Performing Artist-in-Residence Program

The Museum of Chinese in America’s Performing-Artist-in-Residence Program will invite a cohort of 3 performing artists to individually generate ONE theme-based NEW project, by utilizing the resources and collections at MOCA. Throughout the residency, artists will be invited to participate in artist-led workshops and will be required to give one work-in-progress presentation to the public in the end of the residency.

THEME: Declaration of Independence 獨立宣言

As the United States approaches the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, we are prompted to reflect on the meaning of independence today. What does it mean to declare independence—not just from nations, but from expectations, erasure, silence, and imposed identities? In a country built upon a founding declaration, what new declarations are necessary today? 

For the 2025 Performing Artist Residency, MOCA invites artists to critically and creatively explore the theme Declaration of Independence. We welcome proposals that interrogate what it means to be “American,” to seek self-determination, or to stake a claim to visibility, freedom, and belonging—especially within diasporic, immigrant, and historically marginalized communities. 

If you were to write a manifesto for your work, what would it sound like? What would it feel like? What are you declaring independence from—family, society, artistic tradition, the industry itself? 

Artists must conceive and develop a new project during the residency. Proposals for previously created or pre-existing works will not be accepted. The residency is intended to support the generative process—from research and experimentation to creation and reflection. 

Projects must engage with MOCA’s exhibitions, archives, or collection materials. The residency offers space, time, and curatorial support for artists to explore, take risks, and shape new performance-based work. 

We encourage bold declarations—poetic, political, or deeply personal—that resonate within the evolving narrative of Chinese and Asian American life in the United States. 

RESIDENCY DATES

October 15th, 2025 – March 20th, 2026

AWARD 

• Each selected artist will receive $3,000 honorarium 
• Access to available rehearsal spaces at MOCA 
• Access to MOCA’s archive and collection 
• Consultation with MOCA’s staff 
• Additional financial support to the work-in-progress presentation 

ELIGIBILITY 

• Open to all Performing Artists: disciplines include but not limited to dance, music, theatre, performance art, spoken words and film 
• Artists self-identify as Asian/Chinese American or Asian/Chinese immigrant with a goal of continuing their career in the United States 
• Artists must be a resident in New York City metropolitan area 
• Artists must be 25 or over and cannot enroll in any degree program of any kind 
• Both traditional and contemporary performing arts are welcome 
• Artists must be available for all the required dates to apply (see program requirements) 

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS 

• Selected artists are required to create a new project at MOCA during the agreed upon residency timeframe. The new project does not have to be fully developed at the end of the residency. 
• Selected artists are required to participate in the workshops and to lead a workshop session on the subject of their choice. Workshop dates are Friday, December 12th, 2025. 
• Selected artists are required to meet at least once per month for a check-in session with the Director of Performance, Storytelling & Community during residency. 
• At the end of residency, selected artists are required to present their work-in-progress project during the week of March 9th, 2026. A talkback session will be scheduled following the presentation. 

TIMELINE 

Submissions are due by July 31st, 2025 at 11:59 P.M. EST. All applicants will be notified by late-September. Residencies will begin in October, 2025. 

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS 

Choose materials that best reflect your vision, approach, and artistic growth.

• Application Information 
• Application Materials
• Artist Statement (required, 250 words maximum): A short concise statement giving an overview of your artistic practice. This should be a brief introduction to ideas, themes and methods in your practice. 
• Cultural Statement (required, 250 words maximum): A short concise statement giving an overview of the cultural impact in your practice. Describe what cultural or historical context that inspires you as a performing artist, and how your body of work responds to it. 
• Project Statement (required, 400 words maximum): A concise statement giving a clear concept for the project you are hoping to generate based on the theme, and how MOCA’s collection and resources will be helpful for the project. Describe how you will utilize your time during residency. 
• Workshop Leader Proposal (required): Thinking about the theme and about my artistic practice, I would like to discuss/lead or see a panel on/share my artistic practice that I find useful (150 words maximum); I would like to share my knowledge about certain artistic practices and techniques (150 words maximum); In addition, I would like to explore this part of history (150 words max). 
• CV/Resume 
• Work Sample: Please use your work samples to demonstrate your overall artistic mission and the thematic or stylistic cohesion across your body of work. You may submit materials in any of the following formats:
• Images: Up to 5
• Audio: Up to 3 songs (each no longer than 3 minutes)
• Video: Up to 10 minutes of performance footage (please note: trailers are not accepted)
• Writing: Up to 10 pages of a written sample

SUBMISSION LINK

https://forms.gle/ZZidoWH7CVPgbGpM8

07/31/2025