Living After Worlds Shift (L.A.W.S.)

VISION

L.A.W.S. is not simply a residency; it is a framework for artistic continuity, mutual support, and collective resilience—one that reinvests in artists affected by ecological disaster. Our nomadic art residency is designed to support artists facing urgent displacement or disruption, providing them with the time, space, and support needed to continue their creative work when it is most at risk.

Built around the principles of community, healing, and artistic immersion, L.A.W.S. recognizes that ones practice is not only a form of cultural production but also a vital means of adaptation and community-building. Rather than being tied to a single location, the residency operates nomadically, responding to emerging needs and forming partnerships with host organizations, communities, and cultural institutions wherever support is required. 

L.A.W.S. seeks to nurture and promote artists with trust and community- building without the pressures of the all-consuming work that is the byproduct of daily life after disaster. In moments of crisis and uncertainty, artists often lose not only physical space but also access to the networks, stability, and support systems that sustain creative practice. L.A.W.S. responds by creating conditions of welcome, reciprocity, and mutual support, recognizing that meaningful artistic work flourishes when people feel supported, connected, and safe. 

SETTING

Whenever possible L.A.W.S. selects residency sites situated in tranquil environments that encourage reflection, restoration, and meaningful exchange. These settings are chosen not as places of retreat from the world, but as spaces where an ethos of creativity and community can be cultivated. Temporary refuge allows artists to reconnect with their work, creating room for artistic growth, where peer-based learning, dialogue and collaboration enables artists to build relationships and share knowledge across disciplines, experiences, and geographies. L.A.W.S. seeks to create an agile and responsive infrastructure of care and transformation for artists, ensuring that creative practice can endure, evolve, and contribute meaningfully to the challenges of our time.

STRUCTURE

Nomadic Model: Residencies unfold across multiple temporary host sites — community gardens, artist-run spaces, nature centers, and transitional urban spaces.

Duration: 6-8 weeks with micro-residencies of 1-2 weeks for emergent responses to ongoing crises.

Support: Artists receive housing where needed, production support, access to studios & materials, curatorial mentoring, trauma resources, practical resources depending on nature of disaster, share sessions and more. 

Community Engagement: Public gatherings bring residents together with local communities to share works-in-progress, ecological stories, and resilience practices. Accommodation, travel, visas and stipend specified in each call.

HISTORIC VIEW

  • Residencies, Workshops & Exhibitions:

  • Pilchuck Glass School, Stanwood, Washington, 2026

  • Björkö Konstnod (BKN), Björkö, Sweden, 2025

  • Slakthusateljéerna, Stockholm, Sweden, Open Studio Sept 19, 2025

  • Stockholm City Theatre, Three Funny Men Sounding Smart About Comedy, Sept 24, 2025

  • Björkö Community Theatre, Intro to Improv with Brian Huskey, Sept 26-Sept 30

  • Supermarket Independent Art Fair, Stockholm, Sweden, THE DOOR WAS RIGHT HERE, April 23-26
    Booth exhibition, artist talk, and live performance.

  • Fault Lines Alumni Network, this network is an extension of the residency program and forms a much needed new context for the individual artists to support each other’s practices

For information on applying to future residencies please subscribe below and follow L.A.W.S. on instagram @lawsartistresidency