The Artist House is an artist-in-residence program for creative artists and writers, and has two interrelated program goals: 1) to support creative artists, with both emerging and established careers, by offering them the time and space to create new work and 2) to develop programming in which artists-in-residence share their work with the campus and local communities. The Artist House can accommodate two creative artists at one time, each artist sponsored by one of the academic departments in the Division of Arts & Letters. Modest honorariums are offered in exchange for limited interaction with students in classes, lectures and workshops. Residencies are by invitation only.

Invited artists-in-residence live and work in the Artist House and collaborate with faculty and students to further strengthen the dynamic arts community at the college and in the southern Maryland region. Artists use their residency to concentrate on a well-focused project or series of works. While the Artist House is defined as a protected space for creative activity, it also enables artists-in-residence to participate in and contribute to the life at the college and in the local community.

Designated as Maryland’s honors college, St. Mary’s College of Maryland is a public liberal arts college located in the heart of tidewater country on the St. Mary's River, 70 miles southeast of Washington, D.C. Situated on a secluded part of the campus, the Artist House provides a retreat environment for two creative artists at a time, usually one writer and one visual artist for residencies that usually range between two to six weeks. Each artist is given a private bedroom and a separate office or studio workspace. Residents share bathroom and kitchen facilities plus living room, dining room, screened porch and peaceful grounds. Residents are responsible for travel arrangements and expenses, and purchase and cook their own food. Residents have access to college amenities and facilities that include computer labs with high-end digital imaging capabilities, library and media center, Campus Center with a book and art supply store, dining hall, snack bar, coffee shop, cinema and lounge areas, and recreational facilities that include a gym and the college’s waterfront on the St. Mary’s River with sailing, kayaking and other sports. College lectures, movies, performances and other similar activities are open to residents. Adjacent to the campus is Historic St. Mary’s City, a museum of history and archaeology on the site of Maryland’s colonial capital. Nearby state parks offer an array of hiking and walking trails, and swimming and boating opportunities.