City of Worcester, MA

WORCESTER, Mass. – The Worcester Cultural Coalition (WCC) announced Monday the continuation and expansion of a three-year partnership with the College of the Holy Cross and the City of Worcester’s Cultural Development Division that will offer summer creative residencies for local artists at the College’s Prior Performing Arts Center.

After successful residencies in 2024 and 2025, the HC x WCC: Creative Residencies for Worcester Artists at The Prior program will build on its momentum in 2026 with additional residency opportunities. Entering the final year of a three-year funded partnership through the College’s Scholarship in Action (SIA) initiative, the 2026 residency cycle will offer four local artists or artistic companies the physical and financial resources to develop work in progress during a paid summer residency at The Prior.

“For the third year, this partnership with the Prior Performing Arts Center continues to be one of the most meaningful investments we make in Worcester’s creative community,” said City of Worcester Cultural Development Officer and WCC Executive Director, Fabian Barracks. “We have seen firsthand the real impact this program has had on Worcester creatives and how it has strengthened their practice, expanded their networks, and deepened their connection to the community. As we grow the program this year to support even more artists, we know this investment is not only shaping individual careers but enriching Worcester’s cultural life as a whole.”

“This partnership between Holy Cross, the City of Worcester, and the Worcester Cultural Coalition emerged from the question, ‘How can a campus-based performing arts center contribute to the local arts ecosystem?’” said Kyle Frisina, Holy Cross faculty director of the Scholarship in Action project and Assistant Professor of English. “The first two seasons of summer residencies have built collective knowledge that will serve our community for years to come. In the meantime, we look forward to welcoming a third outstanding cohort of local artists to campus.”

In its inaugural year, local artists Cyrille Vincent and Daniel Gay were selected for residencies to craft their film and musical works respectively. In 2025, Jesse Kenas Collins, Diana Khong, and Angelique B. Webster developed instrumental, play, and film projects featuring local sounds, stories and casts. Several of these projects highlighted international experiences through Worcester-centered perspectives. 

A hub for academic and artistic innovation, The Prior consists of a 400-seat proscenium concert hall, a 180-seat flexible theater, and various cutting-edge studios and multi-use flexible spaces. Summer residencies—which focus on development, not performance—will allow these spaces to be activated for the creation of new work tailored to the specific needs of each artist selected.

“The Prior Performing Arts Center is proud and privileged to be the fount of logistical and artistic contributions to the original creativity stemming from the roots of its surroundings,” said Jeffrey de Caen, Nancy Savage Skinner ’79 Director of The Prior Performing Arts Center.

By cultivating long-term relationships in Worcester, Scholarship in Action (SIA) faculty, student researchers, and community stakeholders can design meaningful research projects that center principles of equity, antiracism, and shared knowledge production that engage wider audiences both locally and globally. This initiative reflects the significant role that the liberal arts and the humanities play in addressing complex challenges.

Residency applications from solo artists or collaborative groups from a variety of disciplines including but not limited to theater, dance, music, media, film/video, literature, visual arts, and interdisciplinary arts will be considered. Each selected artist or company will receive a $2,500 stipend for their summer developmental residency. The program also includes additional financial support of up to $1,000 to realize the project’s technical or production needs, whether during the residency itself or at any point prior to June 30 of the following year. In summer 2026, artists must be available for 5-10 consecutive days between July 6 and 19. Specific timing will be determined by the mutual availability of the artists and The Prior.

As part of the program, participants will engage in conversations and self-reflection about their residency process and experience.

Applications for residencies in Summer 2026 are open now with a deadline of March 31 at 5 p.m. 

More information can be found online: https://priorperformingartscenter.holycross.edu/hcxwcc

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