ACE x firstdraft Short-term Residency
A unique opportunity for South Australian artists to develop new work at ACE before presenting a solo exhibition at firstdraft in Sydney.
Opportunity
The 2025 ACE x firstdraft Short-term Residency offers one South Australian artist the opportunity to develop and present a solo exhibition at firstdraft, Sydney. The artist will receive a 3-month studio residency at ACE with 24/7 access to the studios above the ACE gallery, sharing a creative, collaborative environment with the ACE Annual Studio Program artists. This residency is supported by an artist fee, materials budget and travel bursary, with the focus on a specific project in preparation for the artist’s interstate exhibition. This opportunity provides a unique chance to gain national recognition, expand professional networks, and collaborate within a dynamic studio environment.
The Short-term Residency offers
– 3-month rent–free studio space, from May – August 2025
– Studios are approximately 20m² and feature 24/7 access, plus shared kitchen and breakout facilities
– Utilities (electricity, internet, water) included
– Adelaide CBD location, above the ACE gallery at Lion Arts Centre
– Artist fee, materials budget and travel bursary provided
– Project-based curatorial and installation planning support to develop new work for a solo exhibition at firstdraft, Sydney
– Professional development opportunities including, but not limited to: studio visits with Australian and international curators, introductions to visiting artists, participation in live programs, and support from ACE staff
– Profiling and promotion opportunities through ACE
One short-term space available
Eligibility
– Artists who work across all contemporary and experimental art forms
– South Australian residents who have been living in the state for the last 12 months as a minimum (by May 2025)
– People who are 18+
– Those who have not previously participated in ACE’s Studio Program or are participating in the 2025 ACE Annual Studio Program
– Artists who are currently undertaking full-time tertiary study during the residency period are ineligible to apply. PhD candidates can discuss their application with ACE
– ACE strongly encourages artists who are Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD), living with a disability, or part of the LGBTQIAP+ community to apply for this opportunity.
Application Process
Applications are considered by a selection panel composed of ACE staff and external industry professionals.
Applications are assessed against the following criteria:
– Quality of work and artistic ideas
– Artist’s commitment to experimentation, exploration and expansion of their practice
– Demonstration of the Residency’s benefit to artist’s professional development
Timeline
Applications close: Monday 7 April 11:59pm (ACDT).
Information session: Tuesday 4 March, 6–7pm ACDT (1 hour) - RSVP here.
Successful applicants will be notified and announced in late April 2025.
Residency commences: Tuesday, 6 May 2025.
Previous Exhibitions
FAQs
We look for artists who will benefit from the opportunity at this moment in the development of their career, and artists whose practices align with our vision and mission. To identify how your work might fit with this opportunity, we encourage you to have a look at ACE and firstdraft’s previous exhibitions and live programs, and to consider how strongly you can articulate your proposed plan to experiment, explore and expand your practice in this opportunity.
ACE identifies that this opportunity is beneficial no matter what your age, or how long you have been a practising artist. However, to be eligible, you must be 18 years old or over.
Artists who work across all contemporary art forms are eligible to apply. While you do not need to possess formal qualifications, those that can demonstrate a developed visual arts practice will make strong candidates.
If you face barriers in completing application forms, we welcome you to reach out to find a suitable way to apply, and to discuss what capacities ACE has to support you should you be selected. Please be aware that the application form provides you with the option to submit your application by answering questions in video or audio format. You can also view more information about ACE’s accessibility.
Regionally-based artists should consider if they can meet the following requirements:
Minimum allocation of 20 hours per week (on average) to work in their studio.
Attendance at key after-hours events that support the delivery of the ACE x firstdraft Short-term Residency.
To be eligible, applicants must have been residents of South Australia for a minimum of twelve months by May 2025.
Proposals should consider the scale of the work for freight and size of firstdraft gallery spaces. The artist will be responsible for self-installation, and the proposal should reflect a practical approach to scale, complexity, and logistics. Competitive applications demonstrate a clear, realistic approach to logistics and installation.
Guildhouse and NAVA provide relevant information and tips for preparing and writing proposals that we encourage you to access. Our assessment panel will be considering the strength of existing practice and also the conceptual development/ ideas, artistic research, and new directions, experimentation, exploration and expansion you aim to pursue. The feasibility of your freight and self-installation plans will also be an important consideration in the assessment process. We recommend a clear and rigorous focus on your ideas. Additionally, high-quality documentation is highly regarded.
Yes, you can apply for both opportunities, but you can only be awarded one. Applying for both will not affect your eligibility.
We encourage applicants to carefully consider which opportunity best aligns with their artistic practice and goals, as each has a distinct focus and outcome. The ACE Annual Studio Program supports long-term artistic development, while the ACE x firstdraft Short-term Residency is project-based and leads to an interstate exhibition.
Yes, you can apply for both opportunities but you can only be awarded one.
Applications are considered by an advisory committee composed of ACE staff and external industry professionals. Applications are assessed against the quality of the artist’s existing work and their proposal to experiment, explore and expand their practice, the artist’s exhibition experience and ways their practice has been evidently developed, the artist’s demonstrated long-term commitment to their practice, and demonstration of the Residency’s benefit to artist’s professional development. In selecting the overall makeup of the cohort, ACE also considers the representation of a diverse range of artistic mediums, approaches and voices.
Please contact danni@ace.gallery before the 21st March if you wish to arrange a 15 minute viewing of the studios. Viewing times are available between the hours of 10am–4pm, Tuesday to Friday.
Feel free to get in touch by calling the ACE office 08 8211 7505 or emailing Dr. Danni Zuvela, ACE Artistic Director, danni@ace.gallery.
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