Artist-in-Residence Program
Launched in 2023, the W&L Art Museum and Galleries’ Artist-in-Residence program invites contemporary artists to pursue projects that bring new knowledge and fresh perspectives inspired by the museum’s permanent collection. The residency plays a critical role in activating the collection, advancing the museum’s mission to advance learning through direct engagement with art, and facilitating an interdisciplinary appreciation of art, history, and culture.
Resident artists receive curatorial guidance, research support, studio space, housing, and a stipend. During their time at W&L, artists collaborate closely with students in the classroom and contribute to the university and broader community through workshops, lectures, and exhibitions. The residency culminates in a public exhibition of work created during the program.
Meet Our Resident Artists
Stephanie Shih (Summer 2023) Residency Project
Stephanie Shih (Taiwanese-Chinese American b. 1986) will produce a new body of still life works for a project titled LONG TIME NO SEE (好久不見), which examines the Museums’ collection of Chinese export porcelain as diasporic objects and explores the complexities of the Asian and Asian American experiences. The still lifes will combine objects drawn from the ceramics collection, archival materials, personal narratives, and the natural world around W&L and Lexington. Her project will culminate in a solo exhibition in the Reeves Museum of Ceramics in the Summer of 2024 through the Spring of 2025.
(Photo courtesy of the artist)
Zhang Xiaoli (Summer 2025) Residency Project
Zhang Xiaoli (Chinese, b. 1989) will develop a new body of work, reflecting on the legacy of the late W&L art professor Ju I-Hsiung. Rooted in classical Chinese painting, Xiaoli’s work explores themes of visual translation, cultural continuity, and migration experience. The project will engage with selected works from the Art Museum’s permanent collection, historical records, W&L’s natural surroundings, and personal experiences to reimagine the poetic line “千峰云影，万壑泉声” (“Clouds cast shadows across a thousand peaks; spring echoes through ten thousand valleys”) as a way to bridge generations, geographies, and cultures. The residency will culminate in an exhibition in Watson Galleries in Fall 2026.
(Photo courtesy of the artist)
Highlights from the Residency
"Having the opportunity to work closely with a professional artist was incredibly valuable in helping me understand what a career in the art world can look like. Being able to ask Xiaoli questions about how she got started and how the artist-museum relationship works gave me insights I couldn’t have gained elsewhere. As someone who hopes to pursue art professionally, this experience was truly unforgettable. I’m also so grateful to have learned a new medium from such a master. Xiaoli’s patience and guidance made exploring new techniques inspiring and rewarding. Additionally, the Chinese art history she shared introduced me to artists and traditions that were completely new to me and sparked fresh inspiration in my own work."
Katie Lawson ’26
Student Apprentice for artist Zhang Xiaoli in 2025
"This apprenticeship opportunity helped give me a vision for what it is like to be an artist as I learned the new mediums and styles of Chinese traditional art. Xiaoli taught me to look deeper into my process as I practiced, helping me see new connections in myself and in my art. This grew my skills technically as well as creatively. I am inspired to discover more about how art can work in tandem with other disciplines and across cultures, conveying abstract experiences and ideas in a way that only art can."
Sylvia Churchil ’27
Student Apprentice for artist Zhang Xiaoli in 2025
"This project is my very first time setting up a whole photography project from scratch ... Although I only participated for a short period of time, this was such a fun and inspirational experience for me. It makes me rethink how I perceive art, especially photography. Photography is not only about capturing life but also about building a life within itself."
Linh Ngo ’26
Studio Assistant for artist Stephanie Shih in 2023