2026 Visiting Artist Residency with James Keul
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
The Summer Visiting Artist Residency provides opportunities for area public, private, independent and home schooled students to participate in and learn about a specific arts discipline from a professional artist, free of charge. This unique summer program, offers enriching opportunities for up to twenty-four artistically gifted, area students, currently enrolled in 6th-12th grade (rising 7th grade-first-year college students).
Waterworks Visual Arts Center first introduced and implemented the Summer Visiting Artist Residency in July 2005. Since the program’s implementation, over 400 Rowan-Salisbury middle and high school students have participated and benefitted from this special outreach program. The curriculum is designed to challenge students to think critically about various aspects of hands-on art experiences as they develop their skills and complete multiple art projects.
This summer we are excited to welcome acclaimed North Carolina artist James Keul who will engage students to deepen their skills in drawing, painting and printmaking.
The program includes:
A one week, half day (9am-12pm/1pm-4pm) workshop at Waterworks with professional artist James Keul
Assessment of skill
Intro to sketching, value scale, painting palette, color mixing, and composition
Still life studies as well as en plein air (in the open air)
One-on-one and group critique
All materials and supplies.
A family/public celebration highlighting the work produced during the residency, held on the last day of the residency, Friday, June 26, 2026.
PURPOSE
The Summer Visiting Artist Residency program goals are:
To understand that the development of aesthetic awareness and participation in the arts should be an integral part of life.
To provide an immersive arts experience and develop skills.
To supplement existing arts and other proficiencies by learning from a professional artist and to integrate the process and skills to create visual images that convey personal meaning.
To enhance STEAM learning.
To build 21st Century skills.
PROCESS
Students interested in participating are required to sign up online HERE
Download and complete in full long form application. Once parent/guardian completes the registration, scan/email to associate@waterworks.org
Submit a Letter of Recommendation (LOR) from student’s art teacher. The required LOR from student’s current art teacher may be delivered in person, emailed to director@waterworks.org, or snail mailed to Waterworks’ VAR, 123 E. Liberty Street, Salisbury, NC 28144.
Submit in person a portfolio containing 3-5 original pieces of student’s best work.
Please note: the application process is NOT complete until the application, LOR, and portfolios have been completed/received by Waterworks.
Students should consider the following criteria before applying:
Interest - based on a student’s expressed or demonstrated interest in learning about visual art and community-based art initiatives
Responsibility - based on a student’s willingness and ability to work independently and in teams, and follow tasks to conclusion
Commitment - Students are expected to arrive on time and be ready to begin promptly at 10 a.m. They must have access to reliable transportation for the duration of the residency.
Placement in the program is on a first-come, first-registered basis. A waiting list will be used if the residency fills early.
Deadline to register is May 1, 2026
Questions? Please contact director@waterworks.org
PLANNING AND ADMINISTERING THE PROGRAM
Key planning partners in the 2026 Summer Visiting Artist Residency program include Karen Lundgren, RSS ESE Coordinator and Independent/Private/Home School principals, and middle and high school art instructors; WVAC administrators, Anne Scott Clement, Executive Director and Jackie Black, Education Coordinator; and visiting resident artist James Keul.
ABOUT THE VISITING ARTIST
James Keul is a teaching artist, and muralist based in Durham, NC. James graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design, earning a BFA in Painting, with honors, and then continued his education at the Art Students League of NY. While in New York, James worked as artists' assistant to Frank Herbert Mason and muralist Richard Haas. James has exhibited his paintings and monotypes widely, including the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, Waterworks Visual Art Center, the Greenhill Center for NC Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Tokyo, Japan, CAM Raleigh, and Craven Allen Gallery. James was selected to represent SCAD in their Alumni Atelier ambassadorship program in Lacoste, France, in summer of 2025.
ABOUT WATERWORKS VISUAL ARTS CENTER
Waterworks Visual Arts Center, founded in 1959 and accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, is the only teaching museum within a 40-mile radius and one of just twelve nationally accredited art museums in North Carolina. Located in Salisbury’s East Square Cultural Arts District, Waterworks offers dynamic exhibitions, classes, and outreach programs in a 15,000-square-foot facility featuring professional galleries, studios, gardens, and a museum shop. A vital cultural destination, Waterworks connects people of all ages and backgrounds through the transformative power of the visual arts.
Waterworks Visual Arts Center’s programming is made possible by the generous support of its members, corporate sponsors, private foundations, City of Salisbury, Rowan County, and the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources.
Thank you for your interest. We look forward to hearing from you!