Call for artists-in-residence to help celebrate UCL's bicentenary in Stratford and Bloomsbury

• Application form

In 2026, UCL celebrates 200 years since its founding as the first university in London - a moment to reflect on our bold beginnings, celebrate our present, and imagine the future we want to build together. As part of these milestone celebrations, UCL Public Art is inviting artists to collaborate with us on a high-profile public art programme that will help shape and signal the next chapter of UCL’s story. Through a mix of embedded residencies and a permanent legacy commission, we are welcoming artists who are curious, courageous, and inspired by the opportunity to work within a vibrant, complex university community - students, staff, researchers, and local partners.

We are seeking three artists-in-residence, each embedded in a distinct area of UCL life, to create work that responds to and challenges the institution’s culture, history, and future ambitions.

• Bloomsbury campus residency: investigate the university’s rich past while engaging with its present, uncovering stories, points of tension, and moments of celebration across two centuries of change.
• UCL East residency: explore UCL’s newest campus and its ethos of openness, community, and innovation, reflecting its identity as both an academic hub and a civic space in the heart of east London.
• Student community residency (in partnership with UCL Students’ Union): Connect with the diverse voices of our student body and alumni, creating space for expression, identity, and student-led narratives, both conceptually and physically.

In addition, a permanent Legacy Artwork will be commissioned for one of UCL’s campuses - leaving a lasting mark that reflects the bicentenary and looks ahead to our third century. 

This is more than a commission. It’s a chance to join us at a transformative moment, to question, to connect, and to create. The residencies will run from January to October 2026 and will award a fee of £12,000. 
To apply, please submit an expression of interest to one of the three residencies, using the application form below.

• Bloomsbury campus residency brief (PDF) or Bloomsbury campus residency brief (MS Word)
• East campus residency brief (PDF) or East campus residency brief (MS Word)
• Student community residency brief (PDF) or Student community residency brief (MS Word)
• UCL200 Artist-in-Residence Application Form (MS Word)

If you would like to talk to a member of the team or find out more there will be an online drop-in session for each residency on the 5 June. You can book a place on Eventbrite.

Submission deadline: 12pm Monday 30 June 2025

Alternatively, please email public.art@ucl.ac.uk and a member of the team will respond.