Hackerman Artist in Residence Proposals
Applications for the 2025 Hackerman Artist in Residence Program are now closed.
2025 Jury Panel Announced
Enoch Pratt Free Library is pleased to announce the jury panel for the 2025 Hackerman Artist in Residence Program. Each year the Library invites a cohort of jurors to review applications and make recommendations for our finalists. We are extremely grateful for their time and expertise.
Learn more about each of our jury members below.
Michael Benevento
Michael Benevento is an artist, curator and Co-director of Current Space. Born in Houston, he moved to Baltimore in 2001 to study at the Maryland Institute College of Art and joined Current Space in 2005. Michael spends most of his time sculpting a multidisciplinary space for artists. Current Space is an artist-run, member-supported gallery, studio, outdoor performance space, and garden bar. Current Space started as a DIY space occupying a vacant city-owned building awaiting demolition, near the Inner Harbor. Relocating in 2010, Current Space now flourishes as an artist-owned space on the westside of Downtown in the Bromo Arts and Entertainment District.
Paloma Feliciano
thewalters.org
thewalters.org/events
Paloma Feliciano is the Manager of Public Programs and College Initiatives at the Walters Art Museum. In her role, she oversees the execution of a variety of free programming aimed at engaging adult, multigenerational, and college audiences. She is passionate about creating memorable and positive experiences and is a firm believer that teamwork makes the dreamwork. Her educational background includes an Associate of Fine Arts from Montgomery College and a bachelor's degree in Studio Art from San Diego State University.
Born in Arequipa, Peru, and raised in Gaithersburg, Maryland, she has enjoyed getting to know the vibrant and artistic city of Baltimore over the past five years. Outside of the Walters, she loves to spend time with her husband and two pups, finding creative activities, and sharing meals and laughter with friends and family.
J.M. Giordano
J.M. Giordano is an award-winning photojournalist based in Baltimore and co-host of the photojournalism podcast, 10 Frames Per Second. His new book is 13-23: How a Summer of Violence Led to a Decade of Activism. His first book, We Used to Live at Night, chronicles 25 years of the city at night. His work has been featured on NPR, ProPublica, Al-Jazeera, GQ, Architectural Digest, Taste, The Observer New Review Sunday Magazine, The Guardian, The Telegraph, The Daily Mail, Washington Post, The Baltimore City Paper, i-D Magazine, Discovery Channel Inc. His work, from the Struggle series, is in the permanent collections at the Reginald Lewis Museum. In 2015 he was short-listed for the National Gallery’s Outwin Boochever Portrait Prize and his international photographs covering the collapse of the steel industry are the subject of a solo show at the Museum of Industry in Baltimore. In 2023 he was a finalist for International Food Photographer of the Year in the UK and this year is a semi-finalist for the 2024 National Gallery’s Outwin Boochever Portrait Prize and will be featured in American Photography 50.
Cecilia Wichmann
Cecilia Wichmann | Baltimore Museum of Art (artbma.org)
Cecilia Wichmann (she/her) is Associate Curator of Contemporary Art. She is co-curator of the 50-year career retrospective Joyce J. Scott: Walk a Mile in My Dreams, co-organized with the Seattle Art Museum, and collaborator with guest curator George Ciscle on Eyewinkers, Tumbleturds, and Candlebugs: The Art of Elizabeth Talford Scott, as well as the Elizabeth Talford Scott Community Celebration organized in partnership with MICA’s Exhibition Development Seminar and eight partner institutions across Baltimore City. Her recent exhibitions include Histories Collide: Jackie Milad x Fred Wilson x Nekisha Durrett, Elle Pérez: Devotions, On Certainty: Gifts from the Collection of Suzanne F. Cohen, and Tschabalala Self: By My Self; she was also a member of the curatorial research team for Joan Mitchell. In collaboration with Paper Conservator Linda Owen, Cecilia has spearheaded the Museum’s Artist Interviews research initiative. Before joining the BMA in 2017, Cecilia led the Stamp Gallery and Contemporary Art Purchasing Program at the University of Maryland, College Park, where she is a PhD candidate in art history. Born and raised in Maryland, Cecilia started her museum career at The Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C., after completing her undergraduate degree in art history at the University of Toronto.
The Hackerman Library Artist in Residence (AIR) program is an opportunity for the selected visual artist to work as an independent contractor developing a new body of artwork or to further develop projects already in existence. The Hackerman Artist in Residence program aims to enhance the artistic and cultural life of Maryland by connecting established and emerging artists with Library resources and tools, creating meaningful connections with Library patrons, and contributing unique perspectives to our ever-evolving and growing community.
Program Goals:
Foster an inclusive and diverse space: Create opportunities for Library patrons to interact with creative professionals from various disciplines, promoting equity and inclusivity.
Enhance creative growth and exploration: Cultivate a thriving arts scene in Baltimore by encouraging artists to explore and contribute to the city's cultural landscape.
Facilitate meaningful collaborations: Offer a platform for the community to engage with arts professionals.
Enrich creative learning: Provide access to resources and services that support Library patrons in their creative learning and exploration.
Bridge the gap between art and community: Establish connections between creative professionals and the Library community.
Requirements
Artists must maintain a regular presence at the Library, with a minimum of 10 hours per week during their 11-month residency making and creating in the provided Artist Studio. Artists will have access to their studio only during public service hours from 10 am to 8 pm Monday through Thursday and 10 am to 5 pm on Friday and Saturday. The Library is closed on Sundays, there is no 24 hours access.
In consultation with Pratt staff, the Artist in Residence is expected to plan and host one public event or activity per month. The purpose of AIR events is to educate and engage the community in the creative process. Programs can include interactive sessions, workshops, classes, demonstrations, presentations, or other forms of community engagement. Different activities must be designed for children/families, teens, adults, and all ages. Half of these events will be scheduled for branches other than the Central Library. The Artist can present the same program more than once, if at multiple locations. It is the expectation that the last program in June will be a culminating event representative of the Artist in Residence’s research and work produced.
The Enoch Pratt Free Library will promote the Artist in Residence and any presentations, exhibitions, and community programs the artist participates in during the residency. This residency opportunity is open to Maryland-based artists 21+ years of age who are interested in connecting with and teaching the community about art.
Current Pratt staff are not eligible to apply.
Application Process
Admission to the AIR program is by online application only. 2025 Hackerman Artist in Residence applications are closed as of 5/31/2024.
Artists will be notified of acceptance or nonacceptance no later than 30 days after the deadline. Notification will be made via email.
The Pratt provides a stipend during the residency period. Our current stipend is $30,000 for 11 months, dependent on available funding, with some additional resources available for supply costs. We are unable to reimburse travel costs or provide housing for visiting artists.
How to Apply
Thank you for your interest! 2025 Hackerman Artist in Residence Applications are now closed.
In the form, you will be asked to provide:
- First and Last Name
- Pronouns
- Phone Number
- Address
- Your experience teaching a class or workshop, if any
- Artist Statement
- Where you heard about the program
- A link to a website or social media page where we can see a body of established work
- A description of your project idea for the residency and what inspires it
- An explanation of why the library's resources interest you
- Your plans for involving the public with your art
- Creative event ideas for children, teens, and adults
- A portfolio, CV, and letter of recommendation in one PDF
If you have specific questions about the application process, please email our team at air@prattlibrary.org.
Artists in Residence
The Enoch Pratt Free Library Artist in Residence Program is designed to bring creatives from around Baltimore to share and create at the Pratt Library.