Ellerslie Arts Residency Program 2026
Applicants can be of any career stage and both individual artists and groups of any size are considered.
The Ellerslie Arts Circus Residency is an initiative facilitated by The Dust Palace Charitable Trust. It was born out of a desire to provide support for the development of circus works in Tāmaki Makaurau.
Through an application process, The Ellerslie Arts Circus Residency Program will provide 3 x 10 week residencies to the successful artist/s each year, staring in April 2026.
Residents are offered use of Te Whare Maninirau, membership and support across the 10 weeks, with the residency culminating in a relaxed showing of the work in development.
The Residency is designed to boost the amount of content being generated in the art form, as well as to facilitate the development of the tools required to shape circus skill into performance and therefore the residency(ies) does not focus on technique acquisition. Instead it focuses on areas such as movement generation, artistry, theatricality, and the creative process.
It is our intention that the fostering and facilitation of these practices within the residency will transfer into the culture of the wider collective circus community, creating a healthy and supportive environment for sustainable production of works.
Applicants can be of any career stage and both individual artists and groups of any size are considered.