Artist Residency
Sunshine Coast Ecologies
Building on the success of SCCA’s Think Big 2032 Artist Residency. It responds to the need for engaging, region-specific artistic projects ahead of of Brisbane 2032.
The residencies are open to mid-career and senior interdisciplinary creatives based on the Sunshine Coast. Applicants are encouraged to consider collaboration opportunities with other regional Queensland practitioners.
Two six-month residencies are on offer, and the successful artists will have access to UniSC resources and producing support through the UniSC Creative Ecologies Research Cluster.
Dec 2026 - Jun 2027
About the residency
The successful artists will have six months to develop a new project. Through SCCA’s partnership with UniSC, the artists 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
These residencies are designed to encourage experimentation with new technologies and are supported by UniSC academic staff. Access to resources and expertise will be tailored to the project and individual needs. This is not a studio-based residency, and on-site presence at UniSC is flexible.
Near the end of the residency, the successful artists will present the outcomes of their residency at a showcase for festival presenters, arts venues, programmers of outdoor and site-specific events, and potential investors seeking distinctive Queensland work.
Application Process
These residencies are by application only.
Application’s can be made 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 December 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.
This project is presented by SCCA through The Refinery in partnership with the Creative Ecologies Research Cluster at UniSC and supported by the Queensland Government through Arts Queensland and Sunshine Coast Council’s Arts and Heritage Levy and the Regional Arts Development Fund (RADF) in partnership with the Queensland Government.