In partnership with Residency Unlimited, Voices of Multiplicity (VoM) is pleased to announce the 2024 Open Call for VoM III – An Environmental Justice Artist Residency Program.
Acts of environmental injustice, such as air, land, and water pollution, demand urgent grassroots and government intervention. Tackling these issues involves understanding the intersection of structural and systemic problems, local cultural histories, and current environmental insights. Artists and cultural workers are uniquely positioned to blend these diverse knowledge areas to visually foster activist movements within their local and international communities.
VoM III is dedicated to cultivating the growth of creatives who are traditionally underrepresented in the arts and is accepting applications from artists and culture workers who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and are passionate about addressing environmental justice in NYC neighborhoods.
The residency will take place from April 3 – October 31, 2024, in collaboration with RU Guest Curator Ayelet Danielle Aldouby.
Application Deadline: Friday, February 16, 2024, at 11:59 pm EST
Notifications: Friday, March 1, 2024
Residency Dates: April 3 – October 31, 2024
About VoM:
Voices of Multiplicity (VoM) was launched in 2021 as an annual residency program in support of creatives who lack access to art resources and experience barriers to entry into the art world. The program’s inaugural phase, VoM I, consisted of workshops centered on Restorative Justice, Wellness Justice, and Environmental Justice, engaging BIPOC artists in professional development alongside expert site visits and culminating with a panel at Columbia University’s art education program. The panel focused on The Ethics of Community Engagement and Creative Practice.
In collaboration with the Brooklyn Public Library’s Incubator program (BPL), VoM II teaching artists made a series of artistic interventions in underserved communities in Brooklyn neighborhoods. VoM II birthed the ARTmobile—a transformative mobile artist residency circulating in a van—featuring over twenty art engagements in 2023, including at Governors Island at the KODA/RU House. Local artists were mentored in Brooklyn’s Sunset Park and Red Hook neighborhoods while harnessing a research team to identify community priorities relating to local culture and community needs. This comprehensive initiative enriched the program’s understanding of neighborhood dynamics, fostering a vibrant artistic and community-centric learning atmosphere.
To learn about the 2022-23 VoM Artist Residency program and exhibition, click here: 2022 Report / 2023 Report.
VOM III will place a new focus on a transdisciplinary approach to environmental justice, aiming to unpack the historical structures of environmental justice in underserved neighborhoods while developing site-specific creative responses to community needs.
Criteria:
VoM III welcomes applications from:
– Creatives and culture workers who identify themselves as BIPOC and who are working across media
– Artists with a passion for environmental justice and neighborhood historical knowledge
– Artists who live in New York City’s five boroughs
Four artists will be selected from applications reviewed by a selection committee and RU Guest curator Ayelet Danielle Aldouby.
*Full-time matriculated students are not eligible
The 2024 VoM III Artist Residency will consist of:
– A $1500 stipend each
– $600 each for leading 4 Workshops facilitated by VoM III residents in local neighborhoods
– Weekly one-on-one visits with guest curators/critics/scientists/environmentalists both in person and online that align with residents’ artistic/curatorial interests. Visits will include meetings with the RU team and invited experts.
– Research focused workshops
– A culminating group exhibition curated by the VoM III residents
– Interaction with RU’s international artists, welcome meeting, a monthly salon led by Ayelet Danielle Aldouby, and field trips
– Collaborations with Brooklyn Public Library’ ARTmobile
To fill out the application form, provide the following materials:
– Contact information
– Artist Statement (1500 characters / 250 words)
– Statement of Interest (3000 characters / 500 words)
– Current CV (PDF format) – other creative formats will be accepted
– PDF portfolio (including up to 10 images of work including title, date, medium, dimensions, and a brief narrative description, max 7MB)
– If you are submitting samples of performance and/or time-based works, please include up to three links in the application
If you wish to apply and cannot provide the above, please email vom-res@residencyunlimited.org with questions.
