Announcing the 2026-2027 Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program Residents
The Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program (SWSP), one of New York City's most competitive art residency programs, today announced the 2026-2027 cohort of incoming resident artists, along with the recipients of two prestigious honors: the Philip Pearlstein Painter Distinction and the 2025-2026 Irving Sandler Prize. Selected from a national pool of 2,059 applicants, seventeen artists have been awarded year-long, rent-free studio spaces in DUMBO, Brooklyn. Residents are chosen annually by a jury of distinguished contemporary artists.
Additionally, the Sharpe-Walentas Artist Advisory Committee welcomed Annabel Thompson, co-founder of Public Assembly and founder of Sugar Sugar!, Domino Square's summer festival of experimental performances, alongside Ellen Altfest, Phong Bui, Matthew Deleget, Deborah Kass, and Jennifer Packer, as well as program alumni Tara Donovan and Didier William.
The recipients of the 2026-2027 SWSP residency are: Alisa Sikelianos-Carter, Anne Gilman, Beverly Fishman, David Shrobe, Davis Arney, E.E. Ikeler, Emily Janowick, Isaiah Davis, Jonathan Sanchez Noa, Khalif Tahir Thompson, Lee Maxey, Louis Block, Madjeen Isaac, Mariel Rolwing Montes, Olivia Jia, Satpreet Kahlon, Takuji Hamanaka.
"DUMBO has been a home for artists for decades, and the Sharpe-Walentas Studio Program exists to keep that legacy alive and thriving,” said Ariel Willmott, Director of Cultural Affairs at the Walentas Family Foundation. “Every year, watching a new cohort of exceptionally talented artists walk through these studio doors is genuinely exciting. This neighborhood has always been a place where art happens, and these artists are a big part of why it stays that way."
Residents are chosen annually by a jury of distinguished contemporary artists. This year's 2026-2027 jury was composed of current SWSP Artists Advisory Committee members Matthew Deleget, Phong Bui, and Didier William ‘12, and SWSP alumni Josephine Halvorson ‘09, and William Villalongo ‘05.
“I’m honored to join the Artist Advisory Committee alongside such an inspiring group of artists and cultural leaders,” said Annabel Thompson, co-founder of Public Assembly and founder of Sugar Sugar! “The Sharpe-Walentas Studio Cohort has long played a vital role in sustaining New York’s artist community and I am excited to support the next generation of residents as they shape new conversations through their practices.”
Residents of SWSP benefit from a range of community-driven opportunities, including participation in the public DUMBO Open Studios event each April and organized studio visits by curators, museum and gallery professionals, writers, and critics, all alongside rent-free studio space. A full list of current and former residents is available at www.thestudioprogram.com.
SWSP also announced Sarah Bedford as the recipient of the 2024-2025 Irving Sandler Prize. Established in 2019 by Irving Sandler, the $2,500 prize honors a program alumnus whose vision reflects Sandler's commitment to the "intentions, visions, and experiences" of artists. Additionally, Madjeen Isaac of the incoming 2026-2027 cohort has been awarded the Philip Pearlstein Painter Distinction, which identifies an outstanding representational painter and ensures that a non-abstract painter receives a residency each year, in recognition of Pearlstein's commitment to referential art.
DUMBO has long been one of New York City's most storied creative neighborhoods, its converted warehouses and industrial lofts providing artists with the kind of expansive, affordable space that has historically been essential to artistic production. For decades, the neighborhood has attracted painters, sculptors, photographers, and performers drawn to its unique combination of architectural character and waterfront proximity and it has served as a proving ground for generations of artists who have gone on to shape the broader cultural conversation. That creative identity remains very much alive today, sustained in part by programs like SWSP that ensure working artists continue to have a home in DUMBO.
SWSP reaffirms the Walentas family's dedication to fostering artistic excellence and sustaining New York City's cultural landscape. By providing time, space, and community to an exceptional group of artists, SWSP continues to honor its mission of advancing the creative practices of emerging and established voices alike. The Philip Pearlstein Painter Distinction and the Irving Sandler Prize deepens that commitment further preserving influential artistic legacies while championing the diverse perspectives shaping contemporary art today.
Bios and headshots of the artists can be found here.