ARMSTRONG NOW 2026 — APPLICATIONS OPEN

Latest update • March 26, 2026

Armstrong Now is the Louis Armstrong House Museum’s flagship contemporary residency program.

Each year, selected artists engage the Armstrong Archives — including journals, recordings, scrapbooks, and personal artifacts — to create original work in dialogue with Louis Armstrong’s life, artistry, and global impact.

For 2026, Armstrong Now centers on:

Armstrong & Ghana

Exploring Armstrong’s historic 1956 visit to the Gold Coast just months before Ghana’s independence — and the cultural meaning of that moment across diaspora, diplomacy, and sound.

We are selecting two Artists-In-Residence to:

  • Conduct archival research at the Louis Armstrong House Museum
  • Develop new creative work inspired by Armstrong’s legacy 
  • Contribute to community engagement programming 
  • Premiere their work in Fall 2026 alongside the Armstrong in Ghana exhibition  

Music. Film. Dance. Poetry. Interdisciplinary performance.

Armstrong Now positions Armstrong not as a fixed historical figure — but as a living influence.

If your work bridges history and contemporary expression, we invite you to apply.