International Artist Residency 2026
Are you or someone you know interested in a residency with fellow artists in the high Himalaya? Art for Change is now seeking applications for the 10th International Artist Residency in June 2026 in Ladakh.
PLEASE NOTE: Application are open only to international participants. Application for Indian national artists will open on 12 PM, March 15, 2026.
The Art for Change International Artist Residency is an intense 2-week opportunity for ten international artists to live, learn, and create art alongside Indian artists in a collective exploration of the 2026 residency theme: Making sense of Technology and our Humanity. AI, robotics, computer-generated imagery that can create ‘deep fakes,’ 3-D printing, cloning and other medical interventions are just a few of the advances that have burst on the scene over the last several years transforming nearly every sector of human experience, understanding, and enterprise. We are living in an era that has increasingly been described as a ‘post-human’ and even ‘trans-human’ age—where the systems and technologies within which human beings must operate take primacy over consideration of the human being itself. What could be a more timely topic for the 2026 Art for Change International Artist Residency!
The residency will be based in the city of Leh in the region of Ladakh, India which lies deep in the Indian Himalayas, on the western edge of the Tibetan plateau, to the north of Kashmir. Ladakh is dubbed ‘Little Tibet’ due to strong cultural and historical ties with Tibet. It is also called ‘the land of high passes,’ as Ladakh is one of the highest plateaus in India, situated between the Himalayan and Karakoram mountain ranges featuring vast empty spaces of desert-like rugged beauty. As the 19th century European Romantics found, immersion in nature and ascent to the mountains—the ‘high places’—provides not only renewal and fresh perspective but an experience of transcendence and the sublime that can reconnect us with ‘the spiritual’ in profound and transformative ways. Choosing Ladakh as the location and local context to explore the question of technology is very intentional. Given its geographical isolation, low population, and overwhelming rugged beauty Ladakh is untouched by the rapid technological advancements reshaping society in urban centers elsewhere. Ladakh is a site ideally suited to gaining perspective, to contemplate the nature of technology (in all of its complexity) and how it is shaping us and how we live.
In addition to these fundamental issues the residency will take up questions like: What benefits—and dangers—does technology, and recent advances in AI, for example, present? To individuals? Humanity as a whole? The ‘world’? What opportunities, what pitfalls? What is our relationship with technology to be? What is our definition of progress? Technology, to what end? Does technology solve and/or create problems? How do we think about technology in a context of overwhelming natural beauty? And where these questions perhaps point us: Ultimately, what does it mean to be human? How do we hold on to what is essential to who we are as human beings and our ‘flourishing’ in an increasingly technologically oriented—and directed—world? What about artists and their work as ‘creatives’ and ‘makers’? How is technology affecting the nature and future of art and artists in society? In addition to site visits, the program invites resource people who have explored these subjects, speaking through their personal and professional experiences to foster dialogue and fruitful conversations and feed the artists’ work in studio throughout the residency.
While considering these thematic directions, the program brings together artists to interact, share, and build connections with each other, to receive professional mentorship, take part in critical intercultural conversations, daily reflections, and through this process make artwork that will be exhibited in a culminating exhibition open to the public at the end of the program. Rachel Hostetter Smith (Gilkison Distinguished Professor of Art History at Taylor University, USA), who has led international intercultural artist programs in places as diverse as Indonesia, South Africa, China, and, previously, with Art for Change in India on several occasions, will serve as a residency mentor, guiding our engagement with the region and residency theme, and curating the exhibition. International participants will have a couple of days of orientation in Delhi before joining the national participants for the residency in Ladakh.
Residency Theme: Making sense of Technology and our Humanity
Dates: June 10 - 29, 2026; Cultural Orientation for International Artists June 11-12 in Delhi
Place: Based in the city of Leh, Ladakh, India [TBC]
Leh is located at an altitude of 3,520 metres (11,500 feet). We will take all recommended measures to ensure proper acclimatisation. Participants must provide medical clearance from their doctor and sign a liability release for Art for Change and all program leaders.
Fee (inclusive of everything except travel to and from Delhi, India): $1800/person
The residency fee covers all expenses for the 19-day program, including cultural orientation in Delhi and Ladakh and 2 weeks in residence in Leh. It does not include the round-trip Delhi–Leh flight (about $200). Accommodation is usually twin-sharing; a private room incurs an extra cost. Basic art materials are provided, though specialized equipment or materials may require an additional fee.
Deadline for application from international artists: 12 PM (IST) February 15, 2026
PLEASE NOTE: Application are open only to international participants. Application for Indian national artists will open on 12 PM, March 15, 2026.
Scroll down for the application
Distinctives
International! Located between Mussoorie and New Delhi, India. Explores issues and ideas in a local context with a global relevance.
Inter-cultural! Seven international artists working alongside seven Indian artists, resulting in life-long learning and friendships.
Educational and Challenging! Emphasis on coming together as learners, collective exploration and creativity along a given theme.
Professional! A competitive residency, run by established local arts organization, working with highly-skilled professional artists, ending with a professional gallery exhibition.
Purposeful! Requirement is to simply be yourself: an artist, open to learning, open to others. Everything else flows from that. Collectively we ask: What does it mean to be an artist? What does it mean to be human? How can art shape society for the common good?
Application to Art for Change’s 10th International Artists Residency in June 2026
What Artists have to Say About it
Two weeks that could last a lifetime!
“The Art for Change residency was unique in its ability to bring artists from diverse backgrounds together, mix things up and let things blossom. Beginning with museum and gallery visits in Delhi, a thrilling bike tour of the city to the breathtaking beauty of Mussoorie, with hikes through the landscape, it was a dream like experience. It was a truly unforgettable and enriching time, leaving most of us hungry for more!” - Sono Kuwayama. New York City, 2023 participant.
“I recommend the Art for Change residency for any creative who wishes to be transformed by a culturally rich adventure. Learning from experts in a variety of fields related to our theme helped focus inspiration. Creating new works in a community of international artists was exhilarating. Interacting with our neighbors and introducing many of them to the idea of an art show was heartwarming. Our group of artists quickly became a family, and most of us still keep in touch via Zoom and WhatsApp. I want to apply again someday.” - Dan Cooper, Indianapolis, 2020 and 2025 participant.
“I believe my experience last year in India was one of the most profound experiences of my life and I am so very grateful for it.” - Kimberly Hocking, California, 2017 participant.
“Art for Change was the perfect residency for me! It offered an incredible opportunity to connect with amazing artists from India and around the world. The structure of the program allowed us to explore the vibrant local art scene while getting to know each other's practices, fostering a sense of community and collaboration.
One of my favorite moments was chai time—it was the perfect opportunity for a heartfelt check-in, and I found it to be a source of inspiration. My artistic practice truly blossomed during this experience, and I am so grateful to the team for creating such a welcoming and invigorating environment. This residency has left a lasting impact on my work, and I couldn’t recommend it more!” - Liz Braid, Australia, 2020 participant
“Living and working alongside artists of so many different backgrounds, practices, and life stories provided pathways for growth in the way that I understand the world and our global art community.” - Betsy Melchers, Budapest, Hungary, 2018 participant
“Doing life with these people, especially the Indian residents, caused us to grow closer together, and go from simply ‘co-residents’ to friends. Another aspect of these formed relationships was the artistic ‘mirror,’ meaning that by getting so close to these other artists—seeing their work, watching them work, their process, hearing them talk about work—became a clear indicator of how ‘other’ you were in comparison. At times this was scary (“I don't know if I fit in here....”), but in the end it was very validating.” – David Hicks, Indianapolis, 2018 participant