Conceptualized in response to Covid-19, Relief Residencies provide one-to-two week retreats for local BIPOC artists and culture bearers who have not had a residency experience before. In 2020-21 we piloted the program through a nomimation process. This year, the initial cohort of residents served as nominators and we also hosted an open call, hoping to reach as broad a cross-section of New Orleans creatives as possible. This year’s Relief Residents are Jose Cotto, Donald Lewis Jr, Gypsi Lewis, Quiana Lynell, Mwende “FreeQuency” Katwiwa, Sabine McCalla, Nikkisha Napoleon, Sha’Condria “Icon” Sibley, Alex Sorapuru, and Bill Summers.