Creative in Residence at the Children’s Museum of Richmond
The Creative in Residence (CiR) this year will focus on creating a mural on a wall inside the Chesterfield museum location. We are open to using various mediums. The selected candidate will lead creative workshops and art activities for children and families as well as participate in events. This individual should be passionate about the role creativity plays in early childhood education and eager to engage the public with their skills. The CiR program creates opportunities for children and families to observe and interact with art and an emerging or professional creative.
If you have questions about the program or application process, please reach out to Hera Bogdanos at hbogdanos@cmorva.org.
Main Objectives
- Introduce children and their caregivers to the endless possibilities of creativity and investigation through a Process Over Product approach to making.
- Increase accessibility to art for young children and inform caregivers how creative activities can be translated to a home environment.
- Introduce creative programming that supports STEAM and school-readiness goals for children and reinforces the museum’s mission of learning through play.
CiR Expectations
- Must be able to provide your own transportation to both museum locations:
- Richmond: 2626 W Broad St, Richmond, VA 23220
- Chesterfield: 6629 Lake Harbour Dr., Midlothian, VA 23112
- Schedule and complete a total of 80 hours of residency; the majority occurring within regular museum hours (9:30-5:00 Tues-Sun), with each shift lasting a minimum of 2 hours.
- Program components include a mix of open studio hours, facilitated workshops, demonstrations at both museum locations, 2 Sensory Friendly evenings, and a Meet the Artist Day at the culmination of the residency.
- Actively engage both children and adults during each program component.
- Work with the Art Studio Coordinator to set up a balanced schedule that enables museum visitors to understand and participate in the medium as the project progresses to the final deliverable.
- Once a schedule is set and promoted, show up on time and maintain the schedule; notifying the Coordinator in a timely fashion if alterations need to be made.
- Maintain accurate time records.
- Participate in all relevant staff training and briefings.
- Final project will be completed at the Chesterfield location.
Definitions of each program component outlined below:
Open Studio Hours – CiR will be creating one final installation that will be displayed on a specified wall in the Chesterfield Museum. During open studio hours, the CiR will actively work on developing this final project in the studio while engaging children and caregivers.
Workshops – CiR will develop and lead open-ended activities that align with their work/medium. These workshops are interactive–emphasizing process over product–and museum guests can create something that can be taken home.
Demonstrations – CiR will plan and lead demonstrations of their process for public viewing, including any visual illustrations of processes that are not able to be demonstrated and signage.
Sensory Friendly Nights – CiR will host two workshops or demos during monthly Sensory Friendly Nights that will be adapted to meet the needs of children with disabilities. Sensory Friendly Nights are held on the third Friday of the month from 5-7 pm.
Meet the Artist Day/Unveiling – In Chesterfield, the CiR will reveal their final project with a short presentation and then the floor will be open for questions and comments about the artwork, residency experience, and more. This will be followed by a Meet the Artist Celebration. Artists from partner organizations will be invited to join and also lead simple, hands-on art activities or creative demonstrations for young children (ages 0-8). At Downtown, there will be an unveiling another day with just the presentation.
Art Studio Materials – Throughout the residency period, with support from the CMoR Education Department, art supplies and parent tip-guides will be made available to museum guests inside the Art Studio for children to explore an aspect of the CiR’s medium and learn about the CiR.
Communications – All CiR activities will be promoted on community and arts organization calendars, CMoR’s website, to email subscribers, on social media, and inside the museums. A press release will be made for the CiR Meet the Artist event and unveiling of the final project events.
CiR will receive:
- Stipend of approx. $3,500 to be distributed in two sums during and upon completion of the 80-hour residency.
- Materials stipend for Artist and Art Studio Coordinator to provide supplies/equipment for workshops and the mural, to be agreed upon but not to exceed $2,500.
- Travel stipend of approx. $250.
- Open access to the museum art studios during regular museum hours (Tuesday – Sunday, 9:30am-5pm) as well as limited access on Mondays when CMoR is closed and after-hours periods due to the location of the final project mural wall in a public space at the Chesterfield Museum
- Opportunity to develop and implement a creative educational program around your personal practice.
- Opportunity to showcase your work publicly and create in collaboration with the museum’s guests.
Selection Process
The Creative in Residence will be selected by a committee organized by the Children’s Museum of Richmond. Decisions will be based on proven experience working with children and caregivers, artistic merit, and relation to themes of community art, culture, identity, family, and play in the proposed project. The museum encourages creativity and innovation, however, work must not contain or require dangerous/toxic materials, heavy machinery, or materials otherwise not suitable for use by children. All applicants will be notified of a decision once the selection process has concluded. The Children’s Museum reserves the right to interview candidates and observe instruction before making a final decision.
Please Note: Due to the sensitivity and requirements of working with children, the selected applicant MUST clear a background/criminal check prior to their residency acceptance.
Timeline
- March 9: Application Opens
- April 6: Application Period Ends
- May – June: Top 3 Applicants Identified, a 30-minute demonstration by each applicant.
- June: 2026 Creative in Residence Identified
Residency to occur between July 1 – September 30, 2026.
Past Creatives
William Tatum – 2024
William Tatum was the Children’s Museum of Richmond’s 2024 Creative-in-Residence after the pandemic caused a hiatus. He is an illustrator, printmaker, and bookmaker and provided printmaking workshops during demos at the Downtown and Chesterfield locations.
Nastassja Swift – 2019
Nastassja was the Children’s Museum’s first Creative-in-Residence in nearly two decades, providing art workshops and demonstrations for families at all of our museum locations. Her sculptures, Tickled Pink, were made using traditional wool felting techniques to create a permanent art feature in the museum that encourages laughter and joy.
