This is a statewide partnership residency program that places artists in short-term project-based residencies throughout the state of Alabama. ACAC works with partner sites across the state to place relevant projects and practices into underserved areas and research driven residency programs that tie to localized histories, community needs, and areas of specific interest. Projects pose a driving research question they hope will be answered by their time in residency and include at least one proposed public facing event or outcome.
Selected AIRs receive a $500 per week stipend for food and travel + a $1,500 honorarium at the end of the residency for the completion of a public-facing outcome. Additional support for materials is sometimes awarded based on the proposed project. 3 week award total: $3,000
During the residency, ACAC schedules site-visits (if geographically possible) and zoom check ins, and offers artist support and feedback in the form of critiques as their work develops, assists with community connections and research, facilitates public facing programming, staffs and aides in technical labor as needed, and promotes outcomes and deliverables.
Partnership Sites act as the onsite liaison, providing thought leadership and assisting with physical needs for use of space, identifies stakeholders, helps foster community connections, and provides a presenting venue for outcomes and deliverables.
2025-2026 PARTNERS
Mikki McKenzie
Coleman Center for the Arts
York, AL
Through her residency, Micheala “Mikki” McKenzie will hold the “The Black matriarch” archetype in the light. She will create a dance film woven with interviews, photographs, and fragments of memory all collected from local leaders and matriarchs in the York community.
Will Truran
Mobile Medical Museum
Mobile, AL
William Truran has built an archive that documents how waste shapes environments across regions. The Mobile Medical Museum offers Truran an opportunity to study and map a new context with distinct cultural and economic patterns, revealing how medical consumption creates unique material signatures.
Banks Compton
Pride of Atmore
Atmore, AL
Artist Banks Compton will work with the community of Atmore to create a mural rooted in local narratives, symbols, and stories. The project will engage residents of all ages and skill levels in a collaborative mural that depicts local wildlife, landscapes, and landmarks, standing as a vibrant reminder of the community’s interconnectedness.
Soynika Edwards-Bush
Wallace Center for Arts & Reconciliation
Harpersville, AL
Soynika Edwards-Bush will paint new portraits to be placed within the grounds or community of the Wallace Center depicting community members from the past, present and future. This project engages conversation about the South and its history, culture, and traditions.
Applications are now closed. Please check back for 2026-2027 opportunities.
Project proposals must be submitted using the form at the link above to be considered. Questions about this process may be emailed to info@alabamacontemporary.org.
This program is generously supported by
