UP Projects is partnering with the Royal Parks to offer a new, 6-month residency opportunity for an artist to be based at Greenwich Park, starting in January 2026.
The selected artist will receive free studio space at St Mary’s Lodge located within Greenwich Park as well as a fee of £22,000. The residency has been designed to support an artist to develop their socially engaged practice through creative community engagement.
Developed as part of UP Projects’ Constellations learning and development programme and forming part of the legacy of the Greenwich Park Revealed project, this Constellations ° Residency aims to foster meaningful connections between the park and its visitors through artistic exploration and collaboration.
The residency will suit an early to mid-career artist with a socially engaged practice, an understanding of and sensitivity to the barriers faced by the park’s underserved communities, and an understanding of the social and cultural value of urban green spaces.
We are welcoming expressions of interest through a six-week open call, launching on Tuesday 23 September 2025 and closing at midnight on Sunday 2 November 2025.
To find out more and apply, download the full extensive open call document. You can also download a plain text version of the open call document.
Should you have any questions relating to this residency opportunity please address them via email to constellations@upprojects.com.
Answers to all questions will be shared on this page during the course of the open call process.
Open Morning
We will be hosting an open morning to enable interested artists to visit St Mary’s Lodge and ask us any questions in person. The open morning will be split into two time slots, the first at 9:30am and the second at 10:30am. Due to the high demand for the open morning artists who have registered will be given priority on the day.
If you would like to view the presentation that was shown during the open morning, you can do so here. All questions that were raised during the open morning will subsequently be published shortly below under Frequently Asked Questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What do you mean by formal accredited education?
A: You are not required to have undergone formal art school training and no further education qualifications are required to apply. However, as part of the application eligibility, we specify that if you have undergone formal accredited education we require you to have completed your course at least two years prior to applying. This means you will have completed your course during or before 2023. If you have not undergone formal accredited education then we require you to evidence at least two years of professional practice.
Q: Do I need to be involved in an ongoing socially engaged project to be able to apply to the programme?
A: You don’t need to be involved in an ongoing socially engaged project to apply, however, we do require that you can confirm within your application that you: are able to articulate and evidence how this residency opportunity will help support and develop your socially engaged practice; why this is important to you at this stage in your career; what you would hope to gain from this residency; can demonstrate at least two years of experience of working at the intersection of contemporary art, social practice and public realm.
Q: Do you accept applications from collectives or artist-duos?
A: We are very happy to receive applications from individual artists, duos, and collectives. Please note that the artist fee is a set amount, so if you’re applying as more than one artist, the fee will need to be shared between you.
Q: How do I apply?
A: You can find all the information on eligibility, submission criteria and application forms required here. The deadline for responses is 2 November 2025 at midnight. Applications may be made using alternative formats such as video (max 10Mb file size – max duration 5 mins), rather than in writing. Please submit the application to dbriscoe-peaple@royalparks.org.uk. In person interviews will be held 24 November 2025, 1 – 5pm, and successful applicants will be notified within two weeks.
Q: Will I be able to request feedback on my application if unsuccessful?
A: Due to the large number of applicants we are anticipating, we will not be able to offer individual feedback on any applications. We will only be offering feedback to applicants who have been invited to interview for the residency.
Q: Should I include images of past projects within my application?
A: Yes! We would love to see images of relevant past projects. Please note we have amended the wording in the open call document to reflect this as follows:
If you would like to respond to this open call, please send an expression of interest by midnight 2 November 2025. This should be no longer than 800 words (approx. 2 sides of A4) with an outline of how you would respond to this brief, detailing why you would be an ideal candidate for the residency and how you meet the specific selection criteria (set out below). Please also provide a further two sides of A4 to highlight relevant past project examples including project images. Alternatively, you may send a video recording (max 10Mb – max 5 mins).