11 Dec 2017

Open Call for Applications - International Thematic Residency at Santa Fe Art Institute

SFAI is proud to announce Truth & Reconciliation as our 2018-2019 theme.

From September 2018 through August 2019, the Santa Fe Art Institute (SFAI) is asking artists, content experts, and cultural leaders to explore how uncovering and acknowledging the truth can be used as a means of reconciliation. We seek creative projects, conversations, and processes by which the investigation of truth and steps toward meaningful reconciliation can occur. We also seek to broaden the residency experience and increase collective knowledge by bringing together in community at SFAI artists from all disciplines alongside other innovators in disciplines such as architecture, planning, policy, education, science, health, law, and activism.

SFAI believes that the process of truth-seeking and reconciliation are deeply creative acts that can bring people together, heal divisions, and build a better world.

Through our Truth & Reconciliation Theme, we ask:

How can artistic expression help to counter the often dehumanizing effects of our intensifying societal polarization by confronting misleading or deceptive rhetoric with truthfulness and compassion?

How can a creative and humane investigation of truth among individuals, communities, and nations engender desire for healing, reconciliation, and new narratives respond to traumatic events and culturally sanctioned injustices?

How can art and community action bring into view a more comprehensive and critical understanding of truth amidst the proliferation of online, and often unchecked, communication platforms and algorithmic manipulation of information streams?

SFAI welcomes local, national, and international applicants over the age of 25. We accept applications from individuals, collaborations (2 people), and collectives (3 to 12 people). Our sponsored, international, thematic residency program is open to all artistic disciplines (visual arts, writing, performance, new media, etc.) and other creative practices including, but not limited to, curation, design, architecture, education, humanities, social sciences, law, medicine, and science. We strongly encourage applicants with interdisciplinary and non-traditional creative practices.

Residencies vary in duration. Individuals: 1 month minimum to 3 months maximum. Collaborations: 1 month minimum to 2 months maximum. Small collectives (3-6 members): one month only. SFAI also hosts up to four large collectives (8-12 members) for one and two week periods during August and select weeks within the thematic residency year. Residency months do not have to be consecutive, residencies are not offered in December, and July is reserved for our Family Initiative (to support applicants who would like to engage with the Truth & Reconciliation theme and to have the opportunity to be in residence with their children). Additional information about the Family Initiative can be found on our website here: sfai.org/familyresidency/.

SFAI offers, at no cost to residents, a furnished private room and bath; communal kitchen, dining room, lounge and laundry facilities; semi-private studio, common work spaces gallery/event space and art library; wireless internet, breakfast foods and bicycles. SFAI does not have specialized facilities, but provides basic tools and a membership to MAKE Santa Fe.

Costs include a $35 application fee and we require a $150 refundable security deposit. All materials, equipment, travel and other expenses are residents' responsibilities.

Applications are due February 15, 2018 and are only accepted online through our SlideRoom portal: sfai.slideroom.com/#/login/program/40356.

Applications include the following:

250-word Bio

2-page CV

Project Proposal (applicants can initiate, continue, and/or complete creative work that expands and enriches their professional practice and engages the annual theme)

2 Letters of Reference (from authorities in your field familiar with you and your work)

Documentation of Work (up to 10 media submissions - including any combination of still images, video, sound, and writing - that demonstrate the the quality of your work and potential of your practice while in residence at SFAI)

SFAI offers a semi-structured residency program so that residents can initiate, continue, and/or complete creative work that expands and enriches their professional practice. We provide a level of access to and support from staff and community partners, and nurture critical engagement with the annual theme. However, residents are expected to be largely self-directed.

SFAI's facility meets all ADA requirements. Because SFAI is is one level without stairs or barriers, there is complete accessibility to all studios, living quarters, exhibition and event spaces, and our offices. SFAI also has two resident rooms each equipped with a roll-in bathroom designed specifically for easy wheelchair access, enlarged living space, and an additional bed for a personal care attendant.

For additional details about our sponsored, international, thematic residency program, please visit our website residency information page: sfai.org/residencies/residency-information/, our FAQ page: sfai.org/residencies/residency-faq/, and our facilities page: sfai.org/residencies/facilities/.