Marpha Foundation

jessica@marphafoundation.org

Marpha Foundation’s Artist in Residence program offers a context for artists to pursue their practice in an environment dedicated to aesthetics, social justice, compassion, and education activism.

The residency is located in Marpha, a village in the Thak Khola valley, situated at 2,670 m between the Nilgiri and Dhaulagiri mountain ranges. Residents are lodged at local guest houses and take all meals at Marpha Foundation’s Rosehips Center. Private studios are located across the street in our Sunchance Garden House.

The Marpha Foundation residency is self-directed and studio focused. Artists are invited to give an artist talk during their first week of residence and host at least one open studio during their tenure. Foundation staff is available for logistical help with research and production needs. Please read our FAQ page for more information: http://marphafoundation.org/residency-faq/

Residency Programme since: 2013

Description of Organisation: Marpha Foundation is a Nepali Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) that engages children and their families in Mustang District, Nepal. Our core programs include a village kindergarten, community libraries, and extracurricular classes incorporating English language, the arts and ecology.

We work with communities from the Panchgaon villages of Lower Mustang in a spirit of learning and mutual respect. Rural farming villages are often overlooked or regarded as backward and underdeveloped. This judgment fails to see the cumulative knowledge and wisdom held in these communities. Life in Lower Mustang continually teaches us the importance of cooperative work, community, family support systems, food and water autonomy, stewardship of natural resources, and our role in consumption and waste generation.

We are participant-centered – we take a culturally responsive and emergent approach to all that we do, whether working with learners in the classroom, or collaborating on projects with community groups and visiting Fellows.

An emergent approach allows us to maintain a fluid framework for interactions and setting goals. This means that we can build upon new skillsets as they arise, and adapt to new situations, in order to chart a course that meets the needs and interests of current participants.

Organisation founded in: 2013

What type of organisation are you?:

Not-for-profit

Working Languages:

English
Nepali

Presentation of artists’ work: Arranged on a case-by-case basis

Duration of residency:

Months: 1 – 3

Number of studios: 2

Number of artists in residence at one time: 2

Studio type and size: Private studio

Accommodation type:

Private Room

Which disciplines does your residency cater to?:

Visual Art
Sculpture
Ceramics
Dance
Theatre
Performing Arts
Textile Art
Music
Literature

What practical facilities does your residency offer to artists?:

Kitchen
Internet
Meals

Is your residency wheelchair accessible?: No

Does your residency uphold partnerships beneficial to resident artists? : Can collaborate with local and visiting teachers at the Rosehips Center for Creative Learning

Application process: Digital application

Do you charge an application fee for your residency?: No

Do you charge a residency fee for your residency?: Yes

Do you provide the residents with any funds associated with the residency? (e.g. stipend, fellowship, production allowance): No

Expenses paid by the artist:

Travel
Supplies

Expenses paid by the organisation:

Food

Are artists expected to do one of the following during their residency stay?:

Public talk
Other

If other, please specify: Open Studio

Other activities happening at the space:

Gardening
Other

If other, please specify: Kindergarten, Baking

Selection process: By committee

Setting: Rural

Nearest Airport: Jomsom, Mustang

Street & Number: Marpha VDC, Ward N. 1

Postal Code: 33102

City: Mustang District

Country long: Nepal