Even prior to creating a formalized program, residencies have been a cornerstone of our mission. Before adopting the name Pioneer Works, our founding team proposed the "Museum of the Working Artist." While the name didn’t stick—the ethos did. We are deeply committed to providing emerging artists and musicians with a space to work, tools to create, and a platform to exchange ideas.

Each September, we select residents through an open call. Aided by a jury of experts and Alumni Residents, Pioneer Works welcomes those whose work is technically-skilled, genre-defying, and visionary. We also embrace those whose work exists outside the models and “norms” of their field and who will benefit from our unique facilities and culture. As such, Pioneer Works shifts and evolves to reflect the interests and work of each new cohort of residents, from public education offerings to Second Sundays, a monthly forum of artistic experimentation through activations, open studios, and performance.

All residents who complete the program join our ever-growing alumni network and are tapped for future opportunities like teaching, partnerships, and other public programs.

Residencies at Pioneer Works are supported by Dalio Philanthropies. They are also supported in part by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in Partnership with the City Council, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Residencies at Pioneer Works are offered in cooperation with the Finnish Cultural Institute New York and CUNY Brooklyn College.

The 2027 Open Call for the Visual Arts and Music residencies is now open. The deadline to apply is July 13, 2026.

For answers to frequently asked questions, please visit this link.