About Penumbra Foundation

Penumbra Foundation is a NYC-based nonprofit arts organization committed to promoting a broad understanding of the contemporary photographic medium. We support a diverse community of artists, researchers, and curators through education, artist residencies, exhibitions, and a lecture series.

Our two residencies, the Workspace A-I-R Program and Risograph Publication Residency, empower artists working with the photographic medium to take risks in their practice and create boundary-pushing work.

Workspace Artist-in-Residence Program

The Penumbra Workspace A-I-R Program benefits emerging artists with access to time, facilities, critical and technical support, and honoraria. The extension of the program is six to eight weeks depending on the time requested by the selected artists. Participants have liberal access to our comprehensive facilities and are expected to use their time to pursue their own projects: researching, photographing, scanning, printing, working on an exhibition or editing a book. Artists will have opportunities to meet with Penumbra’s Advisory Board and engage with the community during and after their residency, as determined by the Directors.

Risograph Publication Residency

The Penumbra Risograph Publication Residency provides the opportunity for artists to propose a photographic project to produce in print form, at our Risograph facilities in New York City. Artists receive resources, assistance, and time for the production of a small edition risograph photobook project. A basic overview of the operation and use of the ME9450 Risograph is provided - no prior risograph printing experience is required. Residents are allotted roughly one month to produce their projects in June, July, or August of 2025. Penumbra Foundation will assist in the distribution and promotion of the projects. The residency concludes with a book launch at In The Fold, Penumbra’s photobook forum, held in September, 2026.

Criteria

The juries consist of a rotating panel of arts professionals that changes each year. These committees are separate and specific to the residency programs they are reviewing for. Applications should demonstrate creativity and coherence in the artist’s vision.

Applicants should clearly describe their interest in the residency they are applying for in their Letter of Intent.

• Workspace applicants are to provide a summary of their intended activities.

• Risograph residents must articulate why their project is well suited to be reproduced in the risograph process. Applicants must also provide a PDF book maquette of their intended project. This need not be final, but should indicate the applicant’s consideration of the photobook medium. If you do not include this PDF, your application will not be considered. Image copyrights are the sole responsibility of the applicant.

For applicants applying to both programs:

• navigate to the submit section
• click on "add another project"
• select the residency you wish to use that project to apply to