REQUIREMENTS

• The initial 70% of the grant will be awarded upon return of signed contract.
• The final 30% will be awarded upon receipt of a final interview and grant report.
• Recipient must acknowledge support from the Center for Craft during residence period by including the line: “Virginia A. Groot Material Exploration Resident at the Center for Craft” in their email signature, website, and/or social media page for the duration of the residency period.

ELIGIBILITY 

Applicants must be:

• 21 years of age or older
• Eligible to receive taxable income in the U.S.
• Be a resident of Western North Carolina (counties include: Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, and Yancey, and including the Qualla Boundary) for at least 2 years and during the duration of the residency.
• Primarily a visual artist working in craft.

Applicants can not be:

• A full-time student in a degree-granting program or its equivalent
• Anyone with a conflict of interest with the Center for Craft, including substantial contributors, current employees, consultants, or board members of the Center for Craft, or immediate family members of such a person
• Previous resident artist at the Center for Craft, including Virginia A. Groot Material Exploration resident, WNC Center for Craft resident, or Virginia A. Groot Craft Futures resident
• Current recipient of any Center for Craft grant or fellowship
• Primarily literary, performing, or other non-visual artists.
  

REVIEW PROCESS

A panel of reviewers, who are recognized craft artists, scholars, and /or curators, free of any conflict of interest, will evaluate the applications. The 8 applicants with the highest cumulative scores will then be reviewed by the Center for Craft staff, who will select four applicants to interview and check references before determining who will receive the four Residency opportunities.  

Selection Panel

The three-person panel will be selected based on the following:

• Diversity: representing a range of expertise, craft experiences, race, ethnicity, gender,  sexual orientation, and geographic location
• At least one panelist who identifies as an artist, maker, and/or craftsperson
• At least one panelist who is invested in the craft ecosystem of Western North Carolina
• Capacity to review a volume of applications and take part in the adjudication process

All applications will be reviewed based on the following criteria:

• Artistic merit and originality
• Timeliness -  in terms of both the artist's career trajectory and contemporary relevance
• Need - demonstrated need for the time, space, and resources to grow their career
• Demonstrates an understanding of and investment in craft practices

Final Consideration:

In addition to the criteria listed above, the interview and final selection will consider each applicant's willingness to work in a shared setting with a diverse cohort and participate in public engagement events. Ultimately, we will assemble a group of recipients deserving of further recognition, prioritizing diversity and representing a range of materials, perspectives, and communities of practice.

‍HOW TO APPLY 

The Center for Craft welcomes all craft artists based in Western North Carolina to apply. Applicants must apply using the online application program in SlideRoom: www.slideroom.com

All applicants should create a login to complete the application. Before submitting your application, you will be directed to a confirmation page where you can review your materials and return to edit or delete your uploaded files as needed. Once you submit your application, you cannot access your form again. Applicants will receive a confirmation email once the application form has been successfully submitted.  

Deadline:

All applications must be submitted before 11:59 pm February 23, 2026

Please review the sample application below before beginning your application.

Notification: The top applicants will be invited for an interview in March 2026. Final award notification will be sent via email in April 2026. The e-mail address listed on the application form will be used to send notifications. Please be sure that it is a valid account that you check regularly.

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Sample Application

This is only a sample application; all applications must be completed in SlideRoom along with a demographic survey.

Demographic Survey

Please note that we request completion of a demographic survey. The demographic survey data will only be used anonymously. Your participation in this survey helps us and our local and national funders understand who the Center for Craft is reaching so that we can continue to develop equitable and accessible programming. Completion of this survey will in no way affect your application. We require all applicants to complete this form; however, you may answer each question with the “ I prefer not to answer” option.

Cover Sheet

1. Applicant name
2. Applicant email address
3. What Western North Carolina county do you live in?
4. Link to your online portfolio or website
5. Are you able to receive taxable federal income in the U.S. (or U.S. territories) for the duration of the grant period (through August 2026)? For example, having a social security number (ITIN for DREAMers) and a US bank account.

Application Questions

1. Please provide an artist statement (up to 250 words / 1,500 characters).
2. What specifically would you like to work on during your residency, and why is now the right time for this opportunity (up to 250 words / 1,500 characters )?
3. How does your current practice relate to the materials, processes, or histories of craft? (up to 250 words / 1,500 characters)
4. Please provide a portfolio of 10 images of your most current work (created within the previous 5 years). Please submit 10 high-quality images or video clips of your work. Images should feature your work only and not be collages of multiple pieces on a single slide. Video clips should be submitted ONLY if necessary to demonstrate your work. Each clip should be no longer than 1 minute. All images should include a description and photo credit. Please be sure the description includes the title of the work, the year it was made, dimensions (medium, measurements), and how the piece was fabricated. SlideRoom allows up to 1,000 characters (about 250 words) to be included in the "Description" box for your work sample uploads.

Allowed Media Types:

●   Images (up to 10MB each)

●   Video (up to 500MB each)

●   3D Models via Sketchfab

●   External media from YouTube and Vimeo

References

Please list the names, email addresses, and phone numbers for two (2) references.

Please list two (2) people who support your application and who you have known for at least two years. Only references for the top-tier applicants will be contacted.

FAQs 

I just moved to Western North Carolina. Can I apply for the residency?

No, all applicants must have been residents of Western North Carolina (counties include Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, and Yancey, including the Qualla Boundary) for at least two years during the duration of the residency.

May I mail a hard copy of my application materials to the Center for Craft’s office?  

No, hard-copy submissions will not be accepted. The application must be completed and submitted through SlideRoom.  

Can I work on my application and return to finish it later?  

Yes, creating a login account will enable you to complete the form in several online sessions.  

I just submitted my application, but I want to go back and make an edit. Is this possible?

No, once your application is submitted, you cannot return to the form or change any submitted information. The application fee must also be paid at the time of submission, as you will not be able to log in again to access the payment page.  

I can not afford the $10 application fee. May I have it waived?

Yes! Applicants may request that the fee be waived by sending an email to grants@centerforcraft.org with the text, “Please waive the application fee for my Virginia A. Groot Material Exploration Residency application,” along with the name on your application. No additional information is required. To waive your fee, you must first create your SlideRoom portal and access the application through SlideRoom before requesting a fee waiver. Application fees cannot be waived after applications are submitted.

I have a question that wasn’t answered. How can I reach the Center for Craft?  

If you have any further questions, please contact grants@centerforcraft.org