The San Juan Bay Estuary Program (Estuary) is launching for the third 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 involve its citizens in the process of developing a resilient watershed.
Art is a form 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 knowledge enhances decision-making capacity and has been directly linked to environmental conservation. Therefore, we believe 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, in which the artists will delve into a particular community to develop a theme in line with the interests and needs of the communities. Understanding the uncertainty of the current global Covid-19 pandemic, we are looking for projects that can be carried out remotely, virtually, or in a hybrid format. The safety and health of everyone is of utmost importance to Estuario.
Through creative expression, resident artists are expected to foster community awareness (partnerships) on issues of community interest through specific projects related to sustainability and resilience. We are seeking projects from all creative disciplines, especially music, movement, dance, and culinary arts. We are looking for projects aimed at the conservation of the estuary basin, the development of awareness and citizen participation.
The Artist-in-Residence Program
The Estuary's Resident Artist Program invites artists to submit proposals for creative projects that will be reviewed. by an advisory council 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.
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 2021.
The goal of Estuary is to be able to showcase 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, 2021 y June 1 to August 30, 2021.
The contract period for each artist-in-residence 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 virtual interviews (via Zoom) will be conducted, and then the judging panel will select two projects.
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.
- Incorporation of the physical distancing guidelines suggested by the CDC and the Puerto Rico Department of Health.
Eligibility:
- The applicant must be available to interact regularly with the chosen project for a period of three months and provide their own housing independently.
- 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 via email to [email protected] and must include the following:
- A complete copy of the application form (included at the end of the Request for Proposals)
- Copy of the applicant's resume (maximum two pages).
- A cover letter that briefly outlines how the proposed project will be carried out. (maximum one page, single-spaced, 12-point font)
- A letter of interest from the community-based organization chosen by the applicant to carry out the project.
- 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.
- Scores and/or performance recordings, previous visual projects and/or culinary work. Include three to five (3-5) high-resolution images of previous projects.
- Visuals or sketches that can explain the proposed project in more detail. These can be hand-drawn images, digital images, photomontages, among others.
Selection process
- November 2, 2020: Announcement of the Request for Proposals.
- January 15, 2021: Last day to submit proposals and materials (no exceptions)
- January 18-22, 2021: Review and selection of proposals.
- January 25-29, 2020: Interviews with selected artists.
- February 1, 2021: Announcement of artists selected for the residency.
Information Meetings
The information sessions will be the unique Opportunity to discuss and clarify directly with the Program staff any questions that Resident Artists may have.
Informational meetings will be held during the proposal submission period. These meetings will be conducted via Zoom. Friday, November 20, Thursday, December 3, 2020 and Tuesday, January 12, 2021 at 6pm. These dates are subject to change; any changes will be announced on the Estuary's social media channels.
Please send your proposal in one of the following formats, .doc or .pdf, to:
Lara Medina Sepúlveda ([email protected]) together with the application materials on or before the Deadline for submission: January 15, 2021.
Register for one of the meetings HERE.
Download the application HERE.
