SAM Residencies is a museum-run  programme committed to supporting the development of innovative artistic and curatorial practices that respond to current global discourses. Developed in line with SAM’s vision of engaging local and international artistic communities across a wide range of disciplines, the programme will feature four residency types to support emerging and innovative practices, facilitate collaborations, and widen public understanding of art. The studio-based residencies will be open to artists, curators, art organisations and artist-run spaces, as well as community and education-focused art practitioners.

Designed to engage both the art community and the public at large, SAM Residencies will actively involve local communities and the public through a diverse lineup of activities. For the art community, it serves as an incubator for new approaches to artistic and curatorial practices through supporting dialogue within and beyond the field of contemporary art. It offers a platform for artistic experimentation and encourages the exchange of ideas and opportunities for future collaboration, as well as network building. The Residents will also be encouraged to interact with or involve local communities and the public in different ways, through presentations and programmes such as open studio visits, talks, and workshops.

These residencies will be open to those based in Singapore or internationally, and will take place in physical spaces in Singapore. Each residency will take place between a period of one and six months.

Residency Programmes

• Artist Residency – open to artists and collectives who are looking to develop artistic practices and emergent modes of art-making.


• Community & Education Residency – open to practitioners who explore the relationship between art practice and forms of gallery education or whose core practice engages with local communities or the public in various ways.


• Curatorial & Research Residency – open to curators and researchers who are working on new modes of curatorial thinking and research process.


• EX-SITU: Art Spaces Residency – for art organisations based in Asia, including in-dependent non-profit art organisations, artist-run spaces, and community-led initiatives, exploring innovative ways of activating public spaces to engage with the local art scene and public.

A fully funded programme, SAM Residencies will support Residents with:

• 1 x return airfare on economy class
• Monthly stipend of SGD$1,500
• Housing allowance
• A studio space OR co-working space
• An "ideas lab" – a shared space where anyone is free to post (physically), respond, explore and flesh out ideas-in-progress
• Support from the museum and the Residencies team in the form of (but not limited to) institution resources and expertise, network building, opportunities for public engagement, and a scaffold for interaction and exchange

Open Call

SAM Residencies is launching its first open call from 9 December 2020 to 28 February 2021. Find out more here.

Hero image: Bounpaul Photyzhan, Lie of the Land (2017) (behind the scenes), as part of Imaginarium:To The Ends of the Earth; image courtesy of Andrea Fam.

What is SAM Residencies? What makes it different from other residencies?
SAM Residencies is a fully funded, studio-based programme that promotes experimental thinking about and around contemporary art practices.

It is a museum-run programme consisting of four residency types, developed to actively engage not only the local and international artistic community, but also the public at large. Unique to the Southeast Asian region are the Community & Education Residency and EX-SITU: Art Spaces Residency where, through a diverse lineup of activities, Residents will be encouraged to interact with or involve local communities and the public in different ways. 

The Community & Education Residency will support practitioners who explore the relationship between art practice and forms of education, or whose core practice engages with local communities or the public. The EX-SITU: Art Spaces Residency is targeted at Asia-based independent art organisations and collectives and will explore innovative ways of activating public spaces to engage with the local art scene and public.


Who is SAM Residencies for?
Local and international practitioners (individual or group) across all disciplines of the arts over the age of 21 are welcomed to apply. Please refer to guidelines on each residency type.


How do I become a SAM Resident? 
You can apply through the SAM Residencies Open Call (refer to ‘Open Call’ section for more information). Call for applications are carried out once a year for residency in the following year. The next Open Call will take place in 2022 for the 2023 Cycle. Applications are evaluated by an external panel comprising respected professionals from different disciplines.


Can I apply for more than one residency type? 
No. Each applicant should apply for only one residency type per cycle.


Can I apply for more than one cycle? 
Yes. We encourage applicants who were not selected for one cycle to apply for subsequent cycles. Selection of Residents for each cycle is guided by subject interests. Therefore, applicants are encouraged to apply for the cycle where the focused areas of the programme align with their research interest and practice. 


How many places does SAM Residencies offer?
As part of its inaugural 2021 cycle, the SAM Residencies programme will offer 18 places across the four residencies, which will take place between July 2021 to March 2023. Subsequent cycles from 2023 will offer up to 12 places annually across four residencies.


What are the residency periods?
Each new cycle starts in April. The Artist Residency is a fixed 6-month period of Apr-Sep or Oct-Mar. The Community & Education Residency and Curatorial & Research Residency are a flexible 1 to 3 continuous months.


What facilities are available to SAM Residents?
Residents will be provided with studios or co-working spaces, and access to shared residency spaces. As a museum-run initiative, Residents will also benefit from institution resources and expertise, network building, and opportunities for public engagement.


What is expected of a SAM Resident?
Residents are expected to participate in collective activities organised by the SAM Residencies team, contribute to the Residencies blog and initiate at least one (1) programme that is targeted for public audience, in any format as agreed with the SAM Residencies team. There is no expectation on residents to produce resolved works/projects while in residence. International Residents must be able to commit to the short-term stay in Singapore for the duration of their residency. 


What can the public look forward to?
The Residencies spaces will be open spaces for social interaction, not just for the art community but also with the larger creative sector, serving as a catalyst for collaborative and collective activities to develop. The public programmes add to the diversity of SAM’s content and programming to engage visitors in different ways through activities and presentations. These programmes may take the form of open studio visits, public workshops, talks as well as interactions with Residents. It will also create more spaces to support community interactions between artists and the public, and enable meaningful encounters with art. 


What safety precautions is SAM Residencies taking in light of the COVID-19 pandemic? Are there any provisions made for applicants not based in Singapore?
SAM is taking the necessary/government prescribed precautions with activities and events during the COVID-19 pandemic. Should travel restrictions persist, SAM Residencies is prepared to roll out a collective digital residency that will provide a framework for incubation online.