Australia's largest artist retreat calls for new batch of creative minds to inhabit its bushland paradise.
The legendary Bundanon artist retreat is calling for creatives of all stripes to apply for its 2026 Artists in Residence program, offering the rare chance to develop work in a secluded bush paradise overlooking the Shoalhaven River.
Established in 1997, the program has grown into Australia’s largest creative residency, now hosting over 250 artists annually through partnerships with leading arts organisations and cultural agencies.
Bundanon 2026 Artists in Residence
- Applications Open: Friday, 11 April 2025
- Online Information Session: Thursday, 17 April 2025
- Applications Close: Friday, 23 May 2025 at Midnight
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The program spans all creative disciplines – visual arts, literature, dance, music, moving image, even jewellery and silversmithing – plus it welcomes ecological and scientific research projects. Best of all? There are zero costs to artists selected for the program.
Bundanon CEO Rachel Kent explains the philosophy behind the initiative: “It is critically important in this new organisational chapter that we create access for our artists and remove cost barriers. Bundanon’s residency program upholds our core commitment to support cultural production across all disciplines and career stages; and importantly, to give practitioners the space for uninterrupted reflection and testing of new ideas.”
The residency program provides artists with purpose-built studios and rehearsal spaces on the organisation’s secluded Homestead site, designed to foster critical thinking and creative production away from the distractions of everyday life.
Bundanon itself represents one of the most significant acts of philanthropy in Australian arts history. The 1,000-hectare property was gifted to the Australian people by Arthur and Yvonne Boyd in 1993, guided by their vision of “a place for the community to enjoy the bush and the river, and a place to be used as a forum where those from every facet from the arts and sciences could get together.”
Today, that vision continues to expand. Beyond the residency program, Bundanon houses an impressive collection featuring 1,448 works by Arthur Boyd alongside pieces by contemporaries including Sidney Nolan, Joy Hester and Charles Blackman. The property also hosts learning programs welcoming around 5,000 school students annually.
The 2026 program partners with an impressive roster of organisations including Accessible Arts, Australian Plays Transform, Australian Theatre for Young People, British Council, Critical Path, JamFactory and the Jewellers and Metalsmiths Group of Australia – NSW.
Artists, groups and organisations from around the world are encouraged to apply for this career-defining opportunity to create in one of Australia’s most inspiring natural environments.
For application information and to register for the online information session, head here.
