Event History
In December 2021, 1708 purchased our building – a former storefront space on Broad Street in Richmond’s downtown Arts District with apartments on the second and third floors. This was an important milestone in our plans to develop an international artist residency program that will expand our current mission to empower and support diverse artists’ voices. For the full residency program, live/work spaces will be developed on the second and third floors to provide artists with time, space, and resources to develop new ideas and refine existing ones. The pilot program was launched September 2024 and has since had 9 artist residents. 1708 had more than 150 people apply to participate in the initial pilot. For this cycle we extended our radius from 500 miles to 600 miles.
What Makes this event different?
1708 will provide a FREE private living/working space that includes: A large open room with north facing windows, a full kitchen, three bedrooms/office, 2 full bathrooms, and a washer and dryer; a $1250 monthly stipend; access to basic equipment and supplies; AND assistance planning and facilitating a public program to take place during the residency. One of the longest-running nonprofit arts spaces in the US, 1708, founded in 1978, is conveniently located within walking distance of several arts organizations and institutions in Richmond, Va., including Virginia Commonwealth University, VCU Arts' ICA, Visual Arts Center of Richmond, the Black History Museum and Cultural Center of Virginia, and many art galleries. Located on Broad Street, the residency is situated in an urban environment with immediate access to public transportation, shops, libraries, restaurants, and cafes. Throughout the year, visitors to Richmond are attracted to its unique festivals like the Watermelon Festival, and 2nd Street Festival; historical tourist attractions like the Poe Museum, and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts; and the James River Park System. Richmond also boasts over 30 craft breweries and is recognized as a top craft beer destination nationally.
Image Usage Rights
Images of SELECTED candidates and their work will be used for promotional use only on 1708's social media accounts, e-newsletters, and website.
In its third year of the pilot Artist Residency Program, 1708 Gallery is looking for artists located within a 600-mile radius of Richmond, Virginia, USA, who are working towards a specific outcome and willing to provide us feedback from their experience to participate in our pilot program. The pilot residencies are 2 months in length running from November 2026 through August 2027.
1708 provides free of charge a furnished apartment that includes a windowed north facing front room, full kitchen, 1 master bedroom with bath, 2 smaller bedrooms or offices, a hall bathroom, a washer and dryer, utilities, wifi internet, and basic equipment and supplies (dishes, toiletries, etc.). 1708 also will provide a $1,250 monthly stipend and assistance to the artist to plan and facilitate a public program to take place during their residency.
The residency is located on the second floor of 1708’s building at 319 W. Broad Street in Richmond’s downtown Arts District. The pilot will help 1708 further define the full vision for its future program, which will expand our mission to empower and support diverse artists’ voices.
While the application is open to all levels of experience, we’re especially interested in candidates with previous residency experience who can provide informed feedback to help us shape our future program. Additionally, the specific details and size of the space make the pilot residency especially well-suited for collectives and/or artists with families.
We are currently looking to fill four time-slots for the 2026-2027 season:
- Session 1: Nov. 6 - Jan. 8
- Session 2: Jan. 22 - Mar. 19
- Session 3: Apr. 2 - Jun. 4
- Session 4: Jun. 18 - Aug. 13
