AMP: Artists' Meeting Place and Resource Collective

from Franklin Furnace

EFA is a nonprofit organization located in Manhattan’s Garment District, dedicated to supporting artists and fostering contemporary art through affordable studio spaces, exhibitions, educational programming, and professional development opportunities. The EFA Studio Program is home to 95 artist studios and the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop, a collaborative workspace serving a vibrant community of printmakers.

Address: 323 W 39th Street, New York, NY 10018

Please find the details for both opportunities below.

a. EFA Studio Program: New Membership Application

Application Deadline: December 1, 2026

Application Period: October 1 – December 1, 2026

Location: Midtown Manhattan, New York, NY

Application Fee: None

Opportunity Description

The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts (EFA) invites visual artists to apply for membership in the EFA Studio Program. Located in Midtown Manhattan, the program provides professional artists with subsidized private studio spaces, opportunities for curatorial engagement, and a supportive community of fellow artists.

Artistic excellence is the primary criterion for acceptance. Applicants are evaluated by an independent panel of five artists and art professionals through an anonymous review of work samples and supporting materials.

Selected members receive a private studio for up to two years, with the possibility of renewal through reapplication. Studios range from 200 to 440 square feet, with 11-foot ceilings and 24/7 access to the building. Subsidized monthly studio fees range from $634 to $2,022, depending on studio size, configuration, and demonstrated financial need. An additional monthly membership due of $80 applies.

Eligibility

Visual artists working in all media are welcome to apply. The program is intended for artists with an established studio practice and a developed professional career. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or legal U.S. residents for the duration of their membership and cannot be enrolled in a degree-granting college or university program.

Artists must be able to work within the building’s practical limitations, which exclude certain practices involving large or heavy sculptures, some types of metalwork, high noise levels, or fire risks. Applicants must live within commuting distance of Manhattan.

Application Requirements

Applications must be submitted online and include:

Work samples: Either eight images or a five-minute video accompanied by four images.

Image and video list: Titles, dates, media, dimensions, and applicable descriptions.

Current résumé.

Explanation of work: A statement of 250 words or fewer describing the submitted work.

All submissions are reviewed anonymously. Applicants selected as finalists will be invited to interview and asked to provide additional materials, including references, a statement of intent, and financial documentation for those seeking subsidized membership.

All applicants will be notified of their application outcome in March 2027. Selected artists are expected to move into their studios by May 1, 2027.

Submit your application online through EFA’s application portal.

For complete eligibility details, submission guidelines, and program information, visit the EFA Studio Program website.

and

b. MOMUS x EFA SHIFT Residency 2027

Application Deadline: December 15, 2026

Application Period: November 1 – December 15, 2026

Location: Midtown Manhattan, New York, NY

Application Fee: None

The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts (EFA) is launching a new iteration of its SHIFT Residency in partnership with Momus, focused on the productive intersections between artistic practice and critical writing. The six-month program will bring together four New York–based practitioners whose practices move between visual art and art criticism—artists who write, or writers who make art—to explore the ways these disciplines can inform and challenge one another.

The cohort will convene at EFA Studios under the mentorship of Ajay Kurian, a New York–based multidisciplinary artist, writer, and founder of NewCrits. Through studio access, seminars, and conversations with visiting professionals, residents will foster cross-disciplinary exchange and develop new critical frameworks that privilege dialogue and exchange over evaluation, and experimentation over fixed definitions. At its core, the residency creates space for reflection, mutual support, and the collective development of language around artistic and critical practices.

Residency Schedule

NOVEMBER 1, 2026 Application opens

DECEMBER 15, 2026 Application deadline

MARCH 2027 Finalists notified & interviewed

JULY–DECEMBER, 2027 Residency Period

DECEMBER 2027 Culminating Project

ELIGIBILITY

Artists who write, or writers who make art.

Applicants must be based in New York and able to commit to being in person over the course of the residency.

Applicants must also commit to participating in all public programming related to the Residency. Applicants must not be enrolled in a degree-granting program during the residency period.

Must be 24 years or older at the beginning of the residency.

Click here to apply.