Artist-in-Residence Program

In 1968, Roger spent two months at Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous Fallingwater as its inaugural scholar-in-residence. Accompanied by his wife, Barbara, Roger completed his Field Guide to Mexican Birds while in residence. (Photo: Michael Fedison, courtesy of Western Pennsylvania Conservancy.)

Roger Tory Peterson was the very first “scholar-in-residence” at Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural masterpiece, located in Mill Run, PA. During his residency, he completed the artwork for his Field Guide to Mexican Birds. With our Artist-in-Residence program, RTPI aspires to follow in Roger’s footsteps by nurturing the next generation of nature artists that create Art that Matters to the Planet.

RTPI residents spend a week at RTPI with facilitated access to the Peterson Collection, inclusive of Roger’s original field guide art, fine art, films, slides and personal papers. Each artist receives an honorarium of $1,000. Artists from out of town also receive housing, per diem, and reimbursement for travel. Following the residency, artists create a body of work inspired by their time spent at RTPI, which is featured in a solo exhibition the following year.

For consideration as an RTPI Resident Artist, please send the following to RTPI’s Curator, Rachael Kosinski: rkosinski@rtpi.org:

• Your interest in or inspiration from Roger Tory Peterson, birds, or nature
• Your proposal for a residency project, including:
  • specific themes and/or topics you would research while at RTPI
  • artworks which you would create following the residency
• Images of works which you feel are most indicative of your artistic practice

We are always accepting applications, but residency slots are limited. Applicants are currently being considered for 2026 residencies.