Art Metropole

10 Nov. - 16 Dec. 2018

Call for Applications: The Islands Arts Writing Residency

Call for Applications: The Islands Arts Writing Residency

Application deadline: December 16, 2018
Residency period: July 2 to August 12, 2019

Art Metropole and Fogo Island Arts are seeking applications for The Islands, a two-part residency that aims to encourage arts writing and criticism in contemporary art. Open to Canadian and international applicants, The Islands will take place on Fogo Island and at Artscape Gibraltar Point on Toronto Island, Canada, from July 2 to August 12, 2019.

The Islands invites emerging and established arts writers and artists with a writing practice to propose a project to be executed across two unique locations. The successful candidate will spend a month on Fogo Island as part of Fogo Island Arts’ program, followed by two weeks on Toronto Island at Artscape Gibraltar Point. The project will culminate in a small publication funded, published, and distributed by Art Metropole.

The Islands is a residency partnership conceived and organized by Art Metropole and Fogo Island Arts, with support from Artscape. This is the fourth iteration of The Islands, following a spring 2017 residency with curator, writer and publisher Joseph del Pesco, a fall 2017 residency with visual artist Merve Ünsal, and summer-fall 2018 residency with visual artist and writer Marion Coutts.

Application Criteria

Arts writing practices may range in structure, content, and medium, addressing various forms and disciplines that may include poetry, art criticism, and experimental writing, and periodical production (journals, art books, magazines).

Applications should directly consider the role of writing and criticism in contemporary art, and take into consideration the unique circumstances of the residencies.

To be eligible for consideration, candidates must:

• Have published a minimum of two arts writing texts or critical essays on contemporary art

• Hold a valid driver’s license, and be responsible for acquiring the necessary visa if coming from a foreign country

The successful candidate will be required to give a public presentation on Fogo Island and at Artscape Gibraltar Point, and to present their work at Art Metropole, Toronto.

How to apply

Applications are online only and should include the following:

• Project proposal (approx. 600 words)

• Short biography and artist statement (approx. 200 words)

• Detailed Curriculum Vitae (3 pages maximum)

• If applicable, 5 images (maximum) in JPEG format, with relevant caption information

• 1 letter of recommendation from a professional in your field

• 3 samples of your published work (approx. 750 words)

To apply, please send all requested materials to board@artmetropole.com with the subject line “The Islands Residency” by December 16, 2018.

Accommodation, Travel and Workspace

The successful candidate will be provided with private accommodation and studio space on both Fogo and Toronto islands, as well as a weekly stipend to offset the costs of materials and day-to-day living expenses. Travel expenses are also covered.

Applicants should keep in mind that this residency takes place in two locations and requires significant travel.

Fogo Island is a remote island with limited amenities. A vehicle will be provided for on-island use for the duration of the residency.

Toronto Island is North America’s largest urban car-free community—an island oasis just a 10-minute ferry ride from downtown Toronto. A bicycle will be provided as well as ferry tickets for four return trips and shuttle pick-up and drop-off island side to transport the recipient to and from the ferry docks and Artscape Gibraltar Point.

Selection Process

The successful candidate will be selected by a jury which includes writer and editor Yaniya Lee; Alexandra McIntosh, Director of Programs and Exhibitions, Fogo Island Arts; artist Jacqueline Hoàng Nguyễn; Nicolaus Schafhausen, Director, Kunsthalle Wien and Strategic Director, Fogo Island Arts; Jayne Wilkinson, Board of Directors, Art Metropole and Managing Editor, Canadian Art.

Yaniya Lee is a Toronto-based writer and editor whose interdisciplinary research questions critical-reading practices and the ethics of aesthetics, particularly by reconsidering Canadian art histories. Her writing has appeared in Flash, FADER, Canadian Art, C Magazine, Vice and Magenta and in 2017-2018 she was writer-in-residence at Gallery 44. She is a founding collective member of MICE Magazine and was previously a member of the editorial advisory committees for FUSE Magazine and C Magazine. She currently works as associate editor at Canadian Art magazine and teaches art criticism at the University of Toronto.

Jacqueline Hoàng Nguyễn is an artist using archives and a broad range of media to investigate issues of historicity, collectivity, utopian politics and multiculturalism via feminist theories. Nguyễn completed the Whitney Independent Study Program, New York, in 2011, having obtained her MFA and a post-graduate diploma in Critical Studies from the Malmö Art Academy, Sweden, in 2005, and a BFA from Concordia University, Montreal, in 2003. Born in Côte-des-Neiges, she is currently based in Stockholm.

About Art Metropole
Art Metropole is a not-for-profit organization with a focus on the production, dissemination and contextualization of artist-initiated publication in any media, especially those formats and practices predisposed to sharing and circulation. Art Metropole was founded in Toronto in 1974 by the artists’ group General Idea. Art Metropole is incorporated under the laws of the province of Ontario and a registered charitable organization.

About Fogo Island Arts
Fogo Island Arts is a residency-based contemporary art venue that supports research and production of new work for artists, filmmakers, writers, musicians, curators, designers and thinkers from around the world. Since 2008, FIA has brought some of the most exciting, emerging and renowned artists of today to Fogo Island, Newfoundland, Canada to take part in residencies and to present solo exhibitions at the Fogo Island Gallery. FIA also presents programs in cities across Canada and abroad, including the Fogo Island Dialogues interdisciplinary conversation series, as part of its international outreach. Combining contemporary art, iconic architecture and social innovation in a singular setting, FIA is a world-class institution that is uniquely rooted in community. FIA is an initiative of Shorefast, a registered Canadian charity with the mission to build economic and cultural resilience on Fogo Island.

About Artscape
Artscape is a not-for-profit urban development organization that makes space for creativity and transforms communities. Artscape Gibraltar Point is a secluded artist retreat nestled against the magnificent natural backdrop of Toronto Island, the largest urban car-free community in North America just a 10-minute ferry ride from downtown Toronto. Gibraltar Point hosts programmed artist residencies and provides studio rentals year-round and offers the opportunity to engage with the vibrant arts and events of the larger Artscape community.

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