woodhaven artist in residence program

The FCCS Woodhaven Artist in Residence Program provides a paid residency opportunity for a diverse variety of visiting artists including writers, visual artists, digital media artists and performance artists. Artists stay between 2 – 4 weeks at our Woodhaven Eco Culture Centre in the summer months.

Residency Information

This residency includes accommodation in a large two-bedroom home located at the Woodhaven Eco Culture Centre as well as full use of a studio on the property.  The visiting artist/author/performer will be expected to spend time on their own art practice as well as part of their time on community engaged programming, and are invited to stay between 2 – 4 weeks, anytime between July 2 to August 15.

Duration

The program runs between July 1 and August 15. Artists are invited to stay between 2 – 4 weeks, the duration of the residency varies and all applicants must indicate their dates and length of stay.

*Note: International applicants are limited to 30 days including travel due to immigration rules.

Scope

Artists who are engaged in visual arts, creative writing, digital arts, performance, and community-based artistic practices are invited to apply. Space on site is limited, and minimal equipment is available at Woodhaven.

The Woodhaven Visiting Artist Residency is primarily designed to support site-specific artistic practice that engages with the space at Woodhaven (which includes forested areas and a creek), the Okanagan region more broadly, or local knowledge and expertise.

UBC Okanagan campus is home to the Bachelor of Sustainability and has faculty working in multiple areas of climate and sustainability focused research and creative practice. This residency is a vibrant part of UBC Okanagan’s commitment to building communities, both locally and globally, that are committed to creating and sharing knowledge and creative practices dedicated to the mindful preservation and just stewardship of our world’s natural environment.

Visiting Artists should be prepared to execute their project independently. UBC’s Okanagan Campus is a 30-minute drive away from Woodhaven and features resources that may be available, such as a staffed woodshop and metal shop (use of these spaces does require safety training and must be completed with one of our studio technicians). Bookings must be made in advance. Transportation will be the artist’s responsibility if use of these spaces is needed.

We particularly encourage applications from BIPOC artists and those from marginalized groups traditionally underrepresented in ecologically-focused creative practice.

Preference will be given to emerging and early-career artists and writers who have a demonstrated record of professional activity.

Each artist is expected to do at least one public outreach event in the form of a workshop or talk or demonstration that includes wider communities – from UBCO, and Kelowna, etc. We ask candidates to propose their own initiatives for community engagement in their letter of application. We will work with artists to help coordinate communications around such events or workshops to get a wider audience.