{"id":230054,"date":"2026-05-13T15:57:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T15:57:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/230054\/"},"modified":"2026-05-13T15:57:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T15:57:10","slug":"three-pratt-alumni-on-how-nyc-residencies-helped-them-grow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/230054\/","title":{"rendered":"Three Pratt Alumni on How NYC Residencies Helped Them Grow"},"content":{"rendered":"

For students considering an arts education, one question looms large: What comes after graduation?\u00a0<\/p>\n

The simple answer is that no two creative careers look identical. This open-ended trajectory is why Pratt students receive specialized training through courses like Professional Practices<\/a> and Writer as Worker<\/a>, which prepare them to pursue opportunities to grow as artists and sustain their careers after graduation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Among those opportunities are residencies, which offer artists dedicated time and workspace to deepen their practices, often providing an environment to focus and access to specialized equipment or facilities. At residencies, the typically solitary endeavor of artmaking takes place within a community of peers, creating valuable opportunities to cross-pollinate ideas and build relationships that can lead to future collaborations.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Acceptance into a competitive residency is also the type of recognition that helps artists build their CVs, increase visibility, and gain the attention of curators, funders, and others.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And while the term \u201cartist residency\u201d may conjure images of remote artist colonies in the countryside, like the century-old MacDowell<\/a> and Yaddo<\/a>, Pratt alumni are increasingly pursuing opportunities at a new generation of New York City programs, making the most of flexible schedules that allow them to fulfill their creative ambitions without putting their lives on pause.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Finding a Space to Experiment<\/p>\n

\"ArtistSelf-portrait by Brandon Foush\u00e9e, BFA Photography \u201921 (image courtesy of the artist)<\/p>\n

Artist Brandon Foush\u00e9e<\/a>, BFA Photography \u201921, knew he wanted to apply to the BAXTER ST Residency<\/a> after a class trip there in 2017. BAXTER ST, located in Downtown Manhattan, was the first gallery he\u2019d been in that was dedicated to experimental forms of photography. \u201cI just knew I wanted to be in that space and be seen there,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Three or four applications later, Foush\u00e9e was accepted into the program, joining a roster of his favorite artists who also list the NYC residency on their CVs. \u201cIt felt really nice to be a part of that lineage and family,\u201d he said. During his residency, Foush\u00e9e was provided 24-7 access to his studio space, where he set out to take his photography practice to a new place, experimenting with different materials and processes such as the multimedia photo transfers he creates today.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Foush\u00e9e\u2019s work revolves around his family. He describes using \u201ctheir traces and ephemera and archive to interject nuances and describe poetic discovery about being Black in America.\u201d With his family mainly located in New York and New Jersey, and his work entering a new, experimental phase, doing a residency in this city felt important to him.<\/p>\n

\"InActs of Care (2024) by Brandon Foush\u00e9e (image courtesy of the artist)<\/p>\n

The New York-based residency also enabled him to continue his full-time job at Jack Shainman Gallery in Chelsea. For Foush\u00e9e, working while continuing his artistic practice is a natural fit. \u201cAt least for me, I work better when there\u2019s a little bit of structure around me,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Now, Foush\u00e9e has moved on to a printmaking fellowship at Robert Blackburn Foundation<\/a> in Chelsea, New York. The experience at these residencies has opened doors for him and given him the freedom to experiment. Discovering something new about your practice, and meeting new people\u2014\u201cThat\u2019s where I think is the real joy,\u201d he said. For Foush\u00e9e, success comes down to a love of the process. \u201cFor me, I want to be able to make art for the rest of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Creating and Connecting Through Art<\/p>\n

\"AlumnaDana-Marie Bullock, MFA Fine Arts (Drawing and Painting) \u201925, in front of her work<\/p>\n

Multidisciplinary artist Dana-Marie Bullock<\/a>, MFA Fine Arts (Painting and Drawing) \u201925, is currently in residence at Silver Art Projects<\/a>, located at the World Trade Center in Downtown Manhattan. There, she is developing a new body of work about loss and grief, spanning paintings, sculptures, installations, and a performance film based in Jamaica. \u201cIt\u2019s been very eye-opening for me because I feel like there\u2019s a lot coming full circle \u2026 this environment, this place, it\u2019s so layered in loss.\u201d Connecting it to her own personal experience with loss, she added, \u201cI think it\u2019s inspired a lot of how I\u2019m seeing this new body of work, too.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

When she\u2019s not working late into the night in her studio, Bullock has found a bustling social environment at Silver Art. There are a multitude of activities, talks, and other opportunities to connect with people in the field, including fellow residents, curators, gallerists, and representatives from institutions around the city. \u201cIt\u2019s a really great place to network and meet people,\u201d she said. Fellow residents have even become part of her art collective, Collectif Mondial.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Dana-MarieDana-Marie Bullock, MFA Fine Arts (Drawing and Painting) \u201925, in her space at Silver Art Projects<\/p>\n

As a full-time artist, applications are part of her day-to-day reality. \u201cI apply for residencies, I apply for grants. While I\u2019ve gotten my fair share of no\u2019s, which comes with the territory and is not a reflection of the quality of my work, I\u2019ve been fortunate enough to experience quite a few positive outcomes which have benefited me greatly. These experiences have allowed me to branch out and focus on other things such as the creation of my art collective, Collectif Mondial, and doing community work,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

In addition to Silver Art Projects\u2019 residency program, Bullock has completed a residency workshop at Ox-Bow School of Art<\/a> in Michigan and at Anderson Ranch Arts Center<\/a> in Colorado, both of which she completed while working towards her MFA at Pratt, an experience that continues to shape her trajectory as an artist. \u201cPratt for me was one of the best experiences of my life. I\u2019m so glad I went there and I\u2019m so glad I worked with the professors I worked with and had the friends I had,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m using all the things I learned now in my work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finding Focus in Ridgewood<\/p>\n

\"PortraitAmanda K Horn, BFA Writing \u201915<\/p>\n

Writer and editor Amanda K Horn<\/a>, BFA Writing \u201915, recently completed a four-month residency at Woodward Residency<\/a> in Ridgewood, Queens. Upon acceptance, she received access to the dedicated workspace that the program provides to artists and designers, which she was able to access according to her schedule. She worked alongside a cohort that spanned disciplines, including music composition, writing, photography, visual art, and architecture, and mingled at a weekly mixer called \u201cTea and Cake.\u201d<\/p>\n

Horn balances her writing practice with a career in publishing and her role as founding editor-in-chief of the literary magazine Twin Bird Review<\/a>. This past year has been a transitional time for Horn professionally, and she was looking for an opportunity to focus on completing her novel. For her, the flexibility of what she calls a \u201cworking residency\u201d was a major draw. \u201cIt\u2019s difficult to step away from your life,\u201d she says. \u201cAt this age, you have responsibilities. So, being able to work around the demands of a normal life was super important.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Amanda'sWorkspace at Woodward Residency in Ridgewood, Queens<\/p>\n

A dedicated workspace helped Horn eliminate distractions and focus. \u201cHaving a designated space where you come specifically to create was so helpful,\u201d she explains. \u201cThere was kind of a Pavlovian response that happens a little bit, where you\u2019re like, okay, I\u2019m in the place, your brain turns on, and now it\u2019s time to do the thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

The results surprised even her. \u201cI tend to be a very slow writer and very easily distracted,\u201d Horn admits. \u201cOver the course of four months, I got through almost a complete draft of my novel, which is crazy to me.\u201d Without the residency, she estimates she would have completed only a quarter to half as much of her climate fiction novel, titled The Earthist.<\/p>\n

The interdisciplinary community also fueled her creative momentum. Twice during her four months, participants gathered for work shares to present their projects. \u201cBeing able to see all the different angles that people take to approach themes and artistic goals was exciting and energizing,\u201d Horn says. \u201cSo much of creativity is just maintaining passion and momentum for the project, so anything you can do to kind of bolster that, feed it, is really helpful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Learn more about programs at Pratt<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For students considering an arts education, one question looms large: What comes after graduation?\u00a0 The simple answer is…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":230055,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[19625,90324,9,24,56,63,65,64,3419,31084],"class_list":["post-230054","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-alumni","tag-fine-arts","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-ny","tag-nyc","tag-nyc-headlines","tag-nyc-news","tag-photography","tag-writing"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230054","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=230054"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/230054\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/230055"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=230054"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=230054"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=230054"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}