Yearly, two dozen artists from around the globe journey to the US to take part in a month-long summer season residency on the nonprofit arts middle Artwork Omi. The extremely aggressive program is held on the group’s 120-acre campus in Ghent, New York, the place it additionally hosts residencies targeted on structure, dance, music, and writing.
This summer season, 5 artists — Yumzhana Sui from Buryatia, Michel Lafleur from Haiti, Boluwatife Victoria Lawal and Samuel Olayombo from Nigeria, and Patrick Ruganintwali from Rwanda — had supposed to take part within the residency, however their visas have been denied. It’s a problem the group says it faces yearly, however fears might change into extra widespread below the Trump administration.
“We have artists who have been denied multiple years in a row and then are admitted,” Jess Maxwell, Artwork Omi’s communications director, advised Hyperallergic. This was the case for Pakistani artist Syed Hussain, who, after years of getting his utility rejected, was lastly granted a visa that allowed him to take part within the residency final yr.
Now, as President Trump eyes considerably increasing his journey ban checklist and shuttering dozens of US embassies and consulates overseas, scores of future candidates could also be indefinitely barred from taking part in Artwork Omi and different US-based residencies that might be pivotal for career-building and artistic progress.
Pakistani artist Syed Hussain lastly took half within the 2024 residency after years of being denied a visa. (picture by Karen Pearson)
Maxwell stated that this was the fifth consecutive yr that Olayombo’s utility had been denied. Together with Oluwadamiyato, Olayombo hails from Nigeria, considered one of dozens of countries threatened with visa restrictions, most of that are in Africa.
“It’s not rare for people, especially coming from Muslim-majority countries, to be denied [visas],” Ruth Adams, Artwork Omi’s co-executive director, advised Hyperallergic.
These aren’t the one hurdles for artists searching for to journey to the US. Haitian artist Michel Lafleur and his Belgian-based collaborator, Tom Bogaert, who’ve been working collectively since 2013, have been pressured to postpone their participation within the Artwork Omi residency this yr because of closures on the US embassy in Port-au-Prince, a metropolis that has been threatened by gang violence since 2020. Because of this, Lafleur has needed to endure a pricey and time-consuming visa utility course of by means of the embassy within the Dominican Republic.
An open studios occasion at Artwork Omi in 2025 (picture by Karen Pearson)
Regardless of initiating the visa course of in February, the earliest he might safe a visa appointment was September — months after this system’s conclusion. The duo hopes to take part subsequent summer season, offered their purposes are authorized.
Sui, a Buryad-Chinese language artist from the mountainous Siberian republic of Buryatia, additionally advised Hyperallergic that she has had a “particularly difficult” time making use of for a visa during the last two years on account of each halted visa providers for Russian nationals and repeated visa rejections.
“Honestly, every time I was at the embassy, I either felt like some kind of criminal or a beggar who’s being granted a favor,” Sui stated.
The group has additionally had some accepted residents select to not journey for its packages because of border security considerations, a difficulty that they’re involved might change into worse.
Artwork Omi has hosted artists from over 100 international locations since its founding. (picture by Karen Pearson)
“ There seems to be a lot of uncertainty and artists are unsure what’s gonna happen at the border, so that I think may make them reticent to apply or try to attend the program next year,” co-executive director Jeremy Adams advised Hyperallergic.
Within the face of those increasing journey restrictions, Artwork Omi’s management stated it could take into account different choices like digital studio visits and non-US-based residencies for candidates, as advised by customers on the group’s Instagram web page. There have additionally been instances the place artists have migrated to different international locations with extra accessible passageways to the US, as finally, the group needs its candidates to expertise the residency on-site.
“ Obviously, politically, we need some changes that we wish we could control, but we can’t,” Ruth Adams stated.
