Back Door Residency

Back Door Artist Residency is organized by Paper Chair and is located at Greater Denton Arts Council. The residency provides emerging artists in North Texas with time and space to create their work.

Applications will open in late 2026, and four artists will each complete a three month residency in 2027. Paper Chair’s board will help establish the program as the first year’s residents in 2026.

Back Door Residency is made possible by generous support from Greater Denton Arts Council.

Open Studios

Current resident Delanet Smith-Vaughn invites you to visit them at their studio at Greater Denton Arts Council. This is a unique opportunity to talk with the artists about their current work and learn about their process.

May 23, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. | Open Studio during SpeedBump lil d [get your free tickets]

By appointment | Email info@paperchairstudio.org to schedule

Getting there

Greater Denton Arts Council, 400 E. Hickory Street, Denton, TX 76201
The entrance is facing Hickory Street. If GDAC is open, walk through Festival Hall and exit the door in the back of the room. Turn left and walk up the stairs to enter Back Door Residency.

At this time, Back Door Residency is not wheelchair accessible due to the age of the building. We are working to make the space ADA accessible in the future.

Current Back Door Resident

April – June 2026

Delaney Smith-Vaughn

Delaney Smith-Vaughn, co-founder of Paper Chair, is the second resident at Back Door. Delaney is an artist and community builder based in Denton, TX. She uses fiber processes such as paper making, weaving, and dyeing to create sculptures and interactive books.

Outside of her day job as a career coach for art and design students, she teaches workshops at community centers and institutions such as Penland School of Craft and The University of Pennsylvania. Locally, she leads Sew Gold, a skill-share monthly meetup for creatives. She co-founded Speedbump lil d with Anna Galluzzi in 2022 as a way to give a platform for local artists and advocate for their support.