residency program
Our mission is two-fold: to offer artists the kind of professional support you deserve and to provide the public with interesting, accessible, inclusive, and professional art experiences, including performances, readings, exhibits, and workshops.
OUR PROGRAM The program is open to professional visual, literary, and performance artists: painters, writers, musicians, architects, filmmakers, and choreographers… any artist who needs a place to focus. However, because of the property’s limitations and proximity to neighbors, this is not a place that can accommodate loud or terribly messy processes, such as welding or blacksmithing.
We favor artists whose work is technically advanced, unique, attractive (need not be pretty!), and conceptually valuable. Work that is predominantly conceptual, that must be explained in order to attract a viewer, may not be met with as much enthusiasm by our jurists. In addition, because we ask our residents to interact with the public through one workshop and one final event, we welcome artists who desire to connect with an audience in these ways.
Additionally, each cycle, one of our five residencies includes outreach to local schools through our PARTNER Schools Program — another way we do our part to serve our community.
Maintaining residence at the home and studio (no studio-use only residencies). A focused use of the residency to achieve a stated goal with no other employment/work occurring simultaneously. No other employment during residence. Visual Artists will interact with the public at Surel’s Place for a show of and/or lecture about their residency work. Writers will offer a reading and discussion session of their residency work. All artists must offer at least one public workshop. (2-3 hours, minimal lecturing) Visual Artists must donate one piece of art to Surel’s Place for future fundraising efforts. Writers must allow Surel’s Place to publish a free-standing excerpt of their residency work in books, broadsides, posters, or other materials in keeping with our mission. The Surel’s Place commission on all sales emanating from your residency is 35% of the retail price. For ticketed events that are offsite or require contracted services, the commission is 45% and will be calculated after administrative expenses.
