SCHOLARSHIPS NOW! Artists, Art Historians, & Writers - Arquetopia Puebla or Oaxaca, Southern Mexico

NOW! Summer Scholarships of 30% and 20%! CREATE contemporary art, RESEARCH art history, or WRITE in either of Arquetopia’s premier spaces in magnificent Puebla and Oaxaca, Mexico.

ARQUETOPIA
Arquetopia is a nonprofit foundation run entirely by artists. Arquetopia’s programs promote development and social transformation through contemporary art with a non-traditional, culturally diverse and multidisciplinary approach. Arquetopia offers artist residency programs of the highest quality, making its staff available and creating a community among staff and resident artists, art historians, writers, and musicians. Arquetopia's resident artist backgrounds are diverse in all aspects. As part of Arquetopia’s mission is to promote diversity, artists from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Middle East are especially encouraged to apply.

PUEBLA
Puebla, known as the "City of Angels,” is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that lies 136 km (84 mi) from Mexico City and has approximately 5,000 colonial buildings. Puebla is famous for a deep cultural identity, delicious cuisine, Talavera ceramics, and traditions rooted in the 16th-century Baroque and enriched by a blend of pre-Hispanic, Arabic, Jewish, French and Spanish influences. Accessible via two international airports in Puebla (PBC) and Mexico City (MEX), Puebla lies east of the Popocatépetl and Iztaccíhuatl volcanoes, giving the residents a magnificent view of their snow-topped peaks. At an elevation of 2200 m (7200 ft), Puebla features a temperate subtropical highland climate, resulting in an average of only three days a year seeing temperatures rise above 29°C (84°F).

Lonely Planet, the world’s largest travel guide book and digital media publisher, recently announced that Puebla, Mexico has made its Readers’ Choice Top 10 “Best in Travel” list for 2012. After hundreds of nominations for cities and countries and regions, we are proud that Puebla was voted by experienced travelers to the Top 10, alongside such destinations as Barcelona, Reykjavik, Berlin, Istanbul and Bangkok.

A recent New York Times article named Puebla as #13 of the “45 Places to Go in 2012."

The San Francisco Chronicle recently named Puebla as one of the top five safest places in Mexico for travelers.

A large, unique three-story Mexican colonial-style house close to Puebla’s historic district and Zócalo accommodates Arquetopia’s office, residency space for up to seven artists, and production spaces.

OAXACA
Oaxaca is a beautiful colonial city nestled in a valley in the Sierra Madre mountain range of Southern Mexico. Oaxaca is located 450 km (280 miles) southeast of Mexico City and reachable via three international airports: Oaxaca (OAX), Puebla (PBC), and Mexico City (MEX). Oaxaca boasts magnificent colonial architecture, the most outstanding example being Santo Domingo church and its former convent, now home to an impressive museum. The unusually colorful city and its surrounding areas also feature a high concentration of native Zapotec and Mixtec cultures and archaeological sites. Oaxaca was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987 for its central Historic Monuments Zone and the archaeological site of Monte Alban. Getting around Oaxaca is easy and enjoyable; museums, studios, libraries and landmarks are all in walking distance. At an elevation of 1555 m (5100 ft), Oaxaca features a subtropical climate, resulting in mild-to-warm temperatures year-round.

Arquetopia Oaxaca is located right in the heart of the Historic Monuments Zone. Only two blocks from the popular Calle de Alcalá (a picturesque street known for its restaurants, museums, shops, and nightlife), our spectacular and newly renovated adobe casona, hosting up to ten artists at a time, is also two blocks from the extraordinary Santo Domingo church and museum.

ART PRODUCTION ARTIST RESIDENCY

ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE

The Art Production Residency offers important professional opportunities for emerging and mid-career national and international contemporary artists age 25 and over. Our programs are oriented to promote social consciousness, and artists are strongly encouraged to address social themes as part of their artistic goals for their residency project. As Arquetopia’s mission is to promote social transformation, understanding Mexico’s context, and specifically Puebla’s cultural complexity, is key for a successful cultural exchange. Since our approach is contemporary, we welcome artists from diverse disciplines (painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, installation, performance and time-based work, etc.) who are interested in creating work with elements, techniques or processes that are specific to Mexico and/or unique to Puebla or Oaxaca.

All proposals are welcome. Projects addressing social issues involving the community in the process of creating cutting-edge work with a nontraditional approach on traditional techniques will be given priority. Each residency is unique, based on the type of residency and the artist’s proposal. Residents are chosen on the basis of artistic merit and evaluation of the proposed project.

Some examples of techniques offered (but not limited to):

• Drawing

• Painting
• Paper (papel amate)

• Photography

• Natural pigments (grana cochinilla and other pigments)
• Paper (papel amate)
• Graphic design
• Textiles (telar de cintura, embroidery, weaving, etc.)
• Jewelry
• Sculpture
• Ceramics (Talavera, loza vidriada, barro bruñido, barro negro de Oaxaca, etc.)
• Wood carving
• Alebrijes
• Ephemeral (including food and other perishable materials)
• Digital media
• Design

ART HISTORY & VISUAL CULTURE RESIDENCY

ART HISTORIAN-IN-RESIDENCE

The Art History and Visual Culture Residency offers important professional opportunities for art historians and curators as well as art history, visual culture and cultural studies graduate students 25 years of age and over. As part of Arquetopia’s mission we promote international experiences in the field of culture by facilitating research addressing Mexico’s rich and diverse, cultural and artistic heritage. 

We acknowledge the role of serious academic study in enriching the foundation for all interpretations of art; therefore we encourage our historians-in-residence to make a scholarly commitment to the investigation of identity in art and visual culture examining race, gender, sexuality, and class through visual expression.

Arquetopia’s programs are distinguished for its commitment to international diversity in the approach to art history subjects.  We are aware that understanding Mexico’s cultural context and complexity is key for a successful experience and cultural exchange; thus Arquetopia’s residency opportunities revolve around researching, learning and creating by addressing subjects that are specific and/or relevant to Mexico. 

Each residency is a unique research experience with access to archives, libraries, and experts in which art historians pursue their own projects free from academic obligations, make use of diverse collections, and participate in the intellectual life of the city. We welcome students and professionals from diverse backgrounds using different methodologies including but not limited to: formalism, social and cultural history, semiotics, and psychoanalysis, interested in immersing themselves in the research of Mexican culture and spending time in the magnificent and historic Spanish colonial cities of Puebla and Oaxaca.

WRITERS RESIDENCY

WRITER-IN-RESIDENCE

The Writers Residency offers important professional opportunities for writers, journalists, playwrights and translators 25 years of age and over. As part of Arquetopia’s mission we promote international experiences in the field of culture by promoting Mexico’s rich and diverse artistic heritage. We are aware that understanding Mexico’s cultural context and complexity is key for a successful cultural exchange; therefore we offer a flexible program that provides the necessary social and cultural research and aesthetic resources to connect the writer’s project with the context of Puebla and Oaxaca.  All proposals are welcome and considering all of our programs are oriented to promote social consciousness, writers addressing social themes as part of their residency goals will be given priority.

As our approach is contemporary, we welcome writers from diverse genres: poetry, prose, drama, screen and playwriting, children’s literature, journalism including travel writing, blogging, magazine articles, editorials, as well as translators and editors who are interested in creating work while experiencing specific cultural expressions from Mexico and/or unique to Puebla.

Arquetopia is committed to establish dialogue with the community and all writers-in-residence are encouraged to get involved with the local Mexican literary and cultural life by participating in one of the following public components:

• Formal reading event

• Publishing an excerpt or article in a local newspaper, magazine or blog

• Leading a writers’ workshop

ALL-INCLUDED IN OUR RESIDENCIES

Comfortable Accommodation and Meals:
Residents enjoy spacious, comfortably furnished bedrooms at Arquetopia and Arquetopia Oaxaca (rooms feature main level or loft accommodation) with use of both well-equipped residency spaces including wireless Internet, lounge with TV/DVD, kitchen, dining room, covered outdoor patio and terrace space, and private bathrooms with modern fixtures, showers, and a hydro-massage tub. Housekeeping, laundry services, and most meals are also included. Artists may opt to stay in only one of the two residency locations for the entire residency if they prefer.
Studio and Materials:
Bright and roomy art studio is provided with personal work space, large tables, access to special facilities, tools, materials and supplies. In cases where a specific technique, space and/or materials are not available for a proposed project, our foundation will work with the artist and community on alternatives that will suit the work. Access to special facilities is also provided depending on the chosen technique.

RESIDENCY TIME PERIOD/TERM OFFERED

Final dates are determined by Arquetopia’s staff.
RESIDENCIES BEGINNING IN AUGUST – 30% SUMMER SCHOLARSHIP:

The Art Production Artist Residency term is for 3 to 16 weeks and must begin during August 2012.

The Art History and Visual Culture Residency term is for 1 to 8 weeks and must begin during August 2012.

The Writers Residency term is for 1 to 8 weeks and must begin during August 2012.

RESIDENCIES BEGINNING IN SEPTEMBER – 20% SUMMER SCHOLARSHIP:

The Art Production Artist Residency term is for 3 to 16 weeks and must begin during September 2012.

The Art History Residency term is for 1 to 8 weeks and must begin during September 2012.

The Writers Residency term is for 1 to 8 weeks and must begin during September 2012.

RESIDENCY FEE

For all 2012 Summer Scholarship Residencies, total residency fee payment is due and payable immediately upon selection notification to reserve residency space.

30% SUMMER SCHOLARSHIP APPLIED:

Art Production Residencies:  USD $347/week Puebla; USD $417/week Oaxaca. 

Art History and Visual Culture Residency:  USD $300/week Puebla; USD $370/week Oaxaca.
Writers Residency:  USD $300/week Puebla; USD $370/week Oaxaca.

20% SUMMER SCHOLARSHIP APPLIED:

Art Production Residencies:  USD $396/week Puebla; USD $476/week Oaxaca. 

Art History and Visual Culture Residency:  USD $343/week Puebla; USD $423/week Oaxaca.
Writers Residency:  USD $343/week Puebla; USD $423/week Oaxaca.

RESIDENCY APPLICATION

Application Deadline SUNDAY, AUGUST 19, 2012.

Applications for these special residencies are processed immediately on a first-come/first-served basis to allow for travel arrangements.

E-mail info@arquetopia.org to request application or more information.

Arquetopia on the Web:  www.arquetopia.org

Arquetopia on Facebook:  www.facebook.com/Arquetopia

Arquetopia Oaxaca on Facebook:  www.facebook.com/ArquetopiaOaxaca

Arquetopia Blog:  www.arquetopia.com

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