Art Metropole

03 Dec. 2019 - 06 Jan. 2020

THE ISLANDS - CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

2020 ARTS WRITING RESIDENCY

Application deadline: January 6, 2020
Residency period: August 31 to October 12, 2020

Art Metropole and Fogo Island Arts are seeking applications for The Islands, a two-part residency that aims to encourage arts writing and criticism in contemporary art. Open to Canadian and international applicants, The Islands will take place on Fogo Island and at Artscape Gibraltar Point on Toronto Island, Canada, from August 31 to October 12, 2020.

The Islands invites emerging and established arts writers and artists with a writing practice to propose a project to be executed across two unique locations. The successful candidate will spend a month on Fogo Island as part of Fogo Island Arts’ residency program, followed by two weeks on Toronto Island at Artscape Gibraltar Point. The project will culminate in a small publication funded, published and distributed by Art Metropole.

The Islands is a residency partnership conceived and organized by Art Metropole and Fogo Island Arts, with support from Artscape. This is the fifth iteration of The Islands, following residencies with writer and curator Nora N. Khan (2019); visual artist and writer Marion Coutts (2018); visual artist Merve Ünsal (2017); and curator, writer and publisher Joseph del Pesco (2017).

Application Criteria

Arts writing practices may range in structure, content and medium, addressing various forms and disciplines that may include poetry, art criticism, experimental writing and periodical production (journals, art books, magazines).

Applications should directly consider the role of writing and criticism in contemporary art, and take into consideration the unique circumstances of the residencies.

To be eligible for consideration, candidates must:

• Have published a minimum of two arts writing texts or critical essays on contemporary art
• Hold a valid driver’s license, and be responsible for acquiring the necessary visa if coming from a foreign country

The successful candidate will be required to give a public presentation on Fogo Island and at Artscape Gibraltar Point, and to present their work at Art Metropole, Toronto.

How to apply

Applications are online only and should include the following:

• Project proposal (approx. 600 words) in PDF format

• Short biography and artist statement (approx. 200 words) in PDF format

• Detailed Curriculum Vitae (3 pages maximum) in PDF format

• If applicable, 5 images (maximum) in JPEG format, with relevant caption information

• 1 letter of recommendation from a professional in your field, in PDF format

• 3 samples of your published work (approx. 750 words)

To apply, please send all requested materials to the.islands@artmetropole.com

Accommodation, Travel and Workspace

The successful candidate will be provided with private accommodation and studio space on both Fogo and Toronto islands, as well as a weekly stipend to offset the costs of materials and day-to-day living expenses. Travel expenses are also covered.

Applicants should keep in mind that this residency takes place in two locations and requires significant travel.

Fogo Island is a remote island with limited amenities. A vehicle will be provided for on-island use for the duration of the residency.

Toronto Island is North America’s largest urban car-free community—an island oasis just a 10-minute ferry ride from downtown Toronto. A bicycle will be provided as well as ferry tickets for four return trips and shuttle pick-up and drop-off island side to transport the recipient to and from the ferry docks and Artscape Gibraltar Point.

Selection Process

The successful candidate will be selected by a jury which includes Jaclyn Bruneau, writer, critic, and the editor of C Magazine; interdisciplinary artist Zachary Cahill; Alexandra McIntosh, Director of Programs and Exhibitions, Fogo Island Arts; Jonathan Middleton, Executive Director, Art Metropole; Nicolaus Schafhausen, Strategic Director, Fogo Island Arts.

Jaclyn Bruneau is a writer, critic, and the editor of C Magazine. She currently serves on the board of directors at Images Festival, and is underway on an inconspicuous yearlong art publishing project in the online classifieds with Natasha Chaykowski and Untitled Art Society called please, teach me to swim. In 2017, she conducted a yearlong research study on contemporary art and cultural criticism, funded by the British Columbia Arts Council. She was the Managing Editor of MICE Magazine from 2017-18, a resident at the Banff Centre’s Critical Art Writing Ensemble in 2016, and the Editorial Resident at Canadian Art in 2015. She has given talks on exhibitions and projects by more than 20 artists, including Krista Belle Stewart, Jeremy Shaw, Meriç Algün Ringborg, Stan Brakhage, Mike Nelson, and others.

Zachary Cahill is a Chicago-based interdisciplinary artist. Since 2010 he has been working on his long-term project the USSA, a series of exhibitions, writings and performances. He has had solo shows at Regina Rex, New York; KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin; and the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago among others. His work has been included in many group exhibitions including the 8th Berlin Biennale for Contemporary Art; The Works, Contemporary Art Brussels; and most recently Kleine Welt at the Neubauer Collegium in Chicago. In 2017 ArtReview profiled Cahill for its special issue The Future Greats and he is included in The Artists Who Will Change the World, by Omar Kholeif, published by Thames & Hudson. A widely-published author, Cahill’s writings have appeared in Afterall, Artforum, Critical Inquiry, Frieze, Journal of Visual Culture and Mousse. He has also contributed numerous catalogue essays for artist monographs and exhibitions; most recently he has written on the work of Theaster Gates, Pope.L, and for the group exhibition Revolution Every Day, co-curated with Robert Bird and Christina Kiaer. Cahill is the founding editor-in-chief of Portable Gray an interdisciplinary journal published twice annually by the University of Chicago Press. His first novel, The Black Flame of Paradise, was released by Mousse Publishing in 2019.

About Art Metropole
Art Metropole was founded in 1974 by the artists’ collective General Idea as a division of Art-Official Inc., the legal entity that published FILE Megazine. Art Metropole holds an inventory featuring the works of thousands of Canadian and international artists, and operates a small network of shop spaces and pop-up projects designed to disseminate publications and editions. The organization has also developed a substantial archive in two parts: a collection of over 13,000 works and documents from its first two decades of operations, now housed by the National Gallery of Canada; and a second collection acquired since 1997, held in its main Toronto offices on Sterling Road. Art Metropole continues to produce publications, editions, talks, performances, screenings and exhibitions as part of its yearly program.

About Fogo Island Arts
fogoislandarts.ca is a residency-based contemporary art venue that supports research and production of new work for artists, filmmakers, writers, musicians, curators, designers and thinkers from around the world. Since 2008, FIA has brought some of the most exciting, emerging and renowned artists of today to Fogo Island, Newfoundland, Canada to take part in residencies and to present solo exhibitions at the Fogo Island Gallery. FIA also presents programs in cities across Canada and abroad, including the Fogo Island Dialogues interdisciplinary conversation series, as part of its international outreach. Combining contemporary art, iconic architecture and social innovation in a singular setting, FIA is a world-class institution that is uniquely rooted in community. FIA is an initiative of Shorefast, a registered Canadian charity with the mission to build economic and cultural resilience on Fogo Island.

About Artscape
Artscape is a not-for-profit urban development organization that makes space for creativity and transforms communities. Artscape Gibraltar Point is a secluded artist retreat nestled against the magnificent natural backdrop of Toronto Island, the largest urban car-free community in North America just a 10-minute ferry ride from downtown Toronto. Gibraltar Point hosts programmed artist residencies and provides studio rentals year-round and offers the opportunity to engage with the vibrant arts and events of the larger Artscape community.

Image

Waterman’s Brook trail, Fogo Island, 2019. Photo: Mikaela Kautzky. Ward’s Island boardwalk, Toronto Island, 2019. Photo: Jan Kautzky. Waterman’s Brook trail, Fogo Island, 2019. Photo: Mikaela Kautzky. Ward’s Island boardwalk, Toronto Island, 2019. Photo: Jan Kautzky.

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