Best Art Residencies in Mexico

Pocoapoco

Oaxaca de Juarez, Mexico

Pocoapoco is a cultural organization located in Oaxaca de Juarez, Mexico, focusing on contemporary arts, social practices, and transcultural dialogues. The organization hosts five-week residencies from September to April each year, fostering an environment for international and local residents to think, work, discuss, and collaborate. The program emphasizes shared practice and dialogue, aiming to support and connect individuals, ideas, and practices to catalyze social discourse, understanding, and change. Residents at Pocoapoco include a diverse range of participants, from social and cultural workers to fine artists, musicians, and researchers, all engaging in active observation, dialogue, and reflection. The residency facilitates interdisciplinary exchange through meals, conversations, and presentations. Additionally, the program integrates activities that require residents to share their work with the public, enhancing both personal and communal development. The residency program is bilingual (English and Spanish) and includes housing, meals, workspace access, and photo documentation of work. It uniquely operates on a sliding scale fee system to accommodate a wide range of financial capabilities, reflecting Pocoapoco’s commitment to accessibility and community engagement.

Casa Lü Sur

Mexico City (Tlalpan), Mexico

Casa Lü Sur (formerly El Sur) is an artist-run residency in southern Mexico City, providing spacious private studios, comfortable accommodations, and a structured program for visual artists and writers. It fosters collaboration among small cohorts of 5-6 artists through critical dialogue, curated activities, and connections to Mexico City's art scene. Sessions run 26-40 days, with limited fully funded and scholarship options available.

Casa Lü Parque

Mexico City, Mexico

Casa Lü Parque is an artist-run visual arts residency in Mexico City near Parque Hundido, founded in 2017. It provides dedicated studio space, accommodation, and engagement with Mexico City's contemporary art scene through weekly critiques, cultural outings, studio visits with local artists, and a final group exhibition. The program hosts small cohorts of 5-6 artists and emphasizes sustained practice and experimentation within an active cultural context.

Arquetopia Foundation

Puebla, Mexico

Arquetopia Foundation is an award-winning, multiple award-winning nonprofit arts and academic foundation with a significant social scope and global presence across three continents. Now in its 14th year, Arquetopia is dedicated to promoting critical thinking, a commitment to ethics, and a sense of reciprocity in artistic practices. It offers customized, professional International Artist-in-Residence Programs that are renowned worldwide for their comprehensive, research-based approach, focusing on social creativity. Arquetopia's residency programs, situated in Puebla and Oaxaca in Mexico, Cusco in Peru, and Naples in Italy, are tailored to provide a vast array of learning opportunities. These programs are distinguished for their commitment to sustainability in the arts, fostering research and critical thinking in creative processes. Arquetopia's model challenges preconceived notions of history and place, encouraging artists to engage with local epistemologies and resistance models as sources of knowledge and inspiration for social change. The foundation emphasizes ethical artistic practices, acknowledging the problematic ties of artist residencies to colonization, imperialism, and the extractive practices of tourism. Established in 2009 as an autonomous and registered Mexican nonprofit, Arquetopia is self-sustaining, unaffiliated with any political, religious, or war industrial entities, relying on its self-generated funding model. The foundation was co-founded by Mexican visual artist and curator Francisco Guevara and North American classical musician Chris Davis. Originally started as an educational art center for inner-city youth, it quickly evolved to offer international artist residencies. Arquetopia stands out for its array of unique residency programs with substantial mentoring, focused on professional artists, writers, academics, and researchers. It provides a generous and culturally diverse space, hosting artists and scholars from all over the world, aiming to enrich the global arts community with a multiplicity of perspectives.

MADE Creatives in Residence

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

MADE (Creatives in Residence) is an international artist residency program located in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. The program focuses on community building, advancing creative ideas, and providing exposure and engagement opportunities for artists. MADE believes in the power of social thinking and doing, offering artists the chance to be part of a creative community in the historic colonial city of San Miguel de Allende. The program emphasizes engagement as essential to growth and supports artists' beliefs and values while providing a unique cultural immersion experience in Mexico.

KOIK Contemporary

Mexico City, Mexico

KOIK Contemporary is an independent art space, curatorial platform, and artist residency founded in 2021 in downtown Mexico City. Dedicated to fostering experimental practices, artistic research, and transdisciplinary dialogue, KOIK works closely with emerging and mid-career artists from Mexico and internationally. The residency operates as a one-on-one program culminating in a solo exhibition at their gallery space. Their curatorial focus spans environmental, political, and social themes, including migration, identity, memory, and gentrification.

Radio28 Creative Studios

Mexico City, Mexico

Radio28 Creative Studios, nestled in the vibrant heart of Mexico City, offers a unique artist residency program designed to nurture creativity and foster connections among artists from various disciplines. This residency is a haven for creatives seeking to dive deep into their work, supported by personalized mentorship from established artists, designers, and curators. Participants are immersed in the local art scene through guided tours of galleries, artist-run spaces, and museums, and receive both technical and conceptual support as they develop their projects. The residency culminates in a group exhibition, showcasing the fruits of their collaborative and individual efforts. Facilities include a shared kitchen, bathroom, library, and access to a comprehensive wood workshop, mold making and casting workshop, and printmaking workshop, ensuring artists have everything they need to bring their visions to life. With three program periods offered throughout the year, Radio28 is a dynamic platform for artistic experimentation, offering a rich schedule of activities and access to state-of-the-art facilities. This residency is an opportunity for artists to expand their practice, engage with a new community, and explore the cultural richness of Mexico City.

Cobertizo

Jilotepec, Mexico

Cobertizo residency, designed for both individual and duo art projects, offers a professional workspace and a community focused on artistic exchange and reflection. The four-week program in Mexico includes hosting, transport, meals, and professional mentorships from artists and curators. Residents also benefit from a trip to Mexico City, exploring diverse art spaces and galleries. Cobertizo's open call accepts eight residents per period, with applications reviewed by the Cobertizo team. Facilities include private bedrooms, individual studios with wifi, communal areas, and support for project realization. The program culminates in an Open Studio event, showcasing residents' work to the local community, former residents, and art scene professionals. While transportation to Cobertizo is covered, plane tickets are not included. The residency fosters critical mentorships, dialogue, and immersion in Mexico's vibrant art scene.

SOMA

Mexico City, Mexico

SOMA is a renowned Mexico City-based non-profit organization, established by artists to foster cultural exchange and art education. Since its inception, SOMA has been dedicated to stimulating dialogue among artists and cultural agents from diverse generations and nationalities. This is achieved through a comprehensive array of programs including courses, workshops, practical sessions, critique sessions, and public events. At the heart of SOMA’s philosophy is the encouragement of experimental and formative artistic practices. The organization provides a platform for artists willing to rethink and challenge their working processes. Critical thinking about individual and collaborative projects, within a peer group, plays a fundamental role in SOMA’s educational approach. The organization questions existing structures and fields where artistic practices occur, aiming to cultivate a community of practice that shares knowledge and responsibilities. SOMA's educational programs are characterized by their bilingual nature, being conducted in both Spanish and English, accommodating a diverse international cohort. The organization's commitment to interdisciplinary approaches is evident in its varied curriculum, which addresses the intersections of art with other fields of knowledge and society. Located in the vibrant context of Mexico City, SOMA acts as a social laboratory, where the centuries-old multicultural metropolis becomes a central space for personal and collective artistic exploration. Through its focus on collaboration, SOMA not only nurtures the development of its participants' artistic endeavors but also contributes to the broader cultural landscape, making it a pivotal institution in the global art community.