The Virginia Center for the Creative Arts sends four of its former Fellows to the Oberpfälzer Künstlerhaus in Schwandorf, Germany, for a four-week residency running 1–30 June 2027. The places are fixed by discipline: two visual artists, one writer and one composer.
The Künstlerhaus stands in Fronberg, on the edge of Schwandorf in the Upper Palatinate region of Bavaria. It takes in around 20 international artists, writers and composers a year, all of them arriving through partner institutions. It does not accept applications from individuals.
Selection is run by VCCA in Virginia rather than by the German house, and only artists who have already been in residence at VCCA may apply. A panel of peers in each discipline reads the files, and results go out by 15 December 2026.
Benefits & funding
- A four-week place at the Oberpfälzer Künstlerhaus, 1–30 June 2027.
- A private room in the international artists’ house, with a shared living area, a fully equipped kitchen, laundry facilities, printer access and WiFi.
- A daily stipend from the host house. Neither VCCA nor the Künstlerhaus publishes the amount.
- Work space in the house: two studios for visual artists, plus individual rooms for writers and composers.
- A wheelchair-accessible apartment can be arranged with advance notice.
- Costs are shared with the Fellow. VCCA’s suggested daily payment for international residencies is $105, and anyone who needs to pay less than $95 a day can request a reduction. No page mentions travel or airfare support.
- The application itself costs $30, waivable on request.
Eligibility
- Open to writers, visual artists and composers who have previously been in residence at VCCA.
- Anyone who has taken part in a VCCA international residency in the past three years cannot apply this year. Time at le Moulin à Nef in France is exempt from that rule.
- Four places for the 2027 cycle: two visual artists, one writer, one composer.
- No nationality, residency, age, gender or degree requirement is published.
- German is described as helpful but not essential.
- The Künstlerhaus takes residents only through partner institutions, so a direct application to Schwandorf is not an option.
Can you apply?
Open to all applicants
No nationality, residency, education, or experience limits are listed.
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Application process
- 1Complete a residency at VCCA first, since the exchange is open only to past Fellows.
- 2Apply through SlideRoom at vcca.slideroom.com; the window runs from 1 June to 15 September 2026.
- 3Submit the application form, current work samples in your discipline and a project description. Letters of recommendation have not been required since 1 February 2022.
- 4Pay the $30 application fee, or ask VCCA for a waiver at least five days before the deadline.
- 5File a separate application and fee for any other exchange you want. If more than one accepts you, you must pick one.
- 6Wait for the panel decision, sent by 15 December 2026.
- 7If you intend to pay less than $95 a day, send your most recent 1040 tax return to VCCA International Programs by 1 October 2026.
Program timeline
applications open.
1 June 2026
application deadline.
15 September 2026
tax return due for anyone requesting to pay less than $95 a day.
1 October 2026
decisions announced.
15 December 2026
residency begins in Schwandorf.
1 June 2027
residency ends.
30 June 2027