“Matter, Matters”

This page offers a brief introduction to Sculpture Space and the artists invited to participate in our 2026 residency cycle. Founded in 1976 and located in Utica, New York, Sculpture Space is dedicated to supporting the creation of new work in sculpture and related spatial practices by providing artists with studio space, housing, and access to fabrication facilities. Each year artists selected through an international open call come to Utica to experiment with materials, scale, and process, often developing installation-based work and sculptural projects that require space and production resources difficult to access elsewhere.

The residency is intentionally structured to support experimentation and risk-taking. Artists are encouraged to test ideas, explore new materials, and pursue projects that may still be evolving or materially ambitious. In this way Sculpture Space functions as a laboratory for sculptural practice, providing artists the time, tools, and environment to develop work outside the expectations of commercial galleries and the art market.

The artists highlighted here represent the kinds of experimental and materially driven practices the residency seeks to support. Through shared studios, daily exchange among residents, and engagement with the local community through open studios, pop-up exhibitions, and artist talks, Sculpture Space creates a setting where new work can be developed, tested, and brought into conversation with the public.