Roman Witt Residency

The Roman J. Witt Residency Program at the University of Michigan Stamps School of Art & Design, in partnership with the U-M Museum of Art (UMMA), offers artists a 20,000 USD honorarium, housing, studio space, and a culminating exhibition in UMMA’s prominent Stenn Gallery. The mission of the residency is to support the production of new works of art at the University of Michigan. Open to both established and emerging artists and designers, the program awards one residency each academic year.

The 2027-28 Witt Residency is organized in partnership with the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA). The residency will culminate in an exhibition at UMMA’s Irving Stenn, Jr. Family Gallery, opening in March 2028.

The 1,200-square-foot Stenn Gallery is a glass-walled, street-facing space on UMMA’s ground floor. Its location and glass frontage offer opportunities for projects that consider public visibility, the movement of people through campus, or the relationship between the museum and its surroundings.

The Witt Residency is open to established artists and designers. Proposals may address any subject or take any artistic or design approach, and should explain how the project would respond to the Stenn Gallery’s setting and scale. During the Witt Residency, it is expected that the resident actively engages with the students, faculty, and public of the broader Stamps, UMMA, and U-M communities, through student engagement and public programs connected to the project. Applicants should identify campus connections or resources at the University of Michigan that could support their project, and explain how these might inform its development.

The residency period runs from September 2027 through June 2028. During this period, the selected resident will complete the project with UMMA and Stamps, spending up to twelve weeks in Ann Arbor. Together, the resident and U-M staff will determine the residency schedule, checklist details, installation approach, and programming.

Recent Witt artists-in-residence include Conrad Egyir (2027, in partnership with the U-M Institute for the Humanities), Holly Bass, (2026, in partnership with UMMA), Stacey Kirby (2025, in partnership with Stamps Gallery), and Machine Dazzle (2024, in partnership with UMMA).

Proposals for the 2027–28 Witt Residency Program can be submitted through January 25, 2027. The Witt Residency program’s application process is conducted using the online review system SlideRoom. A nominal $15 submission fee applies, which goes directly to SlideRoom for providing hosting services.

For more information, visit stamps.umich.edu.