The Base Residency is an immersive, two-week residency experience at Base in Seattle. The program encourages movement-based artists to explore new and risk-taking ideas, expand on existing ones, and/or take time to deepen their artistic practice or creative work. Priority will be given to artists who can commit to making full and extensive use of their time at Base. 

Selected artists will receive:

• Two weeks of 24-hour access to Base’s 2,000 square foot rehearsal/performance space with kitchenette and private bathroom

• Artist fee of $2,000

• Freedom to involve collaborators and technical/design elements

• Access to professional lighting, sound systems, and video projector

• Six hours of technical support from Base Technical Director

• Marketing/documentation support, including professional photography and videography

• Creative and/or professional development consultation and mentorship

• Travel and lodging for three artists (plus one collaborator each) located outside of the greater Seattle area

• Local transportation support

Each residency includes an Entry Point—a public event shaped by the resident artist that invites the community into an aspect of their practice. Entry Points may take many forms, including conversations, artist talks, work-in-progress sharings, screenings, exhibitions or installations, performances, community meals, and other opportunities to invite audiences into the artist’s creative process.

The 26-27 Base Residency is curated by Berette S. Macaulay and Juliana F. May. Learn more about this year’s curators here.

Curators will select a total of seven Base Resident Artists for the 2026-27 season, including:

• Four artists from the greater Seattle area. We define the greater Seattle area as: Seattle, Tacoma, Bellevue, Everett, Redmond, Kirkland, Issaquah, Sammamish, Woodinville, Edmonds, Lynnwood, Mountlake Terrace, Mukilteo, Arlington, Renton, Kent, Auburn, Federal Way, Puyallup, Gig Harbor, and SeaTac.

• Three artists from outside the defined greater Seattle area, and within the United States. National artists will also receive fully-funded travel and lodging, including flights for up to two artists and lodging for up to two artists in Georgetown, Seattle, within walking distance to Base.

Since 2016, the Base Residency has provided more than 40 residencies to artists at all stages of their careers. This program provides an immersive opportunity for artists experimenting in dance, performance and multidisciplinary art to invest in their projects and practices.

To be eligible for this residency, applicants must:

• Be able to receive income in the U.S. 

• Be based in the U.S. in 2027

• Apply as an individual (or on behalf of a small collective) 

• Have creative control and rights of the project and related work 

• Agree to hold a public-facing Entry Point on the final Saturday of their residency 

We strongly encourage intersectionally marginalized artists of all ages who identify as Disabled, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), LGBTQ2SIA+, and/or low-income to apply.

Base staff will conduct an initial review of all eligible applications using the criteria and guiding considerations below. A selected pool of finalists will then be presented to the curators, who will use the same framework for in-depth review, discussion, and final selection.

• Risk & Experimentation: We seek artists who engage in ambitious movement-based exploration that expands their practice or pushes at the boundaries of form.

• Distinct Perspective: We value artists who bring a distinct artistic voice or lived perspective that contributes meaningfully to a dynamic cohort.

• Commitment & Readiness: We seek artists who demonstrate the focus, preparedness, and capacity to make full use of the residency.

• Potential Impact: We look for artists for whom the Base Residency has the potential to meaningfully catalyze their practice, project, or artistic trajectory.

In addition to these criteria, curators will take into account the following guiding considerations:

• Timing, urgency, or significance of the opportunity for the artist

• Feasibility and specificity of the proposed use of Base's resources

• Strength of work samples, including originality, clarity, and craft

• Community-building potential and the artist's approach to exchange, participation, or public engagement

• Access to resources (space, funding, mentorship, institutional support), with awareness of structural inequities

• For national applicants, the potential to foster meaningful exchange between Seattle-based and national artists

• August 10, 2026: Application opens

• September 13, 2026: Application closes at 8:00 PM PT; no late applications accepted

• November 30, 2026: All applicants notified of results

• December 2026: Public recipient announcement

• January 2027 - August 2027: Residencies (click ‘Residency Periods’ below for specific dates)

Strong applications often demonstrate:

• A clear and compelling artistic inquiry rooted in movement and experimentation.

• A specific sense of what the artist hopes to explore, test, or deepen during the residency.

• A thoughtful understanding of how Base’s time, space, and resources could support their practice at this moment.

• Work samples that provide meaningful insight into the artist’s approach, questions, and ways of working.

• A willingness to share aspects of their creative process with others through an Entry Point during the residency.

We recognize that English may not be your primary language. The curators encourage you to focus on the content of your ideas and intentions. Find someone you trust who can give an outside perspective and review your application before you submit.

• Residency 1: Monday, Jan. 11 - Sunday, Jan. 24, Entry Point: Saturday, Jan. 23

• Residency 2: Monday, Feb. 1 - Sunday, Feb. 14, Entry Point: Saturday, Feb. 13

• Residency 3: Monday, Mar. 15 - Sunday, Mar. 28, Entry Point: Saturday, Mar. 27

• Residency 4: Monday, April 19 - Sunday, May 2, Entry Point: Saturday, May 1

• Residency 5: Monday, May 17 - Sunday, May 30, Entry Point: Saturday, May 29

• Residency 6: Monday, June 28 - Sunday, July 11, Entry Point: Saturday, July 10 

• Residency 7: Monday, July 26 - Sunday, August 8, Entry Point: Saturday, August 7