The Patricia Valian Reser Center for the Creative Arts (PRAx) creates and manages residencies at the intersections of arts, humanities, science and technology at Oregon State University. Our residencies take many shapes—from unplugged solo retreats in the woods to collaborative projects in research labs, field stations and interdisciplinary settings. We work with each resident to co-create an experience that is supportive and generative.
Whether you are a musician or visual artist fascinated by the idea of long-term engagement with a science or engineering lab, a writer craving a couple of weeks at a quiet cabin, or a humanities scholar wanting to bring together a dream team of collaborators, we invite you to browse our opportunities, explore our residency locations and learn about our initiatives to find the residencies or fellowships that meet your needs.
Our open submissions are listed below.
Oregon State University graduate students from any field who work at the intersection of the humanities, writing, and environmental sciences are invited to apply for a residency sponsored by the Spring Creek Project. To be eligible, students must be engaged in a writing and/or research project (e.g., a thesis, independent study, or internship) that aligns with the mission of the Spring Creek Project, and applications must include a recommendation letter from a nominating faculty member.
Residents receive exclusive use of the Cabin at Shotpouch Creek for approximately one week as well as a stipend of $250. The cabin offers a profound experience of concentrated solitude and simple living that is conducive to curiosity, reflection, and sustained focus. Within 4 weeks of the session end, residents will provide a short letter describing their experience at the cabin and how it influenced their work.
Graduate students may apply for a solo residency or a collaborative residency with one other student. If applying collaboratively, each student will need to submit an application and faculty recommendation letter. If awarded collaboratively, each student will receive $250.
Dates and Application Deadline
One winter break session is available:
- December 13 – 19
Application deadline: 11:59pm on Thursday, October 30, 2025
Materials will be reviewed by a selection committee familiar with the mission of the Spring Creek Project, and applicants will be notified of status by Friday, November 14.
The application window for spring break and summer graduate student residencies will open on November 1 and close on January 5, 2026.
Two documents are required for applications to be considered complete:
- From a faculty member: a one-page recommendation letter that speaks to the content and direction of the proposed project and the student’s responsibility and ability to live respectfully in a nature preserve. This letter will be submitted directly by the faculty member via Submittable, so student applicants should share the link to this page when requesting a recommendation.
- From the student: a one-page narrative letter that describes the proposed project, communicates how the project aligns with the mission of the Spring Creek Project, and notes how time at Shotpouch Cabin would benefit project advancement.
For More Information
Please visit our website and/or contact Joy Jensen at joy.jensen@oregonstate.edu.
About Shotpouch Cabin
The Cabin at Shotpouch Creek is a comfortable retreat nestled in the Oregon Coast Range on a 70-acre nature preserve about 25 miles west of Corvallis. It overlooks Shotpouch Creek, a tributary of the Tum Tum River in the Marys River Watershed. From the cabin, miles of hiking trails climb into the forest- and fern-covered hills. The cabin is furnished with two bedrooms, a well-equipped, simple kitchen, electric heat, and a landline telephone. There is no internet or cell phone service. Students must be highly responsible and respectful of the values of the retreat and in a position to benefit from prolonged solitude and silence. The cabin and land are entirely smoke-free, and we cannot allow pets. Residents must provide their own transportation to the cabin. More information will be provided before the stay.
About the Spring Creek Project
The mission of the Spring Creek Project is to bring together the practical wisdom of environmental science, the clarity of philosophy, and the transformational power of the written word and the arts to envision and inspire just and joyous relations with the planet and with one another. Dedicated to creating conversations among writers, philosophers, artists, and others in the humanities and environmental sciences, we work to nurture collaborations among people with various ways of seeing, understanding, and expressing the relation between humans and the rest of the natural world.
Oregon State University faculty are invited to apply for a Spring Creek Project Faculty Residency at the Cabin at Shotpouch Creek. To be eligible, applicants must be engaged in a writing and/or research project aligned with the mission of the Spring Creek Project. Those working on projects at the intersection of environmental science and writing, art, music, social science, or the humanities would be a good fit. Faculty may apply for a solo residency or a collaborative residency (the collaborator is not required to be OSU-affiliated).
Residents receive exclusive use of Shotpouch Cabin for approximately one week. The cabin offers a profound experience of concentrated solitude and simple living that is conducive to curiosity, reflection, and sustained focus. Residents will provide a short letter describing their experience and how it influenced their work within 4 weeks of session end.
Dates and Application Deadline
One residency session for faculty is available during winter break:
- Session 1: December 27, 2025 – January 2, 2026
Application deadline: 11:59pm Thursday, October 30, 2025.
Applicants will be notified of status by Friday, November 14, 2025.
The application window for summer faculty residencies will open Friday, November 1 and close January 5, 2026.
Review and selection
Dedicated to creating conversations among writers, philosophers, artists and others in the humanities and environmental sciences, the Spring Creek Project works to nurture collaborations among people with various ways of seeing, understanding, and expressing the relation between humans and the rest of the natural world. A committee composed of writers and researchers familiar with this mission will review all applications.
For More Information
Please visit our website or contact Joy Jensen at joy.jensen@oregonstate.edu.
About the Cabin at Shotpouch Creek
The Cabin at Shotpouch Creek is a comfortable retreat nestled in the Oregon Coast Range on a 70-acre nature preserve about 25 miles west of Corvallis. It overlooks Shotpouch Creek, a tributary of the Tum Tum River in the Marys River Watershed. From the cabin, miles of hiking trails climb into the forest- and fern-covered hills. The cabin is furnished with two bedrooms, a well-equipped, simple kitchen, electric heat, and a landline telephone. There is no internet or cell phone service. The cabin and land are entirely smoke-free, and we cannot allow pets. Residents must provide their own transportation to the cabin. More information will be provided before the stay.
About the Spring Creek Project
The mission of the Spring Creek Project is to bring together the practical wisdom of environmental science, the clarity of philosophy, and the transformational power of the written word and the arts to envision and inspire just and joyous relations with the planet and with one another. Dedicated to creating conversations among writers, philosophers, artists, and others in the humanities and environmental sciences, we work to nurture collaborations among people with various ways of seeing, understanding, and expressing the relation between humans and the rest of the natural world.