Professionalizing your Network: Artist Residencies in the Bay

Moderated by Christine Wang

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This panel brings together representatives from Bay Area residency programs to discuss how residencies support artists at every stage of their careers — from the application process to professional development, community building, and life after the residency ends. Panelists will address practical questions around accessibility, equity, and funding, exploring how Bay Area residencies are working to ensure that artists of all backgrounds can participate and thrive. The conversation will offer artists a candid look at what these programs offer and how to make the most of them.

Christine Wang, Chair, Graduate Fine Arts Program, Associate Professor, Painting and Drawing Program, California College of the Arts (CCA), Moderator

Christine Tien Wang is an artist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her work engages the visual language of internet culture — memes, cryptocurrency, and digital spectacle — through painting, performance, and text. She has exhibited at institutions including the Museum of Contemporary Art Los Angeles, Rockbund Art Museum (Shanghai), Kunsthaus Zürich, Museum of Contemporary Art Busan, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and Frans Hals Museum (Haarlem). Her work is held in the permanent collections of LACMA and the Groeninghe Art Collection, Belgium. She was awarded the Pommery Prize at the Armory Show in 2020. Wang is currently Chair of Graduate Fine Arts at California College of the Arts and is represented by Night Gallery (Los Angeles) and Galerie Nagel Draxler (Berlin).

Kelly Sicat, Director, Lucas Artists Program, Montalvo Arts Center 

Kelly Sicat sets vision, direction, and programming priorities for the Lucas Artists Residency Program, and Montalvo Arts Center’s artistic programming. Since joining Montalvo in 2007, she has supported over a thousand artists from throughout the Bay Area, and around the world. She has lead the curation of 17 major thematic artistic programs, providing commissioning opportunities for the creation of nearly 100 new works in multiple discipline. During her tenure, she has built many of strategic partnerships throughout Silicon Valley. Kelly is currently leading the development of a public sculpture collection for the Montalvo Arts Center. Throughout her career, she has prioritized community engagement in the arts for all people.

Jonathan Carver Moore, Founder and director of Jonathan Carver Moore 

Jonathan Carver Moore is the founder and director of Jonathan Carver Moore, a contemporary art gallery that specializes in working with emerging and established artists who are BIPOC, LGBTQ+ and women. As the only openly gay Black male gallerist in San Francisco, Jonathan is dedicated to advocating for the arts and is an active member in the Bay Area’s creative community. One year after opening his gallery, Jonathan launched an artist-in-residency program in downtown San Francisco. To date he has hosted artists from Ghana, New York, Texas, New Orleans and from the Bay Area. Both Jonathan and the gallery have been featured in Cultured Magazine, The New York Times, The Observer, Art News, The San Francisco Chronicle, Travel + Leisure and more. Jonathan has written for Frieze Magazine, Juxtapoz and the Nob Hill Gazette. 

Mushi Wooseong James, Creative Director, Djerassi Resident Artists Program 

Mushi Wooseong James is a conceptual artist and cultural leader based in the San Francisco. He is the Creative Director of the Djerassi Resident Artists Program, where he shapes interdisciplinary residency initiatives supporting artists and scientists working across visual art, performance, sound, writing, and social practice. Mushi brings a practitioner-led approach to residency leadership, centering process, experimentation, and sustained creative inquiry. Grounded in his artistic practice and experience working with institutions across the U.S., Asia, and Europe, he fosters meaningful exchange between artists, institutions, and the public. 

Matthew McTire, Director of Operations, Community Arts Stabilization Trust 

Matthew is a community-centered arts and nonprofit leader with more than a decade of experience spanning creative industries, fundraising, and program design. His work integrates curatorial practice, development strategy, and community engagement to support artists and mission-driven organizations.

He began his career in training and development with M·A·C Cosmetics, where he led educational initiatives for retail artists and contributed to high-profile regional events. He later transitioned into the nonprofit sector, supporting organizations serving older adults, the LGBTQIA+ community, and individuals experiencing housing insecurity, including the Institute on Aging and Openhouse.

Matthew has since moved into social purpose real estate with the Community Arts Stabilization Trust (CAST), working in creative place keeping in arts and culture. His commitment to serving in arts leadership also includes board participation with Root Division, where he has contributed to strategic planning and artist-centered programming. His work is grounded in creative leadership, equity, and a commitment to strengthening communities through the arts.

 Image: Djerassi Resident Artists Program