We believe artists of all practices and educational levels are uniquely able to provide new perspectives on solving challenging social and civic issues.

This workshop will help you understand how to apply for the inaugural Civic Artist in Residence program cohort. In this program, three artists in residence will collaborate with three LFUCG departments (Environmental Quality & Public Works, Finance, & Social Services) to reimagine how they work and engage with the public.

We hope this program will create new approaches for how the city engages with the public. We will encourage projects that bring marginalized community voices into city decision making and find creative solutions to problems or “stuck” aspects of how the city works. We want this program to benefit city government by celebrating city employees' labor and helping departments communicate more effectively.

The residency runs from June 01, 2021, through July 31, 2022. Selected Artists will receive a stipend of $15,000 as compensation, up to $1,500 for materials or other expenses, and be provided an office/workspace. Artists will be expected to be present and engaged for approximately 15 hours per week. Final time commitments will be worked out depending on artists’ outside employment and city/project calendars.

To qualify, you must be 18+ years of age; live, work, or practice primarily in Fayette County; and complete a background check (Note: past felonies are not an automatic dismissal). In alignment with our goal of bringing marginalized community voices into city decision making, artists with direct lived experience in these communities will be given preference.