Each month, one artist transforms our storefront window into a small, living studio — letting neighbors, families, and passersby witness the creative process as it unfolds.
Apply for a ResidencyLocated in the heart of North Berkeley, small talk city™ celebrates reuse, imagination, and community. This residency reflects those values — supporting artists whose work embraces upcycling, natural materials, and thoughtful making.
Duration
One month per artist
Location
Storefront window, North Berkeley
Stipend
This is an unpaid residency. We offer promotion, exhibition, and community connection in return.
At small talk city™, we believe creativity is something to be marveled and cherished. The fleeting moments of creation are endlessly appealing to children of all ages — and there is something quietly powerful about watching a thing come into being, right there in a window, on an ordinary afternoon.
Throughout the month, the artist uses the window as both a workspace and installation site — creating a visible process that invites observation, conversation, and sometimes participation. The window naturally invites curiosity from passersby, children, and families, often leading to unplanned conversations about materials, making, and creative practice.
At the end of the residency, the completed work may be exhibited and offered for sale in the shop.
We are especially interested in projects that encourage dialogue, collaboration, and shared creative experiences — and in artists who embrace the public-facing nature of the work as part of the project itself.
We especially welcome artists working with natural materials and hands-on craft practices. Artists who incorporate upcycled or reclaimed materials are strongly encouraged to apply.
Textile & fiber arts
Weaving, embroidery, knitting, tapestryWoodworking
Carving, joinery, sculptural formsNatural dye & botanical
Plant pigments, eco-printing, foragingPaper arts & collage
Bookbinding, papermaking, assemblageBeadwork & jewelry
Seed bead, metalwork, found objectsSculpture & assemblage
Found material, mixed media, installationToy making & playful design
Handmade toys, games, kinetic workTraditional & contemporary craft
Any practice that embraces making by handOur window in North Berkeley is yours for the month — a public-facing studio in the heart of a vibrant neighborhood community.
We feature each Artist in the Window on our website, newsletter (Waldorf Wednesdays, Events), and social media throughout the residency.
At the end of the month, the completed work is exhibited in the shop — with the option to offer it for sale, with our full sales support.
Direct engagement with the families, neighbors, and curious passersby of North Berkeley — a genuinely warm and art-loving community.
While this opportunity does not include a financial stipend, we are committed to amplifying artists' work and fostering meaningful connections between artists and our audience.
We read every application with care. There are no wrong answers — we are looking for genuine curiosity, a love of materials, and a willingness to make in public.