Artist Residency Call for Applications!
Quinta das Relvas (PT), Oficinas do Convento (PT), Rural Contemporánea (ES) and CHORUS (GR), are happy to announce this open call to their common project SEEDS – Means for a Sustainable Art Practice.
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
SEEDS – means for a sustainable art practice is a project that combines two main fields of action – Art and Sustainability. The project’s main goal is to gather artists that will take part in art residencies where the main focus will be sharing of knowledge and acquisition of competencies for the creation of artistic materials and tools developed through sustainable techniques and methodologies.
This project will host 12 participants, chosen by all partner organizations, assuring that diverse nationalities, genders and ethnicities are represented. These artistic residencies will promote several different workshops and mentorship sessions with mentors and facilitators that will share how to practice sustainable art with techniques that may be used in drawing, painting, printing and sculpture, using materials that are environmentallyfriendly and do not create waste. These workshops will be followed by periods of free production where artists will experiment to develop their artworks using the competencies acquired. During the project, the artists will have the opportunity to share their work and artist progress in exhibitions and presentations. In order to create more awareness about environmental problems not only among the participants but also among the communities where the activities take place, and to reach a wider audience, the artists will take part in activities and events which challenge them to share and disseminate the knowledge on sustainable art-making. This includes the conception of different formats of digital output, as well as the participation in residencies that prioritize community engagement, thus generating an environment of shared experiences and potential change.
GOALS
SEEDS aims to support young and emerging artists, raise awareness on environmental and climate-change challenges and empower them to adopt greener practices whilst promoting active citizenship through active learning. A major shift needs to be done and the solution must be local, small-scale brought by active citizens and NPO´s, and involve targeted groups, especially youth.
With the above in mind, the consortium unites skills, motivation and knowhow, aiming to develop drastic actions in collaboration with the participating artists that could help exposed targeted groups tackle the current environmental problems.
– Objective 1: To implement holistic solution-driven models, using
methodologies like Permaculture and non-formal education to address
sustainability in the art world.
– Objective 2: To develop knowledge and competences using sustainable tools
and materials.
– Objective 3: To develop different outputs (digital, exhibitions, publications,
websites) that can serve as means to develop and disseminate knowledge and
competences using sustainable tools and materials .
WHO CAN APPLY?
Young visual artists (18 > 30 years old), graduating or at the beginning of their careers, from Portugal, Spain and Greece, with a high motivation to discuss, experiment and learn about possible alternatives for a more sustainable art practice.
Although we encourage applications from all visual art practices, please consider that the workshops will prioritize drawing, painting, sculpture, installation and ceramics.
Duos are also welcome to apply.
Artists are expected to:
– Be able to communicate in English;
– Respect working team, rules, vision and methods, other activities, schedules
and fellow artists;
– Be present and involved in the scheduled activities.
HOW TO APPLY?
Download and read carefully the “Call for Applications” document available at www.projectseeds.eu, fill in the application form and upload the following documents (all in English, one single file, PDF):
– Curriculum Vitae;
– a motivation letter (max. 500 words);
– Portfolio with the most representative works (including images, videos, links for music, photos, text, etc.) from, at list, the past 2 years;
– Signed commitment of honor (download a template at www.projectseeds.eu)
*We evaluate each proposal as a whole, with no specific percentage of importance for each submitted document. However, please notice we give priority to artists that see SEEDS as an important opportunity to develop their work.
WHAT IS INCLUDED?
– Access to all the different phases of the project and its composed activities, theoretical and practical sessions, study visits and exhibitions;
– Travel costs to and from the activities’ venues to the participants’ hometown*;
– Accommodation;
– Meals;
– Basic materials and tools to enroll on the activities;
– Material-in-request scholarship to be used on personal projects (100€ per artistic residence in Portugal);
– Pocket money (5€ per day of activity);
– Transport of art pieces from the phase I artistic residences to the local exhibitions (Albergaria-a-Velha and Montemor-o-Novo) and final exhibition (Lisbon).
*To ensure no last-minute cancellations, flights will be bought by the participants and reimbursed once at the destination by presenting their boarding passes and proof of purchase.
WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED?
– Return of the artworks to their creators after the final exhibition, to take place in Lisbon in May 2024. Participants can get the artworks
themselves in Lisbon at the end of the final exhibition or from the portuguese organizations’ headquarters (that will store them until the end of 2024). Participants may use their material-in-request scholarship to help cover transportation costs. Pieces that are not collected until
the end of the year will become property of the NGO responsible for the authors’ participation;
– travel and health insurance.
DEADLINES
Application period: 10th april > 16th June 2023, 23:59 CET
Interviews to the pre-selected artists: 17th – 27th june 2023
Final results: between 3rd – 7th july 2023
ACTIVITIES AND TIMELINE
Phase I – Artistic Residences and Local exhibitions
WHEN AND WHERE?
1st– 28th september 2023 at Quinta das Relvas (Albergaria-a-Velha, Portugal)
+ 1st-28th october 2023 at Oficinas do Convento (Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal)
WHAT?
Throughout two months, participants will be invited to research and develop artistic materials and techniques for a more sustainable art practice within an artistic residence framework.
This period will be divided in two independent residencies: the first will be held at Quinta das Relvas (Albergaria-a-Velha, Portugal) and will focus on drawing and painting materials/techniques; the second will be held at Oficinas do Convento (Montemor-o-Novo, Portugal) and will focus on sculpture and ceramics materials/techniques.
At Quinta das Relvas, the project will start with theoretical sessions to open the discussion around the problems to be considered. These sessions, in presence and online, will include special guests and key-speakers. After that, the first week will be composed of workshops and study visits. The three weeks that follow, will be of individual experiment and production, enriched by study visits and will culminate in a local exhibition at Cineteatro Alba.
The second artistic residence will allow participants to continue their artistic research through different mediums, now at a 3D level. Known by their vast experience on earth-related materials, Oficinas do Convento will lead several workshops focused on these techniques. At the end of the residence, the results will be exhibited at their headquarters (an ancient monastery in the
city center of Montemor-o-Novo).
Phase II – Community engagement activities and Project dissemination
WHEN AND WHERE?
29th February – 6th March 2024 at CHORUS (Eleusis, Greece)
+ 7th – 18th March 2024 at Rural Contemporànea (Monfero, Spain).
During this period participants will travel to Greece and Spain and create community driven actions with the acquired know-how, doing workshops, conferences, and exhibitions. In this period, we will also close all material related with the main digital outputs and share it throughout all communication channels (official channels and partners).
Phase III – Final exhibition and other dissemination outputs
WHEN AND WHERE?
May 2024 – Lisbon, Portugal
In May 2024, at the Fine-Arts Faculty of the University of Lisbon, all the outcomes of the project will be gathered and presented at a final exhibition*.
These expected outcomes are:
– Artistic works (created at Phase I in Quinta das Relvas and Oficinas do Convento);
– A documentary;
– A tool kit;
– A publication.
*This will be a closing session where participants are not required to attend;
nevertheless, online participation will be encouraged.
CONTACTS
For more information, please contact us at:
info@projectseeds.eu
www.projectseeds.eu
OTHER USEFUL INFORMATION
More about Quinta das Relvas at: www.quintadasrelvas.pt
More about Oficinas do Convento at: www.oficinasdoconvento.com
More about Rural Contemporánea at: www.ruralc.com
More about Chorus at: www.chorus.org.gr
For living cost comparison please visit www.numbeo.com/cost-ofliving/comparison.jps ;
For more information on weather please visit climate-data.org.
