Residency Programs - Santa Fe Art Institute

For more information on SFAI's Residency program,
please contact Residency Director Katie Avery
at (505) 424-5050 or email

Introduction

SFAI’s international Artists and Writers Residency Program continues to grow and expand to serve the needs of artists and foster invaluable relationships with artists and organizations in the local communities and beyond in the support of innovative thinking and creative risk taking.

In 2012, SFAI welcomed nearly 80 artists and writers from around the globe for a 1-3 month live-in residency. With unrestricted time and space, residents have the freedom to explore and the opportunity to be bold. Residents are inspired by the unique architectural qualities of the Legorreta-designed building, the phenomenal illuminating light around the city, the cultural richness of the people, and the landscape of the Southwest. They participate in various arts and cultural events around town, and present their own work to the public during our monthly Open Studios and Readings. They are often featured in local press, exhibitions, and on the local airwaves. Some complete work while in residence for exhibitions, performances, and publications; others find the rare quiet that exposes depth and elasticity in the creative process.

While in residence, Fidencio Duran started and completed his mural painting as a finalist in the Jose Cuervo Tradicional Mural Project; Maori artist, Nathan Pohio, developed his works for Spyglass Field Recordings: Santa Fe, a solo exhibition featured at the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts; Beirut39 poet, Najwan Darwish, whose residency was arranged through the Alliance for Artists Communities, offered several readings in the community and on Santa Fe Radio Café while writing poetry late into the night; Faith Purvey ran an interactive workshop, Invisible Cities, with youth from our Education and Outreach Program; and Kerry Rodgers discovered a method to highlight the stories and images she has captured and documented in Haiti.

While primarily operating under a traditional residency model, the SFAI also maintains partnerships and collaborations with several local, national, and international organizations in providing residencies to artists of diverse disciplines and backgrounds. In the coming year we will host residencies through partnerships with the Ecole supérieure des beaux-arts de Nantes Métropole, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, the Southwestern Association of Indian Arts, the Santa Fe International New Media Festival, Currents, the Witter Bynner Foundation for Poetry, and the Harpo Foundation.

In 2013 we will begin a family residency initiative by offering a one-month residency to parent artists. The SFAI recognizes the lack of residency opportunities for artists to be able to take advantage of residencies without having to leave their children behind. We are taking responsibility in doing our part to close that gap by offering an environment that supports both creative opportunities and the needs of artists with children.

I invite you to join us for our monthly Open Studios and Readings held throughout the year; come see and hear the important work our artists and writers are doing and share in the conversations that empower ideas, voices, and community building.

- Katie Avery, SFAI Residency Director

Residency Program

The Santa Fe Art Institute (SFAI) conducts a bi-annual competitive selection process for artist and writer residencies that focuses on the professional experience of the artist, the quality of their past work, and their potential to have a productive residency at SFAI. The selection committees are comprised of successful artists, gallery owners, art instructors, writers, and other arts professionals from our region. SFAI supports over 50 residents per year and offers a cohesive, arts-focused environment that creates the ideal working conditions for our resident artists. Residents are housed in handsomely appointed rooms with private baths and are provided with beautiful, well-lit studio spaces, allowing them to pursue creative projects without interruption. The overall physical layout of the residency space encourages daily interaction and fosters communication among residents from all over the world.

Residency Length and Availability

The length of SFAI Residencies varies from one month (minimum) to three months (maximum). Depending on availability, residencies can be scheduled between February and December. The Residency Program is closed in January. Successful applicants have one calendar year from their acceptance date to complete a residency. Residents who wish to return to SFAI must wait two calendar years to reapply. Originals letters of recommendation may not be used when reapplying.

Witter Bynner Poetry Translation Residency

The SFAI, in conjunction with the Witter Bynner Foundation for Poetry, offers one poetry translator residency per year. The residency is open to both published and emerging poetry translators and includes a stipend to subsidized transportation and accommodations and a modest living stipend.
This residency is for one month.
Next Deadline: TBD

Emergency Relief Residences

In its unconditional support for all artists, SFAIs Emergency Relief Residency program provides respite to artists affected by the horrors of political, social, or natural disasters. SFAI began the Emergency Relief Residency in 2001 for New York artists following the devastating events of 9/11. The hurricanes and flooding in the Gulf Coast region underscored our feeling of responsibility toward our US peers and colleagues. In comprehending the loss of lives and the ways in which the work of a lifetime can be wiped out in an instant, SFAI reinstituted our Emergency Relief Residency Program to provide living space and studios to professional artists, writers, and crafts people of the Gulf Coast states, whose lives and livelihoods have been so deeply affected.

The flexibility of the Institute to respond quickly and effectively to such challenges is one of our great strengths. We continue to open our doors to artists whose lives and creative work have been disrupted by natural disasters or personal ones. SFAI has received support for this initiative through generous contributions from the Warhol Foundation, the Pollock Krasner Foundation and the Joan Mitchell Foundation.

The SFAI also partners with freeDimensional, an international non-profit organization dedicated to finding safe-haven locations in residency programs around the world for artist/activists who find them selves in peril as a result of the work that they make. More info at http://www.freedimensional.org

Canada Council for the Arts International Residency

In 2013 and 2014 the SFAI and Canada Council for the Arts will partner in providing two residencies for an Aboriginal visual artist and/or curator for a period of three months each.

The CCA International Residencies program supports professionals in the visual arts which includes visual and fine craft artists, and independent critics and curators in furthering their artistic practice in an international context. This residency component is dedicated to Canadian Aboriginal artists and curators of First Nations, Métis and Inuit origins.

For more information please contact CCA Program Officer, Pao Quang Yeh at 1 800 585 5559.

Emerging Artist Fellowship

The Harpo Foundation’s Emerging Artist Fellowship at the Santa Fe Art Institute (SFAI) was established in 2013 to provide an annual opportunity to an emerging visual artist 25 years and older who needs time and space to explore ideas and start new projects. Artist Fellows will receive a one-month residency at the Santa Fe Art Institute, which includes a handsomely appointed room with private bath, a beautiful, well-lit studio space, and a $500 travel stipend.

One Fellowship is awarded annually to emerging artists who demonstrate:

Application Process and Deadlines
The annual application deadline is July 5. Artists must apply online. To find out more about this opportunity, please contact Residency Director Katie Avery at (505) 424 5050 or kavery@sfai.org.

SFAI Facilities

Artists who are selected for a residency receive living and working space at SFAI centrally located within Santa Fe's vibrant and diverse cultural community. Resident living and studio space is located within the SFAI facility, a nearly 17,000 square foot complex designed by renowned Mexican architect, Ricardo Legoretta. SFAI's facilities include gallery/exhibition spaces, sky lit studios, a growing contemporary art library, courtyards, laundry facilities, communal kitchen, and dining and living room areas.

All residents receive private living quarters with a private bath. Visual artists are provided with a semi-private studio space. Writers are welcome to use the library for writing and reading, as well as their own private rooms equipped with desks. Depending upon availability, writers may also request studio space. An outdoor courtyard offers space for working in a variety of media.

SFAI's facility meets all ADA requirements with complete accessibility for wheelchairs to studio and living spaces. Two resident rooms are equipped with bathroom facilities for wheelchair access, and since SFAI's complex is one level, there are no stairs or barriers. All signage is presented in large clear type (English and Spanish) and in Braille.

Campus security is available 24 hours a day, and a Residency Assistant is available for residents on site. The unique SFAI environment allows residents to be as interactive or private as they wish. There are no requirements on the work produced during their time at SFAI.

SFAI has the additional benefit of being located on the Santa Fe University of Art and Design campus; please visit www.santafeuniversity.edu for more information. Residents have access to extensive library services and a fully equipped gym.

Open Studios

SFAI has become deeply rooted in the local arts community by hosting a monthly Open Studio. The well-publicized event draws a broad range of local arts patrons, gallery owners and representatives from local museums to view work in progress, discuss ideas, materials and techniques with SFAI Residents. The combination of readings, slide lectures and studio tours is the only open studio event of its kind in the Santa Fe. Indeed, SFAI's Open Studio is one of the most important monthly art events in Northern New Mexico.

Financial Aid

SFAI offers generous financial aid packages in the form of need-based scholarships and scholarships made possible over the years by the generosity of the Warhol Foundation, Witter Bynner Foundation and Joan Mitchell Foundation.

Application and allocation of all scholarships will be facilitated once the applicant has been accepted into the program. Need based scholarships are decided at the discretion of the SFAI, based on tax returns and letters of financial need. If you have further questions please contact Residency Director Katie Avery email.

Santa Fe

Santa Fe was the first city in the US to be designated as a member of the creative-cities network by UNESCO. SFAI resident artists have unprecedented access to some of the most diverse arts and cultural activities in the US. The community of Santa Fe is particularly rich in terms of the breadth of cultural activities available and for its patronage of contemporary art and literature. Widely known for a thriving gallery scene, virtually every weekend of the year artists in residence can attend museum or gallery openings showcasing Santa Fe's considerable support for the traditional arts and visionary contemporary art. Santa Fe also provides a unique geography, with hikes, hot springs and a wealth of natural offerings for residents.