2025 PASS Open Call: Performing Arts Residency at Snug Harbor

2025 PASS Open Call

OPPORTUNITY

Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden (Snug Harbor) is excited to announce its annual open call for the Performing Arts Salon Saturdays (PASS) artist residency and performance program. Snug Harbor is soliciting applications to select four (4) residencies* that will support the creation and development of new works in dance, music, theater, and multi-disciplinary performance.

Selected artists have access to live and work in one of our historic cottages, with studio space available in our Dance Center. At the end of each residency, artists share their work with the community in a culminating work-in-progress performance. Performances have taken place across our 83-acre campus: in the Dance Center, Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art, and in various gardens and meadows. The primary goals of PASS are to provide time, space, and support to artists in the development of their work. 

PASS is a unique, sought-after opportunity offering space for living, creating, and presenting new performance work in New York City. Snug Harbor is proud of its role as an arts incubator for artists to explore new dimensions in their practice.

*Note: one additional PASS artist is selected annually in partnership with the CUNY Dance Initiative, with a separate application process that is currently closed.

APPLY HERE: Deadline April 10, 2025

LOCATION

PASS residencies take place at Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden, located on Staten Island’s North Shore. Easily reachable via public transportation, Snug Harbor is a 10-minute bus ride from the free Staten Island Ferry which runs 24/7. For more information, please visit: https://snug-harbor.org/visit/directions/

ABOUT THE NEWHOUSE CENTER AT SNUG HARBOR

As Staten Island’s leading incubator for bold and innovative art since 1977, the Newhouse Center for Contemporary Art at Snug Harbor provides space, resources, and support for artists across the visual and performing arts to develop new work. Through residencies, exhibitions, performances, and public art, we invite artists and communities to reimagine the historic spaces of Snug Harbor through site-based programming.

PASS PROGRAM OBJECTIVES

• Provide space and support for performing artists at different stages in their careers to develop and deepen their craft
• Incubate discourse and community engagement around new ideas and artistic expression
• Cultivate a supportive environment for artists to take creative risks in their process, practice, and vision

AWARD

• Selected artists receive $2000.00 residency and performance honorarium
• Selected artists receive up to 100 hours of rehearsal time in the Dance Center (scheduling contingent upon availability) or select gallery space upon request. Learn more about our dance studios: https://snug-harbor.org/dancecenter/
• Selected artists receive 1-month access to private residence in one historic cottage located on Snug Harbor’s campus, preceding their culminating work-in-progress showing

ELIGIBILITY

• This call is free and open to artists living and consistently sharing work in the NYC metropolitan area with a demonstrated history of creating original works in live performance: dance, music/sound composition, theater, and multi-disciplinary
• Artists must be 18 or over to apply
• Artists who are or will be enrolled in a college or university degree-granting program between August 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026 are not eligible to apply
• Previous PASS artists are not eligible to apply

PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

• Selected artists are required to develop their proposed project at Snug Harbor during the agreed upon residency timeframe
• Selected artists are required to meet with curatorial staff a minimum of 3 times: 1x prior to residency, at least 2x during residency
• Selected artists are required to present their work during a culminating, work-in-progress public performance. Artists should commit to presenting between 30-45 minutes of material
• Selected artists are required to participate in an informal curtain chat discussion (a “Q & A”) with the audience, moderated by the Director & Senior Curator, Newhouse Center, following the performance
• Selected artists are asked to participate in a blog post and/or social media engagement (ex. blog post interview or other writing/media, IG live, IG reel, etc.) during their residency
• Selected artists are required to complete an exit survey at the end of their residency

CRITERIA

• Artistic Merit – Work Sample (40%)
• Work sample reflects originality in aesthetic voice
• Work sample demonstrates artist’s rigor and commitment to craft as evidenced by elements such as structure, technical components, and/or creative approach
• Work sample communicates the artist’s ability to successfully translate their written ideas and concepts into their performance work

• Application Narrative (40%)
• Project proposal is aesthetically compelling and clearly articulates themes and ideas motivating the applicant’s work
• Applicant demonstrates a history of committing to, producing and completing quality performance work that is bold, socially relevant, and pushes forward new ideas and artistic expression
• Applicant communicates goals that are feasible within the residency timeframe and appropriate to program objectives and the organization’s mission

• Site Responsiveness and Feasibility (20%)
• Project proposal considers and/or is in conversation with the historical, cultural, and environmental aspects of the setting of Snug Harbor in Staten Island, NY. This does not have to be overt in the project’s intended outcome but should contribute to and be factored into the creative process and method
• The project’s size, scale, and technical needs are appropriate to the spaces and resources available at Snug Harbor. Please note that this is a low-tech format in a non-traditional space. Basic light and sound equipment are available,

SELECTION PROCESS

A juried panel comprised of Snug Harbor staff and arts professionals will select the awarded projects.

TIMELINE

Applications are due by Thursday, April 10, 2025 at 11:59PM EST. All applicants will be notified by June 25, 2025. Residencies will take place in Fiscal Year 2026 (Between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026). 

APPLICATION INFO SESSION

Snug Harbor staff will host a PASS application information session: Thursday, March 13 at 3:00 PM ET on Zoom. We will share the recorded info session via our YouTube page as a resource for prospective applicants. We encourage all applicants to familiarize themselves with Snug Harbor’s campus before applying to this opportunity.

REGISTER FOR INFO SESSION

APPLICATION CHECK-LIST

The following application materials should be submitted via Google Form (link below) by Thursday, April 10, 2025 at 11:59PM EST

• Completed application form. The application form on Google has three sections:
• Eligibility: Basic eligibility questionnaire.
• Applicant Information: Short and long form responses.
• Work sample: one video or sound link of the applicant’s existing original work (video preferred; no more than 5-minutes in length). Please include hyperlink via Vimeo, YouTube, Dropbox, Soundcloud, etc. If password protected, please include password. If the video is longer than five minutes, please indicate viewing cue.

Demographics Survey: We invite all applicants to fill out a brief demographics survey. This information is used for internal assessment and evaluation as we work toward facilitating processes that are more equitable. Your responses in this section will be kept confidential and will not be shared with the selection panel (except for an anonymous, aggregate snapshot of applicant demographics). All questions in this section are optional.

For questions regarding your application, please email [email protected]  

PASS: Performing Arts Salon Saturdays is made possible through generous lead support from the Howard Gilman Foundation, with additional support from the Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Snug Harbor is a proud partner with the CUNY Dance Initiative.

APPLICATION CHECK-LIST

The following application materials should be submitted via Google Form (link below) by Thursday, April 10, 2025 at 11:59PM EST

• Completed application form. The application form on Google has three sections:
• Eligibility: Basic eligibility questionnaire.
• Applicant Information: Short and long form responses.
• Work sample: one video or sound link of the applicant’s existing original work (video preferred; no more than 5-minutes in length). Please include hyperlink via Vimeo, YouTube, Dropbox, Soundcloud, etc. If password protected, please include password. If the video is longer than five minutes, please indicate viewing cue.

Demographics Survey: We invite all applicants to fill out a brief demographics survey. This information is used for internal assessment and evaluation as we work toward facilitating processes that are more equitable. Your responses in this section will be kept confidential and will not be shared with the selection panel (except for an anonymous, aggregate snapshot of applicant demographics). All questions in this section are optional.

For questions regarding your application, please email [email protected]  

PASS: Performing Arts Salon Saturdays is made possible through generous lead support from the Howard Gilman Foundation, with additional support from the Samuel I. Newhouse Foundation, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. Snug Harbor is a proud partner with the CUNY Dance Initiative.

04/10/2025