Based in a lively urban neighborhood in Pasadena, California, The Residency Project @ 880 provides space to live and work in an intimate, shared-living environment with access to the thriving arts scenes, diverse cultural landscape, and natural resources of Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley.
Artist Sojourn
TRP’s Artist Sojourn program is a self-guided residency that requires
a modest financial investment (see FAQs below for full details). This residency is designed purely to give artists the space and utmost time to work and rest as they see fit. A sojourn provides artists with the much needed opportunity to hit the reset button, to take a deep dive into their practice, to conduct research, and/or to explore the area as they wish.
What’s included:
Private Room ✦ Studio Space ✦ Equipped Self-Service Kitchen ✦ Transportation to/from Burbank Airport*
* Flight into Burbank is not required, but if flying into LAX or Ontario, the artist will need to secure their own ground transportation to The Residency Project.
What’s not included:
Airfare ✦ Art Materials* ✦ Meals**
*We have a good amount of tools, materials, and equipment on site at your disposal.
Anything beyond is the responsibility of the artist.
**You’ll find you can assemble a lot of basic meals with the pantry essentials we provide.
Otherwise, sojourners are free to grocery shop, dine out, and/or order meal deliveries at their leisure and expense.
FAQs
What is the length of an Artist Sojourn?
Sojourns of 8 days/7 nights or 15 days/14 nights are available. Depending on our availability, you’ll either be offered one or a choice upon invitation.
What’s the cost to participate?
The program fee is $630 for 8 days/7 nights or $1,050 for 15 days/14 nights.
A non-refundable 50% deposit is required to secure your spot in the program. Your remaining program fee balance will be due 1 month prior to the start of your sojourn.
Travel to/from/during the sojourn is the responsibility of the artist, as are other costs not covered by TRP. Past sojourners have applied for grants or done crowdsource fundraisers to help support their participation.
Who would I be sharing space with at TRP?
TRP’s stewards, Matt and Sarah Umles, plus their small dog Kugel live on-site. We also currently have a long-term resident, David. He works at the Huntington Museum, Library, and Gardens and produces sound/video works. It is a vibrant, welcoming household!
Can my partner attend as well?
Yes! Your partner can attend with you for an additional 30% of your program fee ($189 for 8 days; $357 for 15 days). If you’d like to attend with your partner, please let us know as soon as you’ve secured your dates with a deposit and we will update your program fee total.
Can my child/children attend with me?
Unfortunately, the residency house is not currently set up to safely or comfortably accommodate children.
Tell me more about the space @ 880!
The property at 880 in Pasadena, California is a quaint Craftsman home built in 1914 with a backyard garden "urban oasis", located in a lively residential neighborhood. The house is a 3 bedroom-2 bathroom bungalow, with a spacious upstairs loft studio. It sits on a 9,344 sq ft lot—providing plenty of space to work, sketch, write, read or just relax with a morning cup of coffee and observe the active backyard birdlife.
Common areas include a sunlit parlor/reading room and dining nook, a living room, kitchen, laundry facilities, an expansive deck with an outdoor living room and dining area, and a generous yard and garden.
Please note:
There are steps leading from the street up to the main level and a staircase leading up to the studio.
Stewards Matt & Sarah Umles share the house with the artists.
What are the accommodations like?
Artist accommodations include a fully furnished bedroom with comfy queen bed. Depending on the residency period, you may be sharing a bathroom with other residents. Bedding, towels, and basic toiletries are provided.
What is the studio like?
Sojourners have access to the communal upstairs studio and are free to respectfully use any shared areas of the house, including the backyard and garden, for their research and practice.
The upstairs studio is a spacious dry studio with ample sunlight during the day. The studio is an unfinished space with insulated ceilings, exposed rafters, and sub flooring. It is a raw space that invites experimentation. Please note that the studio does not have walls for hanging artwork.
There is wifi connectivity throughout the property and electrical outlets throughout the house as well as outdoors.
Are meals provided?
Sojourners have access to a fully equipped, self-service kitchen at 880. Residents are responsible for preparing and cleaning up after their own meals. The pantry is stocked with basics like rice, beans, pasta, peanut butter, jelly, coffee, tea, spices, cooking oil, oatmeal, granola, etc. Otherwise, residents are encouraged to provide their own groceries and/or explore local culinary hot spots.
What about equipment and resources?
Equipment
color ink jet printer/scanner/copier
projectors & screen
TV monitor
bluetooth speakers
hand tools
easel
tarps
ladder
sewing machine
Library & Art Collection
The Residency Project offers a small-but-growing collection of art history and contemporary theory books. This reference library is made readily available to our artists. This collection is made available as a resource to our artists and to members of the general public through rotating exhibitions at the residency space.
Land Acknowledgement
Pasadena has a rich and storied history. The word Pasadena itself is a Chippewa term meaning "of the valley," a name adopted by white settlers of the Indiana Colony who established themselves in this area of Southern California in 1874 to escape harsh Midwest winters. While the city's name stems from the Chippewa, a Native American tribe from the mid-western territories from which these settlers came, the land now known as Pasadena was actually first known as Hahamog'na and was occupied by the Gabrielino-Tongva Tribe, whose inhabitance spanned the Los Angeles Basin. Despite horrific attempts to systematically eradicate indigenous peoples, the Gabrielino-Tongva community persists and thrives today. The Residency Project acknowledges their history, presence, and future. Reparations begin with acknowledgment, but they don't end there. The Residency Project would be proud to partner with Gabrielino-Tongva artists and leaders, and we make space for those conversations and collaborations.
Izzy Leung (visual artist) & Peter McCormack (filmmaker)
Kathryn Kenworth
(visual artist)
Nolan Stolz
(musician/composer)
Leanne Dunic
(writer/musician/visual artist)
Sonia Zaghetto
(writer)
Ilyn Wong
(visual artist)