Each year, artists are invited to participate in a thematic exhibition shaped by an annual curatorial concept.

·        2023: From Island to Island explored the idea of “island” through the lens of artists from diverse backgrounds, particularly those with personal or cultural connections to islands. Themes included the movement of people, immigration, transportation, and the routes connecting one island to another, all inspired by the rich history of Governors Island.

·        2024: Connecting Island & Island Sunrise continues this exploration with new perspectives on inter-island dialogue, cultural bridges, and artistic renewal.

·        2025: ECO Art on Island  was inspired by the history, geography, and cultural context of Governors Island, the exhibition served as both a metaphor and a platform to address climate change

·        2026: Island Reverence - A year of art, ecology, and community.
Island Reverence is TAAC’s 2026 interdisciplinary art program on Governors Island, bringing together artists, ecologists, and communities to reflect on the island as a living archive of nature, memory, and culture. As climate concerns intensify globally, this project invites artists to explore the island not merely as a site, but as a partner — a place that breathes, resonates, and responds to human presence. 

• 2027 Island Future

Island Future invites artists and audiences to imagine the many possible futures of islands—and, in turn, our shared future. As climate change, rising seas, emerging technologies, migration, and cultural transformation reshape our world, the program considers how islands can become sites of resilience, experimentation, innovation, and hope. Rather than attempting to predict tomorrow, Island Future asks what kind of future we wish to create and how art can help us envision new relationships among people, nature, technology, and place.

Building on TAAC’s recent programs at Governors Island, which have increasingly engaged with ecology, climate change, migration, community, and our relationship with the environment, Island Future extends these conversations toward new questions. How are technology and AI transforming the ways we live, create, communicate, and understand the world? How might artists respond to these rapid changes while imagining alternative ways of living together?

An island offers a particularly meaningful place from which to consider these questions. It may appear isolated, yet it is always connected to somewhere else—through water, people, migration, memory, culture, and exchange. This dynamic between separation and connection, vulnerability and resilience, becomes a starting point for artists to experiment, create, and imagine what our shared future might become.

The residency and exhibition will be based at House 17 in Nolan Park, where the Taiwanese            

American Arts Council will hold an institutional residency through end October each year.

Please note the following about the facilities:

·        House 17 is a historic structure built in the 1870s and is provided in its current condition by the Trust for Governors Island.

·        The house does not have indoor plumbing; restrooms are located approximately five minutes away.

·        Electrical service is limited; artists are encouraged to bring battery-powered fans or lights, especially during the summer months.

·        While the Trust has confirmed that no lead is present on the surface, the building’s original walls and ceilings may contain lead-based paint underneath. Paint chips should be handled with care.

Despite these limitations, the space offers a unique opportunity to engage deeply with Governors Island's ecological, historical, and cultural landscape—and to be part of a growing conversation about art’s role in envisioning a sustainable future.

The Trust for Governors Island has compiled a Resident Handbook outlining important policies and procedures. You will receive a copy and are expected to review it thoroughly. Please save the Governors Island security contact numbers in your phone for emergency use.

Public Access and Participation Requirements
House 17 will be open to the public from 11 AM to 5 PM every Saturday and Sunday, between May 1 and October 31. During these hours, a representative must be present to welcome visitors. TAAC will arrange for a student intern or staff member to assist, but we also ask that all resident artists take turns fulfilling this duty. You may be asked to contribute up to two hours per open day to welcome visitors and answer questions about your work and the residency program.

·       Residents of TAAC house are expected NOT to have exhibitions at other houses on Governors Island.

·       Residents of TAAC house ARE expected to be in their studios, ready to answer questions posed by the general public, and to explain their art on every day the house is open – normally Saturdays and Sundays. (Weekdays, resident artists are free to create in their studios without this interruption.

Please note that although this is called a residency, overnight stays are not permitted on Governors Island. All residents must leave the island by the last scheduled ferry each day. Typically, the last ferry departs at 6:00 PM, although extended hours may be available during the summer.

TAAC will provide each resident artist and staff member with a ferry access badge (corresponding to a submitted name list) that allows free passage on the Governors Island ferry from the Battery Maritime Building (10 South Street, Manhattan). Please note: this arrangement does not apply to the NYC Ferry service from Brooklyn.

What We Look For

When selecting artists, we consider the strength and seriousness of their artistic practice, as well as their openness to experimentation, dialogue, collaboration, and new ways of working.

For our residency program, it is especially important that artists are interested in responding to the unique environment of House 17 and Governors Island. House 17 is not simply a place to present finished work. We encourage artists to spend time on the island, create and experiment, engage with other artists and visitors, and allow unexpected ideas to develop through the residency experience. Some of the most meaningful projects emerge through this process of exploration and discovery.

 We welcome artists who are eager to engage with place, history, ecology, community, cultural exchange, and the questions shaping our shared future. The residency offers an opportunity to develop meaningful work within the distinctive historic, natural, and cultural environment of Governors Island.

 Selected artists will receive an official invitation letter and residency agreement with further details about participation in the program.