18th Street Arts Center is an artist residency program in Southern California, with mission to provoke public dialogue through contemporary art-making. 18th Street encourages contemporary artists from around the globe to create new work within a supportive environment. They provide artists with space and time to take risks in ways that further the development of their practices, where the creative process is just as important as the outcome.

Founded in 1988, 18th Street Arts Center has fostered and supported the work of many of Los Angeles’ most engaging and diverse artists, and has built bridges to artist communities around the globe. 18th Street provides a hub for contemporary art through two program areas that reflect its mission: 1) A three-tiered Residency Program that fosters inter-cultural collaboration and dialogue and 2) A Public Events and Exhibition Program that focuses on engaging the public and revealing the art-making process through exhibitions, events, talks, publications and other opportunities.

Their residency program has three strategies to support artists:

• short-term residencies, for national and international visiting artists and curators - there are four live/work artist studios at the center where artists are in residence from 1 to 3 months at a time (sometimes longer). This program hosts artists of all disciplines as well as art curators, writers, and musicians. It includes invited artists as well as artists selected through an application process.
• long-term residencies - encompasses two types of residents including individual artists and art organizations. These “anchor tenants” help to define the character and scope of the organization through programmatic partnerships and community-building. Many of these residents have been with the organization since it was founded in 1988. This program is by invitation only.
• mid-term residencies of 3 years to advance California artists’ careers - open to local artists who wish to rent either live/work or day studios at the center for terms of 1-3 years. These studios are subsidized in part by 18th Street Arts Center, in an effort to provide artists with affordable rental properties within Santa Monica. The program is open to artists of all disciplines, as well as small, artist-run initiatives. Participants are selected through an application process on the basis of availability.