ABOUT
Artists need time and space. We give them both, in a city with a lot to show them.
Manchester AiR sits where those two needs meet. Artists arrive mid-stride, early in their careers and looking for room to push further than everyday life allows. They explore the city, connect with local makers and make work in response to what they find.
At the end of each session, the community is invited in. Over the program's history that has meant murals, workshops, lectures and more than a dozen collaborations between artists and local businesses, and a collection that grows with every residency.
31
resident artists since 2021
6
artists a year, 3 sessions
12+
artist & small-business collaborations
Get
Involved!
Collective Excellence
Liz Hitchcock
Founder
(add a one line bio about liz)
David Hady
Program Director · Orbit Group
Design, marketing, artist selection, event curator, community bridge
Orbit Group
Program Management
Back end program management. Contracts, visas, stipends, reimbursements, ect.
Board of directors
Liz Hitchcock
Founder, Manchester AIR
Patrick McCay
Painter and art educator
Bill Stelling
Co-owner, Kelley Stelling Contemporary
Amber Guilbeault
Marketing executive and photographer
Pauline Ikawa
Community development and finance
Katie LaBranche
Educator; chair, Manchester Proud
Support an artist
We’re a privately funded nonprofit program. Every dollar goes to a specific, visible part of an artist’s residency.
$350
Bring an artist here
Covers one resident’s travel stipend.
~$700
Open the doors
Funds a closing exhibition: refreshments, photography, and printing.
$1,600
Fuel the work
One artist’s food and supplies for their residency.
In Kind
Partner with us
Supplies, printing, a workshop venue, a wall to hang work.
Built with
The Factory on Willow
Home of the residency: studios, the apartment and The Venues at 252 Willow St.
Orbit Group
Runs the program day to day, from open call to closing show.
NH Dance Collaborative
Danced with Wol-Un’s live floor calligraphy, with a cellist, on Nov 3, 2026.
