Artist in Residency is for mid-career and emerging artists.
This includes artists working in:
- Film
- Television
- Audio
- Immersive realities
- Performance
- Animation
The program offers resources to help artists with a new project.
Resources include:
- Office space
- Gear
- Marketing
- Professional support
- Exhibition through our theater(s), main facilities, programs, and potentially Portland
Our current Artists in Residence

Spencer Garland
Spencer Garland is the founder of BRENDA ARTS, an interdisciplinary media studio that collaborates with POC youth as an integral part of our productions. Originating as a BIPOC after as an after-school arts program that turned into a boutique media company, Garland’s work spans film, video games, education, design, and animation. He heavily emphasizes uplifting students who look like him and prides himself on giving them the tools to explore the fullness of personhood rarely offered to marginalized communities. He aims to tell Black stories that have never been told through animation while showing the process of making the project in real-time with my students. Their feedback and questions drive his own personal curiosity.
“I have been at work for some time, building an apparatus to see if it is possible for personalities which have left this earth to communicate with us.”
Thomas Edison
The Artists in Residency program is supported by a grant from the Creative Opportunity Program and OregonFilm.org.

