Residencies
David Bosun at UVA. Photo by Tom Cogill.
Janet Fieldhouse with Pamunkey artists Debra Martin and her son.
Tony Albert, at Kluge Ruhe Collection, July 2015. Photo by Tom Cogill.
Jason Wing at Kluge Ruhe Collection, May 2012.
Judy Watson proofing prints of 'experimental beds' with UVA printmaking students. Photo by Tom Cogill.
Julie Gough at the Monumental Meanings event.
Kluge-Ruhe is pleased to announce the recipients of Creative Australia’s artist residencies for 2025-26 and 2026-27. After a very competitive open call, residencies were awarded to Robert Fielding, Michelle Woody, Sonja Carmichael and Jenna Lee. Read the press release.
In 2011, the museum launched its artist residency program, which brings an Indigenous Australian artist to the University of Virginia to share their artwork in an exhibition and other programs. Creative Australia (formerly Australia Council for the Arts) partnered with us on this program beginning in 2013 and continues their support today. Artists typically visit Charlottesville between September-November each autumn and between February-April each spring. The length of each residency varies from ten days to six weeks.
We believe that Indigenous Australian art is as much about people as it is about art. Hearing an artist speak about their artwork brings it to life and creates meaning and relevance for our audience, many of whom have never met an Aboriginal person. One of our core institutional values is to amplify Indigenous voices by providing opportunities for Indigenous people to speak on behalf of their own cultures, especially after so many oppressive forms of silencing and erasure. Additionally, our collection is held and stored far away from the communities that created it, and it is of utmost importance that we provide them access to and information about the artworks.
Our goal is for artists to be integrated actively into the life of the University of Virginia by working on collaborative projects with, and guest lecturing to, UVA students and faculty in a variety of disciplines and departments. Unlike other residencies in which the artist has large blocks of uninterrupted time to produce a new body of work, at Kluge-Ruhe the artist acts as an ambassador of the Indigenous Australian contemporary art movement. They discover how their artwork is perceived by a foreign audience, explore new topics and disciplines, and gather ideas for future projects or bodies of work. Sometimes artists do create new work, but not always. We build on the artist’s strengths and interests to assist them in developing new skills and growing their international network. It is a program of sharing and cross-cultural exchange.
Kluge-Ruhe partners with Creative Australia to select artists for the residency program. Our 2025-27 artists in residence were selected through an open call. You can always express your interest in our artist residency program by contacting us.
UVA faculty interested in engaging with our next visiting artist should see our UVA Faculty page.
Check our Calendar page to attend events related to our artist residencies.
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