Yale-China Arts Lab
The Yale-China Arts Lab is a unique opportunity for emerging professional artists at Yale’s four graduate arts schools to create original work engaging Chinese culture. The residency supports the creation of new intercultural work that – in process and presentation – brings together students, artists, and audiences from New Haven, Yale, and the world.
Info Sessions
Virtual and In-Person Info Sessions with Yale-China Staff will be scheduled throughout the fall. Check back here for more details, and fill out our interest form to be notified when sessions are scheduled.
Application Portal
Applications are due Monday, December 1, 2025 at 11:59 pm ET.
Here is a PDF of the application. We recommend applicants prepare responses in a separate document before making a final submission.
If you saved your progress and need to complete your application at a later date, you can log back in to the portal using this link. Once logged in, click on “My Forms / Portal,“ then “My Form Drafts.” In the actions dropdown menu, select “Complete Form.”
FAQ’s
What does the residency provide?
The residency provides the selected artist team with a minimum of $12,000 to use towards artist fees and materials for executing their project. Resident Artist teams also receive mentorship from IFAI and Yale-China staff as well as marketing and ticketing support through the festival’s platforms.
What is the selection process and residency timeline?
Applications are due Monday, December 1 at 11:59 pm ET.
Yale-China Staff will hold in-person and virtual info sessions throughout the fall as well as application clinics in November. Fill out this interest form to RSVP and access session details. Email arts@yalechina.org with questions.
Info session dates:
Friday, November 7, 1:30-2:30p (in-person)
Tuesday, November 11, 4:30-5:30p (virtual)
Monday, November 17th, 8-9p (virtual)
Finalists will be invited to participate in an interview with our review panel, and all applicants will be notified by the end of January 2026.
Once a team is selected, they refine their project concept and complete pre-production throughout the spring semester in collaboration with IFAI and Yale-China staff. The bulk of project execution happens from mid-May to mid-June.
How can I get a sense of the type of work you support?
Check out our 2024 and 2025 projects . It’s a great way to brainstorm and get a sense of the scope and focus of the work that’s a good fit for this residency.
This program was previously called the Yale-China Artist Residency and has been renamed the Yale-China Artist Lab for the 2026 season.
Who is eligible to apply for the Lab?
Prospective lab participants can apply with teams of up to three (3) Lead Artists. At least one Lead Artist must currently be enrolled in one of Yale’s four graduate schools in the arts: the School of Art, the David Geffen School of Drama, the School of Music, or the School of Architecture. We encourage cross-disciplinary collaborations between students at different programs. Lab participants must be prepared to participate in project planning January through mid-May 2026, and be regularly based in New Haven to carry out project execution between mid-May and mid-June 2026.
What type of work is eligible?
The Lab supports new artistic work engaging with Chinese culture. Chinese culture is diverse, and we invite applicants to define it in on their own terms. By “new artistic work,” we mean that either the content or the presentation of the artistic piece should involve some degree of experimentation and originality. The Lab is a space to put scholarship into practice, leap into a new collaboration, or share a rough draft or prototype of a piece with an audience for the first time.
风・景 Windscape, led by 2025 Resident Artists Jinling Duan, Aaron Frongillo, Qier Luo, and Yaya Zhang.