“Tell your own story, and you will be interesting.” —Louise Bourgeois
It’s been in the mid-90s the past few days, which is probably a solid 15+ degrees warmer than average for this time of year where I live. I’m not a fan of heat fatigue—I’m a northerner after all, and before I was an Upper Midwesterner, I was a coastal Oregonian, and I’ve spent a few years in Scotland to boot, where a wind off the North Sea feels like fall even if it’s July. (And I loved it.) I guess it’s just not really my schtick. Even though I often spend a good chunk of my day outside, I love seizing the opportunity to read or do indoor things when it’s not super enjoyable to be outdoors.
Lately I’ve picked up some great books, some of which I’ve selectively flipped through, like a Black Mountain College poetry collection, and I’ve loved them all regardless. I thought it would be fitting to round up some of my recent faves (links aren’t affiliates):
Return of the Artisan: How America Went from Industrial to Handmade by Grant McCracken (Simon & Schuster, 2022)
Woven Histories: Textiles and Modern Abstraction, edited by Lynne Cooke (University of Chicago Press, 2023)
Undermining: A Wild Ride Through Land Use, Politics, and Art in the Changing West by Lucy Lippard (New Press, 2014) — a few months ago I also recommended Lippard’s Overlay: Contemporary Art and the Art of Prehistory.
Gertrude Abercrombie: The Whole World Is a Mystery (Delmonico Books, 2025). Full disclosure, I just received this copy from the publisher, following my article for Colossal back in January. I love Abercrombie’s work.
The Old Way of Seeing: How Architecture Lost Its Magic (And How to Get It Back) by Jonathan Hale (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1995) — and on that note, I’ve always been a huge fan of Alain de Botton’s The Architecture of Happiness, which I’ve read at least twice.
The Anthology of Black Mountain College Poetry (University of North Carolina Press and BMC Museum + Arts Center, 2024)
See you next week!
—Kate
Young Space Digest is entirely free, but if you like what it’s about, consider a paid subscription.
Just $6/month — or $5/month annually — gives you access all opportunities 24/7. To those who are already supporting the digest, my heartfelt thanks—it means a lot.
What you’ll find below:
Exhibitions to see in Chicago, Genk, London, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, and San Francisco
Twelve opportunities for artists with deadlines coming up soon
Exhibitions
NEW YORK CITY | MARGOT SAMEL
Carolina Fusilier: Imago
Carolina Fusilier’s multimedia, space-age Imago draws inspiration from Ikaria XB1 (Jindřich Polák, 1962), a 1960s Czechoslovak space odyssey.
Runs through July 8
PHILADELPHIA | PENTIMENTI
Gianna Commito: Working Pattern
It’s all about the relationship between form, line, and color in Commito’s graphic works, emphasizing formal essentials with energetic precision.
Runs through July 19
SAN FRANCISCO | JESSICA SILVERMAN GALLERY
Margo Wolowiec: Midnight Sun
Absolutely stunning shaped textile works by Margo Wolowiec are made with a range of materials like linen, polymer, sterling silver-leafed thread, dye sublimation ink, and strips of mylar rescue blankets from emergency preparedness kits. The tondos end up like ethereal, glitching portals to other realms.
Runs through July 19
More shows worth a peek:
Greta Waller: 3 a.m. at Fernberger, Los Angeles, through July 3
Domino at Encounter, London, through July 5
Renée Stout: Truth-telling at Marc Straus, New York City, through July 12
Jacqueline Cedar: Slide at Andrew Rafacz, Chicago, through July 19
Thom Trojanowski: Stemflow, You and I at C-mine, Genk, through September 21
Artist Opportunities
Young Space emphasizes fully-funded opportunities with low or no entry fees and programs that focus on creative and professional development for visual artists and curators. Deadlines are coming up soon to apply for these grants, fellowships, residencies, and more.
Paid subscribers, check out the whole list anytime at yngspc.com/opportunities and enter the password you received in your signup email. Can’t find it? Just shoot me a note. Thank your for your support!
2026 Samstag Scholarships for Artists in Australia
Deadline: June 30
The annual Samstag Scholarships enable Australian artists to develop their artistic capacities and skills through a dedicated period of practice-based learning in an international learning institution. The scholarship provides each artist with institutional fees for one academic year of study and an AUD$75,000 tax-free allowance and covers travel expenses to a leading international art school of their choice. The competitive national scholarship program, established in 1991, is open to current visual arts students and artists who are graduates from a tertiary institution.
Submission fee: none
2025 Nasher Artist Grants for Artists in North Texas
Deadline: June 30
Nasher Sculpture Center Artist Grants are small-sum awards offered to artists to further their personal or professional development. Artists and collectives are encouraged to submit a proposal for grants for $2,000 to be used toward physical resources or endeavors that will further their artistic practice.
Submission fee: none
Penland School of Craft 2026 Residencies
Deadline: July 2
Depending on the nature of an applicant’s goals, Penland offers two options for interested candidates.
1-year project-based residency, for which artists submit a project proposal and may use the time to push technical and conceptual boundaries, conduct research and development in a particular topic or process, or explore an entirely new aspect of their work.
3-year career transition residency, for which artists submit objectives to advance their studio practice, to work out the practicalities of making a living, or to make a formative transition in their career path.
There is no cost to residents for housing, studio space, or utilities. Artists are responsible for providing tools and equipment vital to their daily studio practices; resident artist studios are simply raw studio spaces. Artists are also responsible for travel expenses to and from Penland.
Submission fee: $30
Sixty Inches from Center Call for Visual Contributors
Deadline: July 7
Sixty Inches From Center is seeking submissions from photographers, illustrators, digital artists, graphic design artists, and graffiti artists to expand their Visual Contributor pool beyond Chicago to other Midwestern areas. For the purposes of this call, Sixty defines the Midwest as: Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and the tribal nations of the Midwest region. Sixty Inches From Center pays a standard rate of $150 per article to writers, photographers, and illustrators, unless otherwise indicated.
Submission fee: none
Gasworks Residency Open Call for Artists based in Paris, Île-de-France
Deadline: July 14
This residency open call is for an artist based in Paris, Île-de-France, who has presented their work in several venues to date. The eleven-week, fully funded residency will take place at Gasworks in London from January 7 to March 25, 2026.
Submission fee: none
Loghaven Artist Residencies
Deadline: July 15
The residency is located on ninety acres of woodland in Knoxville, Tennessee. Artists live in five historic log cabins that have been both rehabilitated and modernized to create an ideal setting for reflection and work, and they have access to new, purpose-built studio space. All Loghaven fellows are awarded $850 weekly stipends to support the creation of new work during the residency.
Submission fee: $25
Leigh Yawkey Woodson Museum Glass Box Studio Residency
Deadline: July 15
Located on the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum campus in Wausau, Wisconsin, the Glass Box Studio provides space and time for artists to experiment, explore, and produce individually developed or collaborative artwork in any medium. Participating artists will receive an honorarium in addition to reimbursement for travel, mileage, and meal expenses. Supplies and materials for workshops, classes, and outreach will be covered by the Woodson Art Museum. Artists will have 24/7 access to the Museum’s Glass Box Studio throughout the duration of their residency and will be provided with housing and basic accommodations at a one-bedroom house on the Museum campus.
Submission fee: $25
The Kyoto Retreat for Artists, Curators, and Writers
Deadline: July 15
Any visual artist, curator, or writer over 21 years old—based anywhere in the world, regardless of race, gender, culture, or religion—is eligible to apply. The upcoming retreat dates are October 16 to November 13, 2025. If you are selected for The Kyoto Retreat, you will receive a roundtrip flight to Kansai International Airport (KIX), located in Osaka Bay. You will have a private bedroom in a shared, private house for four weeks, and you will also receive $800 USD to supplement your meals and local transportation.
Submission fee: $95
21C Artadia Awards for St. Louis Artists
Deadline: July 15
Launched in Louisville, Kentucky, in 2021, the 21c Artadia Award marked the beginning of a long-term partnership, which annually provides $15,000 in unrestricted funds to one artist living and working in the unique creative communities where 21c Museum Hotels are located. This year's award is open to artists based in St. Louis, Missouri.
Submission fee: none
Ucross Spring 2026 Studio Residencies
Deadline: July 15
Ucross strives to provide a respectful, comfortable, and productive environment, freeing artists from the pressures and distractions of daily life. Each year, the program provides residencies to approximately 115 individuals. Residencies range from two weeks to six weeks in length. At any one time, there are up to ten individuals in residence, typically four writers, four visual artists, and two composers. Ucross provides each artist with living accommodations, meals, work space, and uninterrupted time so that the artists can focus on their creative process. There is no cost for the residency. Fellowships for Native American Visual Artists and Writers are available.
Submission fee: $45 (except Fellowships for Native American Visual Artists and Writers)
Marble House Project 2026 Residencies
Deadline: July 15
Marble House Project is open to artists living in the United States and abroad. You must be at least 21 years old. Each session accommodates approximately eight artists. All residents live together in the historic, eight-bedroom Manley-Lefevre house, a communal space organized around responsibilities-sharing systems which highlight sustainability and community. Applications are accepted in all creative fields, and there is no fee for the residency.
Submission fee: $35
Awesome Foundation Grants
Deadline: Rolling
The Awesome Foundation is an ever-growing worldwide community devoted to forwarding the interest of awesome in the universe. The Foundation distributes unrestricted $1,000 grants to projects and their creators. At each fully autonomous chapter—there are 79 in 10 countries—the money is pooled together from the coffers of ten or so self-organizing “micro-trustees” and given to creatives, no strings attached.
Submission fee: none
See all opportunities
Paid subscribers can access a full list of all current opportunities anytime—updated at least a couple of times each week.
Whether you’re a free or paid subscriber, you can also browse through listings in earlier digests in the archive.
If you are part of an organization or art business that offers opportunities or services you think artists should know about, consider a featured listing or post. Email me at kate@young-space.com or just reply to this email for more info.
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