The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum's Artist-In-Residence Program is one of the oldest in the country, arguably beginning in the early days of the Museum when Gardner's friend John Singer Sargent stated in an apartment on the ground floor, using a room on the third floor as a studio. 

In 1992, the Museum began inviting artists to once again stay on the premises and respond to the collection, offering fresh perspectives to Gardner's creation. This book reflects on the AIR Program from its inception until today, revealing the surprising insights and discoveries that arise when contemporary artists are given space and time to research and develop new work in an extraordinary setting. 

Our esteemed Artists-in-Residence:

Hamra Abbas • Lida Abdul • Heather Ackroyd / Dan Harvey • Andrea Anastasio • • • Nancy Aronie • Joan Bankemper • Alessandro Baricco • Paul Beatty • Natasha de Betak • • Ashley Bryan • Ambreen Butt • • Jason Cheriyan • Dorit Cypis • Edwidge Danticat • Constance DeJong • Jeremy Denk • Marty Ehrlich • Martín Espada • Cliff Evans • Heide Fasnacht • Lara Favaretto • Moritz Fehr • • Vadim Fishkin • Ivana Franke • Ken Frazelle • Henrik Håkansson • Stefon Harris • • Susan Howe • Abdullah Ibrahim • Michele Iodice • Jyotindra Jain • • • • • Ann Lauterbach • Ledoh • Laura Lima • • Liz Lerman • Steve Locke • David Ludwig • • Gregory Maguire • Denise Marika • Walter Mayes • • Todd McKie • Gcina Mhlophe • Helen Mirra • • Alicia Hall Moran • Victoria Morton • • Juan Muñoz • Anne Nivat • Jay O’Callahan • Luigi Ontani • OpenEnded Group • • • Olivia Parker • Zhang Peili • • • Cesare Pietroiusti • Ana Prvački • • Raqs Media Collective • Elaine Reichek •  • Barry Schwabsky • Taro Shinoda • Michael Singer •
• Zoe Strauss • Elizabeth Swados • Jennifer Tipton • • Nari Ward • • David Wilson • Serra Yilmaz • Nevet Yitzhak • Jessica Yu •