ARTS Southeast’s Ossabaw Residency is a semi-annual program that invites artists to experience the magic of Georgia’s third-largest barrier island.

Launching in October, 2026, the Ossabaw Residency expands ARTS Southeast’s commitment to supporting deep creative inquiry in unique environments. A cohort of artists will be invited to spend focused time on Georgia’s third-largest barrier island.

Accessible only by boat, Ossabaw features 26,000 acres of undeveloped maritime forest, tidal wetlands, and Atlantic shoreline. It is protected by the State of Georgia as a heritage preserve and can only be utilized for natural, scientific, and cultural study. With this program, ARTS Southeast is proud to reinvigorate and expand upon the multidisciplinary residencies first established on Ossabaw in 1961 by Eleanor Torrey West and Clifford B. West.

The residency will offer time and space for artists’ ideas to emerge and take shape, free from urban distractions. It is open to emerging, mid-career, and established artists across disciplines who are encouraged to pursue self-directed work shaped by solitude, a sense of place, and the pace of natural rhythms.

The residency includes:

• Private housing on Ossabaw Island

• All meals during the residency period

• Transportation to and from the island

• Logistical support provided by ARTS Southeast and The Ossabaw Island Foundation

Photo credit: Artist Suzanne Jackson on Ossabaw Island. Photo by Imke Lass

Ossabaw Island Artist Residency