27 May 2011

Cornaro Institute: Residencies and Fellowships

The Cornaro Institute is an independent not-for-profit arts organisation based in Cyprus.

It exists to promote art in Cyprus and beyond, and to offer opportunities for overseas artists, art historians and theorists and other writers, academics, poets and more to spend time in Cyprus, exploring its culture, history and environment and developing links with our part of the world.

In this we work with the support of the Fellows of the Cornaro Institute, who are a diverse collection of individuals from Cyprus and around the world who care about art and the wider culture. The include the cultural historian Francesco da Mosto, the artists Clive Head and Jon Isherwood (Bennington College, USA), and distinguished academics, including Rita Severis, Henry Franses (American University of Beirut) and Benedict Read (University of Leeds).

The Cornaro Institute Fellowship Programme leads to the award of the Fellowship of the Cornaro Institute. To gain this you must spend six consecutive months at the Cornaro Institute in either Lempa (Paphos) or Larnaca making art work in the studio space you will be allocated, and attending the special programme of lectures, discussions and other events organised for you and any others in the group.

The Fellowship Programme lasts six months from the beginning of January each year and culminates in an exhibition of the attendant artists on the Fellowship Programme at the Cornaro Institute. This exhibition is then visited by two existing Fellows who will decide on the award of Fellowship of the Cornaro Institute based on the work they see.

The Fellowship Programme is not a course, and you should not see yourself as a student. It is a community of artists engaged in the act of making and exploring art in the environment of Cyprus.

The primary criteria the Fellows will use when looking at the work you display in the Fellowship Exhibition are:

1. signs of exploration and engagement with Cyprus
2. signs of engagement with the arts community of the Cornaro Institute
3. high quality art work and display.

The third of these is considered the most important element.

Applications are now being accepted to start on the Fellowship Programme in January 2012.

To apply you must have completed a BA Fine Art, or BA Studio Arts, or similar practical art course. We will consider applications from people who work in other arts fields, such as poetry, music, etc, but you must provide an indication of what will be the end product, equivalent to the visual artists' exhibition, you will present at the end of the Programme. For example a poet might present a body of writings. Do not be put off applying if you are not a visual artist as we are very open to alternative ideas.

If you do not possess a BA Fine Art or BA Studio Arts qualification, we will consider equivalents, such as degrees in other subjects or long term professional experience.

The cost of taking part in the Fellowship Programme is 2000 euro. This includes single room living accommodation in Lempa or Larnaca for the full six months of the programme.

At the end of the Fellowship Programme successful participants will receive a diploma and become a Fellow of the Cornaro Institute.

As this is a prestigious award we do not accept all applicants, and we require a commitment from anyone taking part that they will undertake the Fellowship Programme with dedication and a real commitment to making high quality art.