Throughout its rich history, Lakewood has been a place of comfort, solace, and beauty that is shared with our families and the community, providing inspiration for many artistic ideas. As both an active cemetery, and a cultural landscape, Lakewood is committed to providing new ways to honor, remember, and memorialize through a variety of mediums.
Artists from all mediums are welcome and encouraged to apply.
We encourage creativity in project ideas, whether they are centered on memorialization, remembrance, history, nature, or inspired by Lakewood itself. Priority may be given to projects that highlight remembrance across cultures.
AiR Details and Dates
The 2026 application form will be available starting October 20, 2025. The grant must result in a deliverable product, program, or event that is unique to Lakewood Cemetery. All projects will be presented to the public (how and when projects are presented is to be determined by the artist and Lakewood).
Award amount: $500 – $10,000
Total Awards: 2 – 4 artists selected
Application Opens: October 20, 2025
Application due: December 15, 2025
Award notifications: Between January 22 – 31
Residency start: May 1, 2026
Residency end: April 30, 2027
The Artist in Residence program, sponsored by the Lakewood Heritage Foundation, engages local artists to create and share new original artwork with our families, visitors and community. The resident artists will explore our beautiful and sacred grounds and create art drawn from their own experiences of the cemetery, using their creative practices to highlight new perspectives on Lakewood and engage our visitors.
About Lakewood: A Place to Remember
Lakewood is a serene haven in the heart of Minneapolis’s renowned Chain of Lakes — a place to come together to honor, remember and reflect. Since 1871, Lakewood’s 250 acres of urban memorial parkland have served as a community gathering place and a chronicle of our region’s traditions, cultures and people. A history keeper and a thought leader, Lakewood honors its roots as a landmark cemetery while reimagining its role in modern life, through thoughtfully designed events, experiences and spaces.
Today, Lakewood is making memorialization more relevant, accessible and inviting for new audiences and generations—with more creativity and choices. As a nonprofit organization governed by a board of trustees, Lakewood is committed to preserving and enhancing its grounds and architectural treasures and uses proceeds generated from activities and events for that purpose. Lakewood invites the public to explore all that it has to offer. Learn more at https://www.lakewoodcemetery.org
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