Union Hall Arts Residency: A Pilot in Detroit
Detroit, Michigan, August 3 – 28, 2026
- APPLICATIONS DUE MAY 15, 2025: APPLY NOW!
- Sponsoring Union Nomination Form
The UNITE HERE Education and Support Fund (UHESF) is investing in the latent creativity that exists within unions and adjacent working-class communities.
This summer, we’re teaming up with Talking Dolls Studio to pilot a Detroit-based art residency for 4-6 aspiring artists who are rank-and-file union members. This pilot prioritizes non-professional artists but is also open to cultural workers who can demonstrate an interest or intention for creative practice beyond the scope of their primary employment.
This pilot requires a four-week union leave of absence to provide union members time to develop their voice and creativity. We are offering a stipend to participants to make that time away from work financially feasible. The residency will build leadership by nurturing the imagination and confidence of rank-and-file members while fostering connections across union affiliation and social difference.
Re-igniting Imagination and Sharing Skills
The residency will support knowledge exchange among participants with emerging creative practices: training, skill-building, presentations, demos, workshops, prototyping/testing, creative/artistic exploration, curriculum training, studio time, studio visits, fieldtrips, discipline/medium exploration (music/sound, recording, clay, printmaking, multi-media installation, performance, writing, fiber, video/photography, carpentry, publication, metal work, mural making, etc.), feedback/critique, exhibiting.
Participants will:
- Move between the practical and the imaginative with hands-on studio training and experimental learning
- Build community and shared strategies with fellow members from a range of unions
- Gain exposure to historical approaches, contemporary strategies and novel creative ideas
- Learn individual and collective creative practices informed by the values and history of the union movement
- Use skills and discoveries to share in the field to aid active and future worker-led campaigns
Participants will be paired with mentors from within the movement and adjacent artist communities to maximize support and solidarity.
Compensation
Participants will receive a $4,000 stipend. This is a full-time commitment, requiring a leave of absence from work for the duration of the residency. Please contact your union for questions about union leave options and protocols.
Nomination and Selection Process
Participating unions are encouraged to nominate members for consideration. The Union Hall Residency Committee will choose candidates with a goal of creating a cohesive cohort that represents a diverse set of voices within labor.
The deadline to apply is May 15, 2026.
Expectations
- Participants are expected to participate in all aspects of the program. This is a full-time, in-person commitment to your craft and creativity, requiring you to be in Detroit and on a leave of absence from work for the duration of the residency, so you can be a part of daily studio time, workshops, field trips, and other activities.
- Participants must adhere to a code of conduct that is consistent with our union values of solidarity.
Eligibility
Candidates must be:
- a union member in good standing or part of an active union organizing drive
- 21 years old with a valid driver’s license
- have a sponsoring union that will handle employer and travel arrangements (if applicable)
You do not have to be a “professional” artist to apply, but you MUST be able to demonstrate through application materials (photos, video, audio or written material) a creative passion, emerging practice or existing body of work that you hope to further explore through the residency.
How to apply
- Applicants must submit a personal video or written statement, plus ten images of their work.
- Sponsoring unions are required to complete a Nomination Form on behalf of each residency candidate (download form here), sharing any special artistic or leadership skills the candidate has demonstrated, and how the candidate would contribute to the program. Upon completion, this Nomination Form must be sent to your applicant for inclusion in their application materials.
- Click here to submit an application.
Become a Mentor or Trainer
We are building a community of artists who will support emerging voices in our movement and each other. In that spirit, we seek established creatives and arts educators interested in mentoring artists in residence and/or leading workshops and trainings.
Please contact the UNITE HERE Education and Support Fund at [email protected] for more information.
Union Hall Arts is a Project of the UNITE HERE Education and Support Fund (501c3)
275 7th Avenue, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10001
Contact us at [email protected]