Photo of Nicole Eisneman working at desk in Fallingwater living room at night

Artist/Scholar-In-Residence

A program of the Fallingwater Institute

Fallingwater has always been a place for inspired thinking. When Edgar Kaufmann, jr. donated Fallingwater and surrounding property to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy (WPC) in 1963, he envisioned Fallingwater not only as a place where visitors would come to experience great architecture, but also as a place where a deeper experience of art and nature might occur. In a letter dated October 14, 1963, Kaufmann said, “This gift is made in memory of my parents, Liliane S. and Edgar J. Kaufmann; their wish, in which I join, was that the great natural beauty and architectural excellence of the property which they developed might be more fully available to interested scholars and lovers of nature and the arts.”

Each year, Fallingwater Institute honors the vision of Edgar Kaufmann, jr. by welcoming visiting artists, scholars, and creatives of exceptional talent to live, study, and work on our historic site located in Pennsylvania’s scenic and remote Laurel Highlands. 

About the Residency 

Fallingwater serves a symbol of possibility and innovative thinking. Likewise, Fallingwater Institute’s residencies begin as an exploratory process, where creatives follow their curiosity. After their stay on site, residents are invited to submit proposals for residency outcomes such as exhibitions, installations, education programs, performances, and more.  

As a delayed-outcome model, we encourage residents to treat their stay(s) as an incubator and establish long-term connectivity. Some project outcomes may include, but are not limited to exhibitions, presentations, courses, collection interventions, artwork, and publications. All outcomes can be executed in partnership with staff, collaborators, or supported through time on Fallingwater’s campus. 

  • Exceptional access to Fallingwater and Bear Run Nature Reserve
  • $1,000 stipend, in recognition of your time spent working toward an educational outcome
  • On-site housing (Housing is available only for the artist or scholar and does not include family members or colleagues.) Fallingwater is fully open to the public from March to December.
  • 24-hour studio access, with a fully equipped wood shop and basic artist materials (Fallingwater does not have a digital media lab.)
  • A stocked pantry, meals
  • Transportation to/from Fallingwater. This includes flight, rental car, train trip, bus fare, and/or gas mileage and toll reimbursement.
  • Invitation to propose a final residency outcome such as an exhibition, installation, performance, workshop, lecture, publication, etc.

Contact

To learn more about becoming a resident or to discuss the application process, please contact Senior Director and Curator of Education, Ashley Andrykovitch, at [email protected]. 

Eligibility

Fallingwater Institute’s residency program welcomes applications from established and emerging scholars, visual artists (all media), performers, creatives and professionals of any field who create original work. Preference is given to residency proposals that present new and unexpected facets of Fallingwater and/or its setting and engage the visiting public.

Resident opportunities are available to individuals and collaboratives, emerging and established artists, national and international, creatives (all media), scholars, and professionals of any field (i.e. technologists, educators, librarians, culinary personnel, scientists, social media creators, translators, comedians, florists, etc.) who have demonstrated a strong work history. Undergraduate students are not eligible. We look for trailblazers, deep thinkers, and curious people who are interested in activating Fallingwater and engaging the general public with their ideas.

Application

The online application requires the following information:

  • Statement of Intent:Please describe your work, what you intend to achieve while in -residence at Fallingwater, and how Fallingwater might serve as an essential source of inspiration, resource or part of your creative process in no more than two pages.
  • Three Work Samples: The online form will accept pdf, doc, docx, png, gif, jpg, and jpeg and includes instructions for submitting alternate file types. The form includes instructions for submitting alternative file types.
  • Resume/CV
  • Biographical Statement: No more than one page in length.
  • Preferred Residency Dates:We are currently accepting applications for residencies in 2028.

Previous Participants

CURRENT RESIDENTS

  • 2026 Artist-in-Residence, Pei Ling Kao
  • 2026 Scholar-in-Residence, Eric Lidji
  • 2026 Scholar-in-Residence, Ayad Rahmani

 

PAST PARTICIPANTS