CALL FOR APPLICATIONS | Artistic Residency | Barbadian artist

Le Centre d’Art in Port-au-Prince is an institution that works towards promoting artistic creations by Haitian practitioners on the basis of preserved heritage values.
Since its creation in 1944, this atypical space with multiple missions has been at the heart of societal and artistic evolutions. As the major protagonist in the reconfiguration of the fine arts realm in Haiti, Le Centre d’Art has been paving the way for several schools and artistic movements.

Over the years, well-known Haitian artists have been revealed internationally, including Philomé Obin, Hector Hyppolite, George Liautaud, Antonio Joseph, Rigaud Benoit, Robert St Brice, Jasmin Joseph, and Préfète Duffaut.

Le Centre d’Art was the starting point fora wealth of visual creativity– upholding a considerable legacy that is today part of private and public collections, in Haiti and abroad.

The establishment is apolitical, non-profit, and has gained public recognition since 1947. The governance is composed of a board of directors, an international scientific council and an executive team (www.lecentredart.org)

Despite the destruction of the infrastructure during the earthquake of 2010, le Centre d’Art managed to save more than 5000 works and 3000 archive files, which are today preserved and valued. Since the reopening in 2014, le Centre d’Art has once again become an essential part of Haitian culture.

Its mission is to support artists and their creations, and to conserve and disseminate Haitian visual arts. It is a resource space for artists, art students, art lovers, collectors and researchers alike.

RESIDENCIES SCOPE

Le Centre d’Art is setting up a synergy project for artistic creation and artistic analysis in the Caribbean, thanks in particular to UNESCO’s International Fund for Cultural Diversity (IFDC).

Entitled Implementation of a Network for the Creation and Dissemination of Caribbean Art, the project aims to create a link between Haiti and Caribbean places of creation, and to promote the practices of Caribbean artists, especially women, to strengthen the Haitian cultural sector. For two years, artistic residencies will be set up, and will end with an exhibition and a widely distributed publication.

THEME

« The ability of humans to participate intelligently in the evolution of their own system is dependent on their ability to perceive the whole »

Immanuel Wallerstein

Toussaint L’Ouverture, Jean Price Mars, Aimé Césaire, Marcus Garvey, Frantz Fanon, Derek Walcott Long is the list of illustrious men who have shaped the Caribbean countries as we know them today. What about Caribbean women? University theses on the role of women are rising but they are not taken for the general public. Art has the power to make accessible fundamental values and principles, which are too often convoluted. This project aims at highlighting the role of women in the construction of the Caribbean.

ABOUT THE RESIDENCY

For this segment of the residency programme, Le Centre d’Art will host one Barbadian artist for one month in Haiti from October 14th to November 14th, 2019.

Le Centre d’Art will fully bear the costs of residency. The artist will be provided with a workspace, tools and supplies and housing. In addition, the artist will receive per diem to cover all food and transportation expenses throughout the residency. The ticket and the visa will also be covered by Le Centre d’Art.

Moreover, the team of Le Centre d’Art will facilitate access to public and private art collections and cultural activities. The artist will visit artists’ studios, and will give a class on a specific art technique at Le Centre d‘Art.

Le Centre d’Art is located in the heart of the Haitian capital, Port-au- Prince. The artist will be housed in a neighbourhood close to Le Centre d’Art and will be able to work within the institution.

TERMS OF APPLICATION – Residency in Haiti, October 14th – November 14th, 2019

This call for applications to attend a residency at Le Centre d’Art in Haiti is now opened to any woman artist from Barbados or the diaspora.

The call concerns exclusively the field of visual arts (plastic or digital). The artist may practice multiple forms of artistic production.

The submitted file must include the following documents in a single PDF document:
– The completed application form;
– The Artist’s Curriculum Vitae, including elements describing the artist’s training, her professional career, her experiences, the history of her public exhibitions and shows in galleries (2 pages maximum);
– The residency project related to the theme (2 pages maximum)
– A selection of visuals of the artist’s works (10 works visuals maximum). The visuals must be in color and captioned to legibly specify the dimensions, materials and technique used. For videographers, a page with links to videos accompanied by a brief summary for each one.

Electronic files and any other request should be sent by email to contact@lecentredart.org and Cc judithmichel@lecentredart.org before August 16th, 2019 midnight (GMT)

SELECTION COMMITTEE

The decisions is to be made by a selection committee composed of a member of the Board of Le Centre d’Art, a member of the executive team and a representative of Fresh Milk.

Criteria:
Special attention to be paid to:
– mastery of the techniques used and the quality of execution
– the aesthetic and technical interest of the artist’s practice
– the coherence of the artist’s proposal with the theme as well as
– the depth of the readings and interpretations of concepts
– the originality of the works

PARTNERS OF THE PROJECT

– UNESCO
– Fondation Daniel et Nina Carasso
– FOKAL
– Fresh Milk