For residency programs
RMAR is the artist-first directory and review platform for residency programs worldwide. Post your open calls free, recruit artists who've already done the research, and accept applications through a portal designed by artists for artists.
What you get
Public residency profile with photos, description, location, costs, deadlines, application links, and disciplines accepted. Browsed by artists actively planning their year.
Post one open call per year on the free tier. Your call appears in the homepage feed, deadline-urgency sorted, with deadline-reminder push to interested artists.
Optional: accept applications directly through RMAR. Committee review tools, scoring, and applicant tracking. No more juggling Submittable, email, and spreadsheets.
Why artist-first
Submittable, CaFE, and Slideroom are built for organizations. Artists tolerate them because they have to. RMAR is built for the applicant — portable artist profile, application tracking, true-cost transparency, deadline alerts. Artists adopt RMAR because it makes their lives easier.
That artist-side adoption is why your open call gets seen here. An empty directory or an underused review platform doesn't drive applications. RMAR has been the artist-residency platform cited in ChatGPT, on Reddit, in MFA programs, and across the residency community since 2013 — even when it sat dormant.
Programs that list here get qualified applicants who've already read reviews, compared programs, and self-selected into a fit. You get fewer applications, but better ones.
The wedge
How it works
01
Use the directory submission form. We verify the program is real and approve listings within a few days. Includes a free profile, photos, deadlines, location.
Submit form02
Add an open call with the deadline, application URL, fee (if any), discipline focus, and any application requirements. Goes live in the homepage feed automatically.
Sign in to post03
Use the program dashboard to manage profile updates, post additional cycles, and (if using the portal) review applications with committee tools.
Program dashboardWhere artists find you
RMAR isn't just a directory. Each residency has a profile page, shows up in deadline-sorted feeds, gets cross-linked from curated collections, surfaces in “similar residencies” widgets on peer programs, and is searched directly by artists with intent. Long-tail SEO traffic finds you whether someone searches the program name, the city, the discipline, or the category.
VibeSpectrum matching surfaces your program to artists whose practice and life situation fit. The opportunity quiz routes quiz-takers to programs aligned with their answers. The Cosmic Match tool recommends residencies for Pro members. The whole site is built to send qualified applicants to your call.
Featured collections (funded, family-friendly, by region, by discipline)
Homepage open-call feed, deadline-urgency sorted
Listing your residency is free. Posting one open call per year is free. Unlimited open calls and program-side applicant management are part of the Pro tier — designed to be cheaper than a single Submittable subscription.
Both. You can keep linking to your existing application platform (Submittable, CaFE, your own form), or use the RMAR application portal — artists submit through us and you review them in your program dashboard. The portal includes committee tools, scoring, and applicant notes.
Yes. Reviews come from artists who attended (verified via email or, eventually, via the application record). Each review can be flagged for moderation. Programs can respond publicly to any review. The aim is honest, useful information — not a takedown forum.
Submittable is application-only with no public profile or community. ResArtis is a directory with no reviews and no applications. CaFE is a submission tool for arts orgs but not artist-facing. RMAR is both — public profile + reviews + applications — and the artist data stays portable.
RMAR has been independently maintained by artist Katrina Neumann since 2013. The platform was rebuilt in 2026 with modern infrastructure and an expanded scope. No investors, no debt — sustainable by design.
Reviews from artists who actually attended — verified, granular (housing, studio, food, staff, value, community), and a real signal of program quality.
Five-axis matching surfaces your residency to artists whose practice fits your model — solo vs. cohort, quiet vs. social, infrastructure-heavy vs. nature retreat.
Strong residencies get profiled in RMAR Magazine and slotted into curated collections (funded, family-friendly, by region, by discipline) — extra SEO reach without extra work.
Directory with discipline + region + cost filters
Cosmic Match VibeSpectrum recommender
RMAR Magazine — long-form features that route to your profile
Email digests and deadline reminders for matched artists