Jurors

Dale Brockman Davis, Artist, Art Educator, Co-Founder of Brockman Gallery

Dominique Clayton, Curator, Writer, Founder, Dominique Gallery

Nicole Shostak-Sabourian, Co-Founder and Artistic Director, Sovern LA

Terrell Tilford, Founder & Creative Director, Band of Vices

Deadline for Submission

June 15, 2026

Notice of Acceptance

By June 23, 2026

Artist Residency Dates

July 2026 - December 2026

Exhibition Run Dates 

December 3, 2026 - February 27, 2027

About

This residency provides a platform for two emerging youth artists to deepen their practice while receiving mentorship, professional guidance, and career development support designed to foster a holistic and sustainable artistic career. The program is centered on helping artists refine their voice, expand their creative inquiry, and build confidence in their evolving practice. Participants will be encouraged to experiment, take creative risks, and engage critically with their work within a supportive and collaborative environment.

Selected artists will each receive a $7,000 stipend to support studio time, materials, transportation, and other residency-related needs, in addition to mentorship, professional network-building opportunities, and a culminating three-month exhibition at Sovern opening December 3, 2026. The exhibition will conclude with a public panel event on February 27, 2027, during LA Art Week.

The residency’s primary mentor is Dale Brockman Davis — Los Angeles–based artist, educator, and community activist. As co-founder of Brockman Gallery, Dale has played a transformative role in shaping Los Angeles’ cultural landscape since the 1960s. His multidisciplinary artistic practice and decades of experience cultivating community-centered artistic dialogue provide residents with the rare opportunity to receive one-on-one mentorship from one of the city’s most influential cultural figures. Through regular studio feedback and conversation, residents will be supported in navigating artistic challenges, expanding conceptual ideas, and developing their work over the course of the residency.

Additional programming and professional development sessions will be led by Terrell Tilford, Founder & Creative Director, Band of Vices; Dominique Clayton, Curator, Writer, Founder, Dominique Gallery; and Riyaana Hartley, Creative Director. Curriculum topics will include portfolio and artist statement development, pricing and presenting artwork, promotion and visibility strategies, and cultivating the discipline and structure necessary to sustain a long-term creative practice.

Eligibility and Guidelines

The residency is open to Artists of Color who are between the ages of 18 and 25, working in painting, drawing, sculpture, and mixed media, who are based in L.A. County with the means/ability to meet in person in West Adams LA monthly from June to December 2026. Artists will be expected to produce a minimum of 5 works during the residency with the understanding that at least three will be shown in the exhibition running December 3, 2026 to February 27, 2027. Maximum dimensions per piece 48” x 48”. 

Submissions will be juried by residency mentors and artists will be selected based on creativity and quality of works.

Acceptance Notice

Once the jurors have made selections, all entrants will receive an email from Sovern by June 23, 2026.