KinoSaito Artist in Residence Open Call 2026

The KinoSaito Residency Program is a studio and residency program designed to provide artists with the space and time necessary to focus concentrated attention on any part of their practice they feel is ripe for development. For this A.I.R. Open Call program, we will host two artists for a one-time four-week session to be held November 8 – December 6, 2026. The aim of this program is to ensure that practicing artists, their ideas and their energy will be a constant presence at KinoSaito. 

When Kikuo Saito and Mikiko Ino purchased this property and the much-treasured school building in 2014, they dreamed that it would one day serve as a space for artists to work, play, experiment, and collaborate. The KinoSaito Studios give artists the freedom to work every day in a quiet setting free from outside demands and responsibilities.

Each selected artist will be awarded a generously proportioned 900 sf studio located at KinoSaito in Verplanck, NY with large windows and high ceilings, a loft living quarters, a kitchenette, and a private bathroom for the duration of their residency. KinoSaito provides a $1,500 stipend to the accepted artists to use at their discretion for living costs and supplies during their residency. KinoSaito is not responsible for providing meals, art supplies or other materials to resident artists. Regular open studio events invite visitors to talk with artists and see works-in-progress. 

The selected artists will be chosen by a jury of arts professionals based on the quality of the submitted work, and the artworks’ alignment with KinoSaito’s mission.

Who May Apply

• Artists working in all mediums may be accepted.
• Artists are required to be available for the complete residency period of November 8 – December 6, 2026.
• Artists must be able to transport themselves and their supplies to and from the residency site.
• Open to professional working artists only. Currently enrolled students are not eligible.
• Artists who do not follow submission guidelines exactly will not be considered. 

Submission Materials

To be considered for the 2026 KinoSaito Residency Program, the following must be included in your submission:

• Contact Information: Please include artist’s name, email address, residential address, phone number, and website
• Artist Statement: Please attach your Artist Statement as a pdf document. Limit 500 words.
• Artist Bio: Please attach your bio as a pdf document. Limit 300 words.
• CV:Please attach your artist CV as a PDF
• Statement of Intent: Please describe what you plan to work on during this residency. Limit 500 words.
• Artwork Portfolio: Please attach your portfolio as a PDF with  7– 10 images that you feel best represent your artistic practice.  Vimeo Links to video no longer than 3 minutes each can be used in place of images for artists that work in a time-based medium. The file should not be over 10mb. Please label your artwork with Title, Year, Medium, and Dimensions. Supplementary project description limited to 4 sentences if necessary.

Submission Fee: $30

KinoSaito Member Submission Fee: $25 

Timeline

• Deadline to apply: July 5, 2026
• Notification to accepted artists: August 30, 2026

Please contact KinoSaito’s Executive Director, Holly Hobart, at [email protected] with any additional questions.

KinoSaito’s Mission

KinoSaito is an art center rooted in the creation and practice of abstract art and committed to nurturing experimentation in every form and medium. By engaging artist and audience, painting and performance, and learning and play, KinoSaito honors the spirit of its founding muse, Kikuo Saito, and furthers his vision for an interdisciplinary art of making and moving, free of borders and definitions.

About KinoSaito

KinoSaito is a nonprofit interdisciplinary art center established to extend the collaborative and experimental practices of the Japanese American abstract painter and avant-garde theater designer, Kikuo Saito (1939–2016). Located in the newly renovated former St. Patrick’s Catholic School in Verplanck, NY, the center, which had been Saito’s studio, houses two large art galleries, a multipurpose theater/dance/performance space, two studios for a rotating roster of resident artists, a classroom for arts education and public programs, a café, a library, and a bountiful garden.

Over fifty years of paintings, drawings, set designs and other creative output of Kikuo Saito are on rotating display, along with changing exhibitions of contemporary art by resident artists and others whose work intersects with and amplifies the many themes, styles and permutations of Saito’s life’s work. Studios for resident artists ensure that working artists, their ideas and their energy, are a constant presence at the Center. Performances in all forms of theater, dance, new media, and interdisciplinary installations take place within the theater space and throughout the building. An arts education program for all ages, and a series of public programs each season extend Saito’s work as a teacher, mentor and supporter of emerging creatives.