Position Summary: In partnership with the New York State Canal Corporation (Canal Corp.), the Erie
Canal Museum is seeking two (2) Erie Canal Artists-in-Residence for a period of one (1) year. The Erie
Canal Museum is committed to building a diverse and inclusive team. We strongly encourage
members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply.
The Residencies will focus on a year-long creative inquiry into the Erie Canal, reflecting on its past,
contemplating its current condition, and considering its future. These Residencies are for Artists who
wish to engage with the Canal and adjacent Canalway Trails, Canal Corp. and Museum staff, Canal
facilities, New York’s Canal communities, and Canal visitors.
The 2026 Residencies will be dedicated to projects that reflect upon the Canal’s physical,
environmental, and social condition and history; materiality; and context. The Artist’s project must
directly address the Canal.
Applicants shall propose a specific creative visual project for their Residency. Projects may be
journalistic, documentary, representational, or conceptual, and may include and/or be accompanied
by text/writing, but must be able to be exhibited in a gallery setting. The subject of the project shall be
identified by the applicant, but proposals must be a creative inquiry of the Canal and consider a fuller,
more complete account of the Canal’s past, present, and future than what has traditionally been told.
The applicant shall identify their target audience(s) and how their project will be shared with that
audience and with the public-at-large. While studies of Canal communities are encouraged, the Canal
and its context must be central to the project. Projects may focus on key areas of the Canal or the
entire system. The New York State Canal System includes 524 miles of navigable waterways. Artists
should consider that scale when developing their proposal.
For more information about the Erie Canal Museum, visit: Erie Canal Museum. For more information
about the New York State Canal Corporation, visit: Canal Corporation - New York State Canals.
Artist Stipend: The total funding for each Artist for the one-year Residency is $10,000, which will be
paid in (4) equal quarterly payments.
Residency Structure: Two (2) Artists will be selected for Residencies in 2026. The NYS Canal
Corporation will facilitate introductions and connections to Canal Corp. staff and access to Canal
facilities as needed.
Artists must engage with the public. The two (2) selected Artists will participate in two (2) joint panels
discussing their work. One panel will be a brief introduction in early 2026 during a program
concluding the 2025 Erie Canal Artist Residencies, and the second one in early 2027 in coordination
with an exhibit. Artists must also develop, in collaboration with the AIR partners, at least one (1)
additional public-facing event during the course of the Residency for the public to engage with and
understand the Artist’s process.
While a project must be proposed as part of the application, a final work plan will be required by
March 1, 2026. Each Artist’s project should include work that can be displayed in a gallery setting. Artists may incorporate text and other media into their work. It is intended that final products from
the Residencies will be used to develop a joint exhibition at the Everson Museum of Art and catalog in
early 2027, as well as add to the Erie Canal Museum collection.
In consultation with the Artist, project organizers will retain work(s) from the project, as well as the
right to publish, with prior Artist approval, selections from the project.
Throughout the Residency, the Artist, Erie Canal Museum, and Canal Corp., will have regular virtual or
in-person check-in meetings to assist in project development.
It is expected that the Residency is a part-time commitment for the Artist.
Location: The Artists shall focus on the New York State Canal system which includes the Erie,
Oswego, Cayuga-Seneca and Champlain Canals, and the Erie Canalway Trail. A workspace is not
included in this Residency.
Artist Stipend: The total funding for each Artist for the one-year Residency is $10,000, which will be
paid in (4) equal quarterly payments. Up to an additional $2,000 per artist is available for
reimbursement for production of a final product, which will be displayed at the Everson Museum of
Art and added to the Erie Canal Museum collections.
About the AIR Partners: The Erie Canal Museum, located in downtown Syracuse, New York, collects
and preserves Canal material and provides engaging educational experiences that champion an
appreciation and understanding of the Erie Canal’s transforming effects on the past, present and
future. Established in 1962, the Erie Canal Museum shares 200 years of Erie Canal history through
interactive displays, original artifacts, and public programs.
The Canal Corporation runs the New York State Canal System, which includes the Erie, Champlain,
Oswego and Cayuga-Seneca Canals. Spanning 524 miles, the waterways link the Hudson River with
the Great Lakes, the Finger Lakes and Lake Champlain. The Canal System includes the Erie Canalway
Trail, a multi-use trail designed to accommodate pedestrians, bicyclists, and cross-country skiers.
Together, the Canals and Trail create a world-class recreationway that is a vibrant, scenic and unique
New York resource.
The Erie Canal Bicentennial period (2017-2025) marked the beginning of the Erie Canal’s third century
of use. What is now known as the Original Erie Canal was completed in 1825. The Canal was enlarged
and realigned to accommodate motorized commercial vessels, opening in 1918 as the Barge Canal.
The Barge Canal was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2016; the Original Erie Canal still
exists in fragmented sections. The New York State Canal Corporation maintains a century-old system,
and is working to revitalize the Canal and its surrounding areas for another century of use.