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The newly launched Pullman Yards Arts & Film Residency is now accepting applications from visual artists, filmmakers, and interdisciplinary creators seeking to push boundaries and expand their practices in Atlanta.
Set within Kirkwood’s historic Pullman Yards campus, the program supports four artists with free studio space, a production stipend, and the opportunity to present their work across the 27-acre site. The application deadline for the first cohort is July 31.
This year’s jury includes five nationally and locally esteemed arts and film professionals: Sarah Higgins, Executive + Artistic Director of Art Papers; Kent Kelley, art collector and longtime Chief Financial Officer in the software industry; Alice Gray Stites, Museum Director and Chief Curator at 21c Museum Hotels; Hassan Smith, collector and advisor to John Legend; and Craig Zobel, film and television writer, director, and producer.
So, what exactly catches a juror’s eye—and heart?
We asked Sarah Higgins, Kent Kelley, and Alice Gray Stites to share what makes an application stand out, how they define creative risk, and what signals that an artist is genuinely ready for this kind of opportunity.
As someone who has run residency programs herself, Sarah Higgins knows what makes a great resident. And, it’s not just talent. “The artists who thrive in residencies tend to come in with three things: a clear sense of purpose, initiative, and openness,” Higgins says. “It’s a blend of purpose and porousness that makes for the best fit.”
For Higgins, a successful residency can go far beyond career boosts. “I don’t like to emphasize ‘breakthroughs’ in terms of exposure,” she explains. “But residencies can absolutely help artists push their work harder and with more daring. Time, space, and new stimuli matter.”
Higgins is excited about what the Pullman Yards Arts & Film Residency could mean for Atlanta’s larger creative ecosystem. “I’d love to see this become a space of exchange—between artists and the surrounding neighborhoods, or between creative communities that don’t usually intersect. Art always speaks most clearly at a crossroads.”
Read in full at RoughDraft Atlanta
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