Guapamacataro Interdisciplinary Residency in art and ecology – Appel à candidature

The Guapamacátaro Interdisciplinary Residency in Art and Ecology is a site-based and community-oriented program for artists from different disciplines, scientists, educators and activists, aimed at fostering socially and ecologically-conscious cultural development in the area where the Guapamacátaro hacienda is located (Michoacán, Mexico).

The program was founded in 2006 by Mexican artist and curator Alicia Marván, as an extension of her artistic practice. Its conceptual and artistic framework includes ecology in its broad sense, not limited to its common association with the preservation of the natural environment. All components of the local ecosystem (human, natural and artificial) and their relationship to each other are subject of inquiry, creativity and growth.

The Guapamacátaro hacienda was built in the late 1800′s and is located in the culturally rich Purepecha region in the state of Michocan, Mexico, an hour and a half from the city of Morelia and three and a half hours from Mexico City.

Each year the residency takes place in Winter/Spring and lasts 3 weeks. During their stay, participants use the hacienda grounds as a laboratory for the creative process and engaging with the local community in art, ecology and development practices. They are free to work whenever desired in the provided studios and anywhere in the property. Experimentation is encouraged as is discourse and collaboration. Daily group activities such as morning stretch and meditation, and occasional guided walks and fieldtrips to nearby towns and natural areas are often organized, depending on people’s interests.

Up to 10 people are selected from a mix of the following disciplines:

– Performing Arts (Music, Dance, Performance, Theater, Puppetry, etc)
– Visual Arts (Painting, Drawing, Mixed-Media, Photography, Film/Video, etc)
– Sculpture and Installation
– Design and Architecture
– Humanities and Social Sciences (Anthropology, Philosophy, Writing, etc)
– Natural Sciences (Ecology, Hydrology, Biology, Geology, etc)

The selection process is both by invitation and application. Participants are selected by the residency director in conjunction with the Advisory Board. Application is open to professionals (or students who demonstrate maturity) from all countries, cultural backgrounds and aesthetics.

Advisory Board

Alisa Cooper de Uribe, Writer (USA)
Blaire Dessent, Curator (USA/FRANCE)
Marta Gargollo Orvananos, President, Rivas Mercado Foundation (MEXICO)
Todd Lester, Executive Director, freeDimensional (USA)
Fernando Marvan Carmona, CEO, InBest, Inc. (MEXICO/USA)
Karen Phillips, Program Director, freeDimensional (USA)
Francisco Plancarte, Director, Planetafilia (MEXICO)
Patricio Uribe Canuto, Attorney at Law (MEXICO/USA)
Bonnie Wright, Executive Producer, Henceforth Records (USA)

Next residency dates: June 7-24, 2012
Application due: November 1st, 2011
Acceptance notification: November 15, 2011
To apply : http://www.guapamacataro.org/apply

Contact:  Alicia Marván, Director
Email : info@guapamacataro.org
Web : http://www.guapamacataro.org