The WORTHLESSSTUDIOS Photographer in Residence program is a unique 1-month-long analog photography residency taking place inside an Airstream trailer converted into a darkroom. PIR gives photographers and photography-based artists exclusive access to the Airstream darkroom to process film and make new work, plus a stipend, materials, and the possibility to host a public program. 

Due to the mobile nature of the Airstream, artists in residence get to be embedded in a community or place they wish to document, with easy access to the darkroom to create a body of work that is site-specific.

Resident artists are selected through an open-call process, and will receive a stipend, free materials to take and develop photos, and free professional development opportunities. In residence, artists will create and print new photographs. 

In 2027, seven artists will participate in a one-month residency from April to October.  WORTHLESSSTUDIOS will offer residencies in the five boroughs of NYC, in partnership with local sites and arts organizations such as Alice Austen House (Staten Island), Inspiration Point (Bronx), The Green-Wood Cemetery (Brooklyn), The Center for Arts and Advocacy (Brooklyn), The Lower Eastside Girls Club (Manhattan), and NYC Parks (5 Boroughs).

RESIDENTS GET

• Exclusive access to Airstream darkroom for 4 weeks

• $1,500 artist stipend

• Darkroom chemistry, film, and photo paper

• The option to host a public program 

• 2 free workshops on scanning and digital printing by Brooklyn PrintWorks

• Press packet materials

ELIGIBILITY

This program aims to support artists who would benefit from access to a darkroom and/or who want to develop a new project in proximity to a community or a site. Artists should have previous experience working in a darkroom independently. 

Artists applying can’t be currently enrolled in an art-related degree program, nor be planning to attend an art-related degree program in the coming year.

SELECTION PROCESS

Resident Artists are selected through an open-call process. Applications will be reviewed by WORTHLESSSTUDIOS, and interviews will be conducted with final candidates during October 2026.

THE AIRSTREAM DARKROOM

A 1973 Airstream trailer was restored and converted into a fully operational professional-grade darkroom. 

The Airstream traveled to multiple destinations for the FREE FILM project. In the project, free rolls of film were distributed to the general public, democratizing the documentation of our ever-shifting realities. The resulting images have been compiled into a series of hardcover photography books.

The darkroom has all the elements necessary to develop and print photographs, providing photographers with the tools to process their work on-site. Now, through the Photographer in Residence program, residents receive 24/7 access to the Airstream darkroom to make a site specific project.

QUESTIONS?

Please visit our FAQ page. 

If after reviewing the FAQ page, your question is still unanswered, email team@worthlessstudios.org

PAST RESIDENTS

From handmade photobooks to self-portrait projects, the residents have taken the program’s offerings in many different directions. Learn more about them: