421 Artist Residency Program 2026

The Residency Program supports creative practitioners with work that requires studio space, and who are looking for time and space to experiment. The five-month program takes place from February to July and July to December 2026 in the artist studios at 421 Arts Campus, MiZa. Designed for the creative community at large, the residency is multidisciplinary in focus and is open to practices in visual arts and curation, design and technology, music, literary arts, culinary arts, performance and theater, and other creative disciplines. The residency program prioritizes free experimentation without the pressures of a final outcome, but rather a focus on rigorous process and studio use. The residency will bring together three successful applicants for each cohort of the program. 

Eligibility

The Residency Program is open to all disciplines. Additionally: 

• Applicants must be over 21;
• Disciplines include, but are not limited to, Visual Arts and Curation, Design and Technology, Literary Arts, Music, Culinary Arts, Theater and Performance;
• Applicants should not be enrolled in a degree program at the time that the residency takes place.
• Ability to commit to a sustained studio practice. 

The residency includes:

• Private studio space;
• Stipend/per diem
• Production budget 
• Living space for accepted residents not based in the UAE; 
• Round trip travel for accepted residents not based in UAE; 
• Travel expenses; 

This program is open to all creative practitioners in the West Asia, North Africa and South Asia regions.

Past participants include:

Jumaanah Alhashemi, Christopher Benton, Auguste Nomeikaite, Adrian Pepe, Farah Soltani (NYUAD MFA Artist Residency Fellow), Shama Al Hamed, Yousif Abdulsaid, Reem AlHashmi, Moza Almazrouei, Tamara Barrage, Khaled Esguerra, Utsa Hazarika, and UT-R Studio (Tasnim Tinawi and Uthra Varghese).

This program originates from our former Homebound Residency Program, one that is no longer running as we shift to an in-space approach at our new artist studios. 

Past Homebound Residency Program participants include: 

Raghvi Bhatia, Nihal Faizel, Ayesha Singh, Fatma Belkis, Khaled Alwarae, Yara Asmar, Roger Mokbel, Bariya Collective, Chahine Fellahi and Kais Aiouch, and Salem Al Suwaidi.