Application Form

Application Information Sheet

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Accessibility: These artist studios are located on the first floor of the church building which is currently only accessible by a staircase. Although we cannot improve this situation currently, we would like to hear from those who are interested in the residency but would be prevented by the accessibility issues.

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If you are interested in our 2025 artist residency please complete the application form attached above, and read through the information sheet before applying.  

Residency Dates: 2 May to 25 October 2025

Location: St Barnabas Church Dalston, London, E8 2EA

Residency Fee: £600 (£100 per month). Limited bursaries are available to support those who would not be able to afford the residency otherwise. 

 Application Deadline: 31 January 2025

Interviews: 10 and 14 February 2025

Successful applicants will be notified by: 31February 2025

Please return the complete application form and portfolio to ally@morphearts.org and sarah@morphearts.org . Any questions about the application can also be emailed to Sarah or Alastair, particularly if you have any access requirements or need support completing the form.

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Information

The available studios are in the upper room of St Barnabas Church, Dalston. The residency is a practice-based programme in dialogue between Christian theology and contemporary art practice. Artists will develop a new body of work for exhibition in October 2025. The programme includes a weekly schedule of seminars, workshops and crits from visiting tutors. Artists are expected to use the studios for a minimum of three to four days per week, and to commit to the residency programme which will take place most Mondays, from 10am - 3.30pm. 

Artists will be accepted from a range of disciplines and interests. The residency is looking to create a space where questions of faith and belief can be explored alongside artistic practice yet there is no expectation for artists to be making work specifically related to ideas of faith. The core programme of the residency will take place most Mondays during the residency, beginning with morning reflection and a communal lunch provided for the artists. Community and hospitality are at the core of the residency and this Monday programme is when we come together as a group. 

This programme is in partnership with St Barnabas Church Dalston and has been made possible by their incredible generosity. The programme is runby Sarah White and Alastair Gordon.

The residency programme is open to artists of all faiths and none, but with an expectation that those participating in the residency will be willing and interested in discussions of faith, with an awareness that MorphēArts is particularly focused on engagement with the Christian tradition. As a charity Morphē Arts assents to the Nicene Creed as our document of Christian faith, but our activities are open to anyone regardless of religious belief.

Morphē Arts is a network of artists across the UK, with projects in London, Wales and Scotland. Morphē supports early to mid-career arts professionals with a focus on encouraging critical engagement between Christian faith and contemporary art. As a charity we run gallery spaces, an artist residency programme, conferences, artists groups and monthly lectures. We have a wealth of resources for artists including online talks and printed publications. www.morphearts.org

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