Watershed Residency

Watershed is a single occupancy residency based in Watertown, Tennessee, which provides dedicated studio space and time for emerging and mid-career artists to focus their practice. Watershed hopes to broaden the scope and conversation surrounding artistic production in the South by welcoming artists to engage in the current dialectic.

Watershed provides a live/work studio space to 6-12 artists annually, each ranging from one to two months in duration. Studio visits, publication in the annual cumulative catalogue, and representation on Watershed’s website are given to every artist.

The residency is located 45 minutes east of Nashville, in rural Watertown, Tennessee. Although much of the town’s more finite history is unknown, what is currently a quaint community used to be a restless mecca for drag racing down Main St and bar fights in broad daylight. In the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, nearby residents would take the long way around Watertown to avoid any trouble. However, this sordid history is barely visible on the quiet streets today. A place at variance with it’s past, Watertown is home to antique shops, diners, the local public library and drive-in. It offers a unique and fruitful location for the Watershed residency program. Straight east from Nashville and just south of nearby Lebanon, Watertown provides a retreat that is still accessible from larger cities in the Northeast and Midwest.

Emerging and mid-career artists nationwide looking to spend time in an incubated and studio-heavy environment are encouraged to apply. Artists looking to escape the day-to-day distractions of their traditional practice while still exploring and engaging in their environment will find Watershed a valuable opportunity. Foremost, the foundation of the Watershed residency program is to facilitate engagement between artists and the current modes and spaces of production developing within the region.