Incubator Studio Program

Grow your studio practice in a vibrant, affordable residency space.

About the McGuffey Art Center Incubator Program

The Incubator Studio program began over 10 years ago as a way to give emerging artists a place to grow in their studio practice. The members of the studio are chosen through an application process and have use of the space for one year. The Incubator artists gain experience during that year by being in McGuffey Art Center and meeting other artists, sharing their own skills, working on projects in the building and creating within quality studio time. There are opportunities to go on field trips, attend art openings, meet visiting artists, follow studio tours and engage in critiques during the year. Other opportunities include grant applications, art show open calls, collaboration work, etc. that may further their artistic endeavors.

The goal of the Incubator Studio Program is to promote the progress of up to 6 emerging artists, by offering them an inexpensive studio space for 1 year (July 1 - Jun 30), during which they will receive support, encouragement, advice, and inspiration from the membership at McGuffey Art Center. As an incubator member, artists will be an integral part of the McGuffey Art Center community and will work on a committee doing tasks such as hanging artwork, hosting openings or creating marketing materials.

Renting an incubator studio requires less of a time and financial commitment than a full McGuffey membership (10 hours a week of studio time is required instead of 17.5 for full membership) and can be worked around a full-time job. During their time in the program, incubator artists will be encouraged to develop a body of work and move on to the next step in their journey as an artist. These artists will have an opportunity at the end of their residency year to showcase their works in a group show on the first floor of McGuffey Art Center.

Meet the 2025 -2026 Incubators

Devan Burgess

I paint with oil on raw canvas, as well as on cardboard and I make line drawings with pen on paper. I also create poetry and writing alongside my visual work. More broadly, I create work to understand the interplay of the mind and the body of the Self with that of all Others in existence. In my current work, I’m creating large figurative works of mothers forming lives deeply embedded in nature, while also continuing my still lifes and pen, figurative drawings from mind, from my moments of solitude. I’m interested in a perspective where the romanticism inherent in the natural, organic world hits the absurdity of experiencing it in modern society. I seek to explore the color and texture within subjects and within my created object.

TO VIEW MORE: INSTAGRAM

Sidney Hale

Sidney Hale is a painter from Hampton Roads, Virginia. She attended James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Studio Art. Through vibrant figurative works, Hale investigates the contemporary lesbian experience. Central themes of her work include gender exploration, purity culture, and corporeality.

TO VIEW MORE: INSTAGRAM

Yary Perez-Corbin

Hi, I’m Yary Corbin — an artist based in Charlottesville who loves making colorful, feel-good art that brings a smile. I use bold, bright colors and one-line drawings to capture joy, emotion, and connection. My work isn’t about being perfect — it’s about being real, warm, and full of personality. I’m inspired by everyday moments, big feelings, and the way color can shift your mood. Each piece I make is meant to add a little light, happiness, and heart to your space.

TO VIEW MORE: INSTAGRAM

Julie Stavitski

Julie Stavitski is a Charlottesville photographer and fiber artist. She explores alternative photo methods such as cyanotype, anthotype, and polaroid emulsion lifts to showcase pattern, shadow, and light. She then layers these images with fabric, thread, and traditional photographic techniques to create whimsical, tactile pieces. Her practice is rooted in curiosity and material exploration -- playing with the transformative impact light has on ordinary objects as well as the connections ephemera has on memory. She is an art educator and loves encouraging others to explore creative expression through a variety of media.

TO VIEW MORE: INSTAGRAM

Winslow Trainum

Winslow Loves You! Is a community-based printmaker who loves love and is always thinking whimsically. Originally born and raised in Charlottesville, VA, Winslow has spent the past four years earning his BFA in Printmaking from Maine College of Art & Design while in his last semester working as a curatorial intern at the Portland Museum of Art. He practices in a range of printmaking methods with an emphasis on experimentation, working to create moments in print that prove magic is real. Using non-traditional techniques and exploring unreal dimensions in the stories of his prints, Winslow is trying to find the best way to describe the indescribable need for overwhelming emotions to escape the body. After graduating this past May, Winslow returns to Charlottesville as a McGuffey Art Center Incubator artist.

TO VIEW MORE: INSTAGRAM

Jaron White

An Artist shining a vision that teaches and inspires all to realize their expression as infinite. To know yourself as ever changing and everything. The substance in my work may represents this as every piece is styled different with a taste always new and a challenge to learn as i go. Visual Art and painting has been my way of Architecture and Engineering from sketching & drafting the initial ideas in their detail properties, then put to building every line and color that makes the whole vision manifest.

Drawing for most of my life, I randomly decided to pickups paint to see what mess I could make out of it. Occupying my focus, it became satisfying and a way to turn my drawing skills into another medium

TO VIEW MORE: INSTAGRAM