A Studio in the Woods (ASITW), an artists’ retreat in 7.6 acres of unspoiled
bottomland hardwood forest adjacent the Mississippi River, invites Visual
Artists, Composers and Writers to apply for it’s newest themed residency
program: River Residencies: The Art of the River, to create new work
inspired by and/or honoring the Mississippi River.
Artists may apply for their first and second choice of 4-week residency
dates either Oct. 27 - Nov. 24, 2004 or Mar. 23 - April 20, 2005.
Recipients will be given $2000 for stipend and materials.
The residencies will culminate in a public forum on April 21, 2005 presented
in conjunction with the Center for Bioenvironmental Research at Tulane and
Xavier Universities (www.cbr.tulane.edu). Both river residents will present
their new work and join a panel of environmental scientists in considering
the interrelationship of the culture and science of the river.
Deadline for submission: postmark Aug. 20, 2004, notification by Sept. 10.
Go to www.astudiointhewoods.org for downloadable River Residency guidelines
and application or call 504-392-5359.
Applicants may submit applications to both the River Residencies AND our
Fall/Winter Open Call.
Humans have always depended on rivers for fresh water as a necessity of life
as well as for the sustenance of plants and animals that are vital to human
existence. Rivers also have provided transportation, folklore, recreation
and culture for humans from earliest times to the present. The Mississippi
River holds a special place in the culture of people and history. Like the
Nile, the Mississippi harbors the stories of many people from diverse
countries, yet continues to be the literal lifeblood of a nation. The River
is a pulsating entity whose rhythm, power and stories inform a region. This
magnificent body of water has inspired authors, musicians, artists,
historians, and playwrights for over a century. Today, however, the
Mississippi River, like many others, is in need, challenged by pollution and
containment. We honor this endangered treasure and its inhabitants through
the establishment of a program of River Residencies. River Residencies
provide sustained quality work time in contact with the Mississippi; time in
which one can experience and study the river using it as a catalyst to
create art that contributes to our awareness of the river, its needs and its
gifts to all life.
A multidisciplinary jury will judge proposals on the following criteria:
1.The creative use of ASITW resources including its natural environment,
serenity and proximity to the river.
2. Evidence of rigorousness of thinking
3. Harmony of purpose with the ASITW mission to protect the bottomland
hardwood forest and to create within it a retreat where artists can draw
inspiration from the natural environment.
4. The creativeness and integrity of the proposal.
5. Breadth of inquiry crossing the arts and other disciplines such as
science and humanities.
6. Evidence of previous investigation of rivers and the environment.
Supported in part by a grant from the Louisiana State Arts Council through
the Louisiana Division of the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.
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