2026/2027 Palm Springs Photography Residency

The residency program was created to:

• Celebrate the connection between artists and placemaking
• Preserve the evolving visual history of Palm Springs boutique hotels
• Support photographers and visual storytellers
• Create a meaningful archive of contemporary desert hospitality culture
• Generate creative assets for exhibitions, publications, merchandising, and future historical projects
• Strengthen connections between artists, hospitality, preservation, and the local creative community

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Photographers selected for the residency will receive:

• Complimentary lodging at participating Palm Springs boutique hotels
• A weekly stipend of $250 for living expenses
• Transportation reimbursement support to and from Palm Springs
• Passes to local attractions and cultural destinations
• Opportunities to connect with regional artists and creative organizations
• Optional opportunities to lead artist talks or workshops
• Mentorship support from noted local photographer Terry Hastings
• One artist will receive a seasonal “Best of Residency” award and a $500 honorarium
• Printing, framing, exhibition, and merchandising costs will be supported by PSPSH.

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The residency welcomes photographers working in a broad range of styles and mediums, including:

• Architectural photography
• Documentary and reportage photography
• Historical photography
• Fine art photography
• Experimental photography
• Multimedia and hybrid work
• Digital and AI-assisted visual practices

Photographers with a strong interest in architecture, preservation, desert landscapes, hospitality, and cultural storytelling are especially encouraged to apply.

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• Photographers residing in one of the following Southern California Counties:
  • San Bernardino, Riverside, Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Imperial, San Diego or Ventura (Initial residency invitations will prioritize photographers from the Coachella Valley and surrounding regions).
• Must have a taxpayer identification number (or social security number) for payment purposes.
• Applications must be submitted and juried through the CaFÉ (Call for Entry) Platform.

Application Fee

$25 nonrefundable application fee through CaFÉ (Call for Entry) Platform.

This residency will be juried by a panel of five artists and placemakers, who will be made public following the close of the acceptance cycle after August 15.

The application window is open between June 15, 2026 and August 15, 2026 only through the CaFÉ (Call for Entry) Platform.

Residency Dates

Three residency opportunities are planned during the inaugural year:

• Fall 2026 Residency Session One: November 8 through 21, 2026
• Fall 2026 Residency Session Two: December 6 through 19, 2026
• Early Summer 2027 Session Three: June 6 through 19, 2027

Photographers may participate in a residency lasting between one and two weeks.

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The Artist in Residence Program is being developed in collaboration with organizations across the Palm Springs arts, preservation, and hospitality communities, including:

• Palm Springs Cultural Center
• Palm Springs Art Museum Architecture and Design Center
• Palm Springs Public Arts Commission
• Palm Springs Life
• Visit Palm Springs

Additional partnerships and sponsors will be announced as the residency launch approaches.

At the end of the residency season, participating artists’ work will be presented through exhibitions, multimedia installations, and archival projects throughout Palm Springs.

Planned exhibition opportunities include:

• Exhibition and reception at the Palm Springs Cultural Center
• Downtown multimedia projections and installations
• Construction screening installations
• Exhibition opportunities with local arts organizations and preservation partners
• Archival inclusion within regional cultural institutions

In addition:

• Participating hotels will receive a selected print from the residency
• Select works may become part of future publications documenting the history of Palm Springs boutique hotels
• Images may appear in citywide promotional installations and future Artist in Residence campaigns
• Selected works will also be shared through an online interactive exhibition hosted by Palm Springs Preferred Small Hotels under a licensing agreement.

You’re in Good Company

Photography in Palm Springs evolved through three distinct waves: recording indigenous culture, capturing midcentury architectural and celebrity glamor, and breaking boundaries with alternative, experimental art.

Edward S. Curtis: The legendary ethnographer and photographer spent crucial time in Palm Springs documenting the lives, traditions, and resilience of the Agua Caliente Band of Cahuilla Indians. His portraits remain some of the most vital historical records of the region's first peoples.

Stephen H. Willard: A pioneer of California desert landscape photography. He opened a studio and gallery in downtown Palm Springs in 1921, selling postcards and images that initially put the area on the map for winter tourists.

Julius Shulman: This legendary architectural photographer extensively documented the rise of Desert Modernism. His precision-crafted images of mid-century resorts and homes popularized the Palm Springs architectural aesthetic worldwide.

Slim Aarons: Slim Aarons was an American photographer noted for his images of socialites, jet-setters and celebrities. His work appeared in Life, Town & Country, and Holiday magazines. His iconic 1970 "Poolside Gossip" remains the definitive visual representation of Palm Springs' glamorous desert lifestyle.

Michael Childers: A renowned portrait photographer with deep ties to the region. He captured stunning, intimate portraits of Hollywood golden-era film stars, artists, and icons who frequented or lived in the Southern California desert.

Robert Doisneau: The famed French humanist photographer visited Palm Springs in 1960 to shoot a highly celebrated color photo essay for Fortune magazine, documenting the early playground of the elite.

Kali (Joan Archibald): In 1962, Archibald fled her life as a Long Island housewife, renamed herself Kali after the Hindu goddess, and became a recluse in Palm Springs. She revolutionized alternative photography by shooting avant-garde images, throwing the prints into her backyard swimming pool, and physically agitating them with dyes, paints, and organic materials before letting them dry in the blazing desert sun. Discovered only after her death, her psychedelic, haunting work has been celebrated in major retrospectives at the Palm Springs Art Museum.