Call for Curator in Residence
309 Punk Project | Pensacola, Florida
Residency Term: March–December 2026
Application Deadline: Feb 13th
309 Punk Project invites applications for a Curator in Residence as part of its long-term commitment to archival preservation, curatorial research, and expanded public access to artist-run and punk-derived cultural histories. This residency advances field-wide conversations around the stewardship, interpretation, and activation of underrepresented archives, while supporting experimental, research-driven curatorial practice rooted in artist-centered and community-based models.
Residency Framework
The Curator-in-Residence will reside onsite for ten months in an upstairs private bedroom at 309 Punk Project. Housing is offered at a subsidized, all-inclusive rent of $700 per month, supporting sustained, embedded research within the organization’s archives and programs.
The upstairs living area includes a shared bathroom and shared living space with one other permanent Artist-in-Residence. The kitchen is shared with a rotating monthly Artist-in-Residence housed downstairs. This shared-living model reflects 309 Punk Project’s emphasis on collaboration, resource sharing, and collective cultural production.
The residency culminates in a publicly presented curated exhibition opening in December 2026, developed through a 10-month-long archival research and curatorial inquiry.
Archival Access, Sustainability, and Field-Wide Impact
The resident curator will receive full access to the 309 Punk Project Art Object Archive, alongside its extensive zine, flyer, poster, T-shirt, and ephemera archives, which document punk, experimental music, and artist-run activity on the Gulf Coast and beyond.
This residency supports:
- Long-term archival sustainability through responsible research, contextualization, and interpretive strategies
- Field-wide impact by expanding access to artist-run archives that are often under-documented or institutionally marginalized
- Artist-centered stewardship, prioritizing ethical engagement with living artists, DIY communities, and historically overlooked cultural producers
Public Access, Equity, and Knowledge Sharing
Central to this residency is a commitment to public access, transparency, and knowledge exchange. The Curator-in-Residence is encouraged to develop programs that make archival materials accessible to diverse audiences, including:
- Public talks, workshops, screenings, or reading groups
- Process-based or research-in-progress presentations
- Digital or printed interpretive materials that extend beyond the exhibition
Culminating Exhibition
The residency will conclude with a curated exhibition opening in December 2026 at 309 Punk Project. The exhibition should meaningfully activate archival materials, foreground research outcomes, and offer new interpretive or experimental approaches to exhibition-making within an artist-run context. Exhibition support includes space access, promotion, and documentation.
Residency Expectations
- 10 Month residency commitment March–December 2026
- Ongoing archival research and curatorial development
- Participation in shared living and working environments
- Periodic public engagement activities (scheduled collaboratively)
- Curation and presentation of a final exhibition in December 2026
- Professional collaboration with 309 Punk Project leadership and staff
This opportunity is open to curators, archivists, writers, scholars, and interdisciplinary cultural workers whose practices engage contemporary art, music culture, archives, experimental exhibition models, and artist-run infrastructures. Applicants must be able to reside on-site for the duration of the residency.
309 Punk Project welcomes applicants from diverse backgrounds and lived experiences, particularly those historically underrepresented in curatorial, archival, and institutional spaces.
Application Materials
Please submit a single PDF including:
- Letter of interest describing curatorial practice and research interests
- Brief proposal outlining intended archival engagement and public outcomes
- One page CV or résumé & Bio
- 5–10 examples of relevant curatorial, research, or writing work (links encouraged)
Applications will be evaluated based on:
- Alignment with 309 Punk Project’s mission
- Strength of archival research focus and sustainability considerations
- Commitment to public access and knowledge sharing
- Clarity of curatorial vision and feasibility within the residency structure
Submit applications to [email protected] with the subject line:
Curator in Residence Application – Last Name
Community Standards, Ethics, and Shared Living Expectations
309 Punk Project is a hybrid residential, archival, and public-facing arts space. The Curator in Residence will be living and working within an active community that includes other residents, visiting artists, staff, and the surrounding neighborhood. Applicants should understand that this is a unique shared living situation requiring care, communication, and mutual respect.
All residents are expected to engage in respectful, ethical, and professional behavior toward fellow residents, visiting artists, staff, volunteers, and the public at all times. This includes maintaining a collaborative and non-harmful living environment and respecting boundaries within shared spaces.
Given the nature of the 309 Punk Project archives and programming, residents may work with materials that include explicit, confrontational, or sensitive content. The Curator in Residence is expected to approach such materials with care, consent-based practices, ethical curatorial framing, and respect for the artists represented, particularly when working with living artists or historically marginalized communities.
As a residential space that also hosts public programs and events, 309 Punk Project operates in accordance with neighborhood sound ordinances. All public events must conclude by 10:00 PM, and residents are expected to be mindful of noise levels, shared schedules, and the surrounding community.
Failure to uphold these community standards, ethical expectations, or residency guidelines may result in review or termination of the residency agreement.
