The Quinebaug Valley Council for Arts and Humanities is proud to announce the start of our Artist Residency program this summer at the Art Center in Southbridge. If you are unfamiliar with artist residencies, it is, in essence, a research and development lab for artists. The QVCAH will be providing space and time for a resident from the Southbridge or surrounding area to pursue an independent arti
stic investigation. We are starting off small by hosting one local, visual artist from the Southbridge or surrounding areas for our first round. We will be providing the artist with 3 months of free studio space (work only - no living quarters) in the Art Center on Main St. in Southbridge, a small stipend (if funds allow), and opportunities to present themselves and their work to the public in our gallery, through an artist talk, or open studio events where the public is invited into the artist's work space to see and discuss the artist's approach to art making. There are potential opportunities to engage with the local community by teaching, holding demonstrations, or participating in one of our youth art programs. The presence of a center for working artists in the Southbridge community will be a catalyst for learning and foster greater awareness of the role of the artist in our society. After the 3 month residency period is over, the resident artist will have the opportunity to be fiscally sponsored by the QVCAH for years to come. Many individuals, foundations, corporations, and governments restrict funding to U.S. QVCAH fiscal sponsorship allows an individual artist to solicit funding from grant-makers and individual donors, opening the door to many more funding opportunities. The QVCAH believes that by establishing an environment to support the production of art in the Southbridge area, we are making an example of creative dedication and the importance of the arts in our lives. house3
The application for the QVCAH Artist Residency is now available on the QVCAH website. The deadline to apply has been extended to April 15th, 2015. The residency session will begin in June. We do not provide housing at this time so it is important that the artist be from the area.
