practice investigates the evolving landscapes and liminal spaces in the suburbs of Georgia. Her works often involves the use of collage and layering material and imagery from fragmented memories. Utilizing themes of permeability and repetition, Hu analyzes what it means to come to terms with a place - both familiar and foreign. Clare holds a BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and is a recent fellow at the Hambidge Center.

Elaine Shen

Elaine Shen is a textile artist and designer from the Bay Area, currently based in Brooklyn. Fueled by a passion for all things knit and print, her work explores themes in domestic relationships and bodily feelings and often takes the form of objects to be worn on the body. Her interest in objects for the body is rooted in the belief that the way we dress our bodies is more often than not a reflection of our internal and external relationships. Color and pattern has always played a large role in her textile expression and her favorite color is chartreuse. She holds a BFA in Textiles from Rhode Island School of Design.

Elizabeth Tolson

Elizabeth Tolson is an Artist and Educator who uses the language of textiles to create narratives about the female body. Her soft sculptures are reminiscent of body shapes and her patterns explore ideas about the body. Elizabeth holds a MFA from Parsons School of Design and a BFA from Alfred University. She has participated in residencies at Trestle Projects, Chashama’s ChaNorth, Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild, Open Wabi, and ProjectArt at the Bushwick Brooklyn Library. Exhibitions include the Textile Arts Center, Local Projects in Queens, NY, Target Gallery in Alexandria, VA, and Cuchifritos Gallery, NY. She is currently based in Brooklyn where she is Part-time Faculty at Parsons School of Design and a Lead Teaching Artist at Brooklyn College Community Partnership.

Emily Small

Emily is a multidisciplinary artist and curator from Northern California. Her work is concerned with the tensions between universal and local grief. She plays with semiotic theory and 'camp' to form aesthetic themes drawn from a fascination with apocalypse narratives. Emily was recognized by The Rhode Island School of Design as a distinguished graduate in 2018 for her textiles practice. Since then she has worked at Free People and Yowie. She is a founding member of Dollhouse Philly, a DIY arts initiative in Philadelphia. She is also a current MA candidate at Columbia University for Modern and Contemporary art history, critical and curatorial practices.

Francisco (Echo) Eraso

Francisco (Echo) Eraso is a colombian-american interdisciplinary fiber artist, writer and performer. His work navigates the overlaps of trans liberation, decolonizing latinidad and disability justice through magical realism and the color gold. He has received a BA/BFA in Visual Studies and Fine Arts from Parsons, The New School. He is currently an Artist in Residence at the Textile Arts Center. His work has been presented at a variety of venues including The Flux Factory, Franklin Street Works, The Sheila C. Johnson Gallery among others. Francisco currently lives in Brooklyn and works as an administrator and organizer for Third Root Community Health Center.

Jeanne F. Jalandoni

Jeanne F. Jalandoni is a painter and textile artist based in Uptown Manhattan. She holds a BFA in Studio Art from New York University. In 2019 Jeanne was a Real Art Ways Grant Recipient and a recipient of the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council Creative Engagement Grant. In 2018 she was an artist-in-residence at 36 Chase & Barns Residency (North Adams, MA).
Jeanne combines painting and textile to parallel her perception of her Filipino American identity. By referencing food, national symbols, historical and ancestral archives, Jeanne invites viewers to question bicultural tangibility. Utilizing various elements in her work allows her to explore the multicultural layers of Filipino identity as well as challenge and edit any predetermined characteristics of Filipino American identity.

Jessica Elena Aquino

Jessica Elena Aquino is a Chicanx interdisciplinary artist from Santa Ana, CA. She draws from cultural iconography, memory and mythology and overlaps them with the mediation on Latinidad and labor. Aquino earned her B.A from Colgate University and MFA at the PA Academy of the Fine Arts. Her work has been exhibited at Pilot Projects, Da Vinci Art Alliance; PAFA, Vox Populi, and Anna Zorina Gallery. She has won numerous awards such as the Alumni Council Award and the Murray Dessner Travel Grant.

Ryan Scails

Ryan Scails is a multidisciplinary artist based in Brooklyn, NY. His work examines the nuances of materiality within the built world and how intentional shifts in details can give humans context in ways that confront the limits of our bodies. Currently, at TAC he’s studying conditional objects and reestablishing them as dressed sculptures that suggest both care and precarity. By using fiber to create hyper-specific structural relationships, his recent works highlight the resolution of material conflicts in a manner that leans heavily on the sequential and spiritual harmony of physical labor. This fall, Ryan will be a resident at the John Michael Kohler Arts Center for the Arts/Industry program in Sheboygan, WI.