The San Juan Bay Estuary Program (Estuary) is launching for the second year the Resident Artists Program in the areas of water conservation, sustainability, economic and cultural empowerment, and access to healthcare in the metropolitan region of Puerto Rico. The Estuary recognizes the need to find creative ways to further engage its citizens in the process of developing a resilient watershed. Art is a type of social capital that allows us to reach the diverse population living within the San Juan Bay estuary system and its watershed (Wong and Brown, 2009). Furthermore, experiential learning enhances decision-making capacity and has been directly linked to environmental conservation. Therefore, we believe that art is a fundamental strategy for acquiring this knowledge and will integrate it into our engagement efforts.
The Estuary is looking two projects by resident artists For a period of three (3) months each, artists will immerse themselves in a particular community to develop a theme aligned with the community's interests and needs. Through creative expression, the resident artists are expected to foster community awareness (partnerships) on issues of interest to the community through specific projects related to sustainability and resilience. We are seeking projects from all creative disciplines, especially music, movement, dance, and culinary arts.
The Estuary is seeking projects focused on the conservation of the estuary watershed, raising awareness, and fostering citizen participation. The resident artists will work specifically with the Estuary's community resilience coordinators, who serve as the Estuary's point of contact in each community. These coordinators are located in the municipalities of Loíza, San Juan, and Cataño.
The Artist-in-Residence Program
The Estuary Artists-in-Residence Program invites artists to submit proposals for creative projects that will be reviewed by an advisory board formed by the San Juan Bay Estuary Program. This program accepts the use of visual arts, culinary arts, theater, music, digital media, stories and other facilitation techniques to inspire citizens who live in and visit the metropolitan region.
Initially, the Artist-in-Residence should collaborate directly with the San Juan Bay Estuary Program and the selected region. These regions are: Cataño, the Cantera Community (San Juan), and the Estuary watershed.
In the short term, this Program will achieve the following: (1) immediately revitalize the creative sector through direct interaction with the community, artists, and creative entities; (2) stimulate the exchange of perspectives on issues relevant to water conservation; (3) generate creative ideas and projects for the San Juan Bay estuary system and its community.
In the long term, this program will have increased the level of understanding about what an estuary is; water conservation will be more prominent in the metropolitan area; and our citizens will feel empowered with the right tools to support water quality restoration. We hope to raise awareness of the water quality issues they currently face, as well as provide potential solutions to these problems.
Duration and cost
The Estuary's Resident Artist Program will take place over the course of a year, generating a minimum of two artists in residence, one per quarter, starting in March 2020. The Estuary's objective is to be able to exhibit the artists in residency productions in at least one location in Puerto Rico and potentially abroad.
Each artist-in-residence will work for three months and will be divided into one of two quarters. The two quarters are: March 1 to May 31, 2020 y June 1 to August 30, 2020.
The contract per period for each resident artist project is $5,000.
Selection criteria
An advisory board formed by the Estuary will review the proposals and select six (6) pending proposals for an interview. A round of interviews will be held on January 21, 2020, to select the first cohort of two resident artists.
The selection panel will use the following criteria to select proposals:
- Complete application including all required materials
- Artistic merit
- Leadership skills and experience in group management.
- The proposal should include ideas that foster a collaborative environment within the communities where the project is being developed.
- Name and contact information of the creative institution or community organization through which the applicant will be working
- Letter of interest from the creative institution or community organization to participate in the project
- Level of integration with the selected community that will result from your residence and proposed project
- General knowledge of the San Juan Bay Estuary System; bodies of water, communities, problems.
Eligibility:
- The applicant must be available to interact regularly with the chosen project for a period of three months and provide their own independent housing.
- The applicant must be an artist in any of the following disciplines: visual, audiovisual, musical, or culinary arts. They must also be over eighteen years of age, legally eligible to work, and reside in the United States.
- The applicant must have knowledge of and close ties to the metropolitan region of Puerto Rico.
- The applicant must have experience in community development and be able to moderate group discussions, document projects, and contribute to the development of new tools and strategies through reports, blog posts, photographs, and recordings.
Request for materials and requirements:
Up to two (2) proposals per artist will be accepted for consideration. Proposals must be submitted by mail or delivered in person and must include the following:
1. A complete copy of the application form (included at the end of the Request for Proposals)
2. Copy of the applicant's resume (maximum two pages).
3. A cover letter that briefly outlines how the proposed project will be carried out. (maximum one page, single-spaced, 12-point font)
4. A letter of interest from the community-based organization chosen by the applicant to carry out the project.
5. A description of the project that explains the pieces or artistic/musical/culinary work that will be created, the methods that will be used to create integration and public awareness, the methods that will be used to fulfill the project, the place and the entity or institution in which you intend to work.
6. Scores and/or performance recordings, previous visual projects and/or culinary work. Please submit three to five (3-5) high-resolution images of previous projects.
7. Visuals that can explain the proposed project in more detail. These can be hand-drawn images, digital images, or photomontages.
Selection process
• November 1, 2019: Announcement of the Request for Proposals.
• January 15, 2020: Last day to submit proposals and materials (no exceptions)
• January 16-25, 2020: Review of proposals and selection of artists.
• January 20-25, 2020: Interviews with selected artists (to be conducted by the selection committee)
• February 1, 2020: Announcement of selected artists in residence.
Information Meetings
The information sessions will be the only opportunity for Resident Artists to discuss and clarify any questions they may have directly with Program staff.
Information sessions will be held during the proposal submission period. The following are the dates for the information sessions:
November 20, 2019 at 6 PM at the Estuary Visitor Center #265 San Francisco Street, Old San Juan.
November 27, 2019 at 6 PM at the Old Goyco School (La Goyco Workshop), at (1763 Loíza Street, San Juan, 00911)
December 4, 2019 at 6 PM at the Caimito Cultural Center, on (PR-842, San Juan, 00926)
December 18, 2019 at 6 PM in Puente Blanco, in Cataño (Calle F, Puente Blanco Community, Cataño, 00962)
