The Soundpainting Think Tank is an annual conference where Soundpainters from around the world are invited by Walter Thompson to come together to develop the Soundpainting language, perform, share ideas, and develop relationships with other Soundpainters to help further the development of the Soundpainting language in the performance and education arenas.

Brief history:
The first Think Tanks, known as Soundpainting residencies, were held at the Byrdcliffe Arts Colony in Woodstock, New York during the summers of 1998, 1999 and 2000. The residencies were funded by a three-year grant from the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation and were a month long. Artists of all disciplines from many countries around the world were invited to learn, study and offer ideas to aid Thompson in the development of the Soundpainting language.

From 2002 and onwards, the Soundpainting residencies have been called Think Tanks and are one week in length. Conservatories, universities and organizations all over the world have hosted the Think Tanks. A few of the host organizations include the Conservatorio de Milano (Italy), Kingston University (London), Le Petit Fauchaux (Tours, France) and Vassar College (Poughkeepsie, New York).