Queensland Ecologies
Queensland Ecologies, Sunshine Coast
Building on the success of SCCA’s Think Big 2032 Artist Residency, Queensland Ecologies, Sunshine Coast responds to the need for large-scale engaging artistic projects in readiness for Brisbane 2032.
Open to mid-career and senior interdisciplinary creatives based on the Sunshine Coast the residencies encourage working in collaboration with other regional Queensland practitioners.
With access to UniSC technology resources and producing support, two six-month residencies will connect local and regional peers in the co-development of project concepts with relevance to Brisbane 2032 opportunities.
Dec 2026 - Jun 2027
About the residency
Over the course of six months (including presentation), the artist will develop a new project exploring. Through SCCA’s partnership with UniSC, the artist will have access to UniSC's state-of-the-art resources, including:
The Maker Space, Queensland’s first MIT-accredited Fab Lab, ideal for prototyping and digital fabrication
CAVE2, a 320° advanced visualisation tool enabling immersive experiences with visual and audio content
The Creative Ecologies Research Cluster (CERC), an emerging hub for interdisciplinary research at UniSC that is shaping new approaches to creative practice.
The successful artist will also receive:
$8,000 artist fee
$2,000 towards production materials
These residencies are designed to encourage experimentation with new technologies and is supported by UniSC’s academic staff. Access to resources and expertise will be tailored to the artist’s project and needs. This is not a studio-based residency, and on-site presence at UniSC is flexible.
Towards the end of the residency period, the successful applicants will be required to present the outcomes of their residency in a showcase to festival presenters, arts venues, and outdoor/site-specific event programmers seeking distinctive Queensland works, as well as future investors.
Application Process
SCCA Refinery Artist Residency | Queensland Ecologies, Sunshine Coast is by application only. Application form is found here.
Applicants must be residents of the Sunshine Coast Council LGA.
Applications must include:
2 page CV
examples of previous work provided as a PDF
overview of why you’re interested in participating in the program.
Applicants are encouraged to clearly articulate how the proposed project considers place and impact elevating regional stories to a global audience.
Successful applicants will commence onboarding in Dec 2026.
What are we looking for?
Applications will be assessed based on the following criteria →
Merit: The vision of the project concept and the capacity of the artist to realise this concept and engage creative specialists and collaborators.
Viability: The application demonstrates a clear process for delivering the project and an understanding of how they can use the resources available through the residency to evolve or extend their practice.
Impact: Potential for the residency to impact the artist’s practice and their capacity to engage audiences in new ways.
Program fit: Project alignment with the level of resources and support on offer.