Using photography as a bridge to building relationships, the Cummings Artist In Residence program creates a series of community portraits opening up the pathways to multicultural understanding and acceptance. The museum and its partners are creating a visual literacy program centered around imagery, using photography as their primary tool, working with professional artists to talk about their communities, cultures and new and shared origin stories.

Eligibility Criteria

The residency is open to established photographers and creative artists who have produced individual works of photography, moving image or video, site specific installation works and/or are in the process of producing bodies of work. 2023 Cummings Resident Ville Kansanen produced a body of work that incorporated the museum exterior and interior. To see his exhibition for reference, link is here. 2024 Resident Rodrigo Valenzuela's exhibition included banners on the exterior of the museum. See his exhibition here. 

We are looking for candidates who are serious about photography and creative art. Primarily established artists who are looking to create a unique experience and vision in collaboration with the museum and town of Winchester. This residency will be a collaborative effort, with your creativity as an artist as an introduction to ideas, techniques and stories engaging Winchester to explore communities and cultures outside the city lines. 

There is no age limit. There are no residency requirements. There is no application fee.

Photographers without gallery representation who have not exhibited solo in a commercial gallery, academic gallery, galleries in organizations like the Griffin Museum, Houston Center for Photography, Center for Fine Art Photography etc. or a museum setting or have not received significant grant funding are eligible (coffee shop, community gallery, library, academic thesis exhibitions, etc. are eligible exhibition settings). 

Past awardees of the Cummings Residency Program, paid employees of the Griffin Museum or their immediate families, Griffin Museum board members and jurors’ immediate families and those immediate families of Griffin board members or jurors’ paid employees are not eligible.

This residency is for well-established photographers. Well-established photographers are individuals in mid-photography-careers and are seen by the public and peers as distinguished in the field of photography and have many accomplishments as a photographer.  Guggenheim, Fulbright Scholarship and other scholarships do not disqualify a candidate from receiving this residency. Professionally produced artist books would not disqualify a candidate from qualifying to this residency. Self publishing does not disqualify a candidate.

Submissions

Submissions may be made directly to Café. You will be asked for the following materials -

• An artist statement Biography and CV
• A Project Statement
• An Estimated Budget
• Images and supporting visual materials

Artist Statement, Biography and CV

Include a brief biography and artistic cv (a single PDF that includes both bio and cv. In the PDF title include Cummings and last name and first name.)

Project Statement - 

Your project statement should include the scope of the finished project, along with your intention of how this project will integrate the Winchester community through participation in the project (classes, lectures, assistance in creating the final works, etc) 

Estimated Budget - 

Please include an estimate of costs, including travel and housing, supplies and materials costs for the final exhibition. Financial considerations do not play a part in our evaluations, they are not seen by the jurors, and are only used by GMP to review. 

Images and Supporting Materials

Please submit your images and/ or video in the order you wish them to appear. numbering from 1-10 will be helpful to the juror so they can see your intention with the works. Please submit a link for Videos.

General Information - 

Cafe is the only submission portal for this opportunity. No other means of submission will be accepted. All missing criteria will disqualify the submission. Emails will not be accepted as a method of submissions. 

It is recommended that you prepare all the elements of the application in advance. Do not start the application if you do not have time to finish it. Wait until you have time to complete the application in one session.

Scholarship Dates and Deadlines
Sunday September 15, 2024: Application period opens. 
Thursday October 31, 2024: Application period closes at 11:59 PM Mountain Time. 

Resident Artist announcement: Mid December 2024.

About our juror, Alanna Airitam

Alanna Airitam is a photographer whose work transcends traditional boundaries, incorporating elements of other materials such as metal, resin, varnish, and gold leaf into her captivating compositions. With a focus on lighting, staging, and processes referencing particular eras in art history, her portraits and still lifes often takes on a painterly quality that invites viewers to explore hidden histories and stories that have led to a lack of fair and honest representation of Black Americans.

Driven by a relentless pursuit of truth, Airitam delves into the complexities of storytelling and the subjective and indefinite nature of truth. Through the lens of photography, she seeks to unravel the secrets of the past, drawing upon the belief that a photograph is proof of existence, the closest thing to an irrefutable truth. Her work challenges preconceived notions through the incorporation of both digital and film processes, as well as the manipulation and construction of images, offering a fresh perspective on the nature of truth itself.

Influenced by the power and beauty of Black people, the strength and creativity of women, and the dream of a world where individuals are free to shape their own lives without interference, Airitam finds inspiration in the syncopation of jazz and the transportive nature of music, the art of storytelling, and the endless possibility of the human spirit. Her work also draws from the colors, lighting, and scale of 17th-century Renaissance paintings, as well as the legacy of Black studio photographers from the 19th century.

With a three-tiered approach to their audience, Airitam creates art first and foremost for herself, seeking personal fulfillment and self-expression. She also aims to connect with other People of Color, particularly Black women, sharing stories of resilience, creativity, and the contributions of Black people to American culture. Lastly, she strives to engage with a broader audience, encouraging them to see the positive potential for human existence, to recognize beauty, and to embrace love.

Airitam’s work has garnered recognition and acclaim, with exhibitions at esteemed institutions such as the Center for Creative Photography, the New Orleans Museum of Art, and the Rhode Island School of Design Museum. She has also showcased her art at prominent art fairs, while her work has been collected by institutions and individuals and displayed in galleries across the United States.

Believing in the transformative power of art, Airitam seeks to inspire individuals to reflect upon their own stories and the impact they have on others. She reminds us that we are all creators, shaping narratives through our experiences and dreams. From her early beginnings as a young girl seeking refuge and control in the world of art, Airitam continues to create work that invites viewers to escape, to question, and to reimagine the possibilities of our shared human existence.

Airitam believes in giving back to the community through her service as Co-founder of the Southwest Black Artists Network, Oakwood Arts Board Member, and Board Member for Medium Photo. Born in Queens, New York, Airitam now works and resides in Tucson, Arizona.

About our Juror, Rodrigo Valenzuela

The Juror Rodrigo Valenzuela (b.Santiago, Chile 1982) lives and works in Los Angeles, CA, where he is the Associate Professor and Head of the Photography Department at UCLA. Valenzuela has been awarded the 2021 Guggenheim Fellowship in Photography and Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship; Joan Mitchell award for painters and sculptors; Art Matters Foundation grant; and Artist trust Innovators Award. Recent solo exhibitions include: New Museum, NY; Lisa Kandlhofer Galerie, Vienna, AU; Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art, Eugene; Orange County Museum; Portland Art Museum; Frye Art Museum, Seattle. Recent residencies include: Core Fellowship at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture; MacDowell Colony; Bemis Center for contemporary arts; Lightwork; and the Center for Photography at Woodstock.

The Griffin Museum was thrilled to have Rodrigo Valenzuela as our first Cummings Fellow. We are grateful to the Cummings Foundation for their support of the arts and the Griffin Museum.

For any additonal questions regarding the residency or its requirements, plase contact the museum. No phone calls. Email us at photos@griffinmuseum.org

Application Requirements

See Application Requirements above

Eligibility Criteria

See Eligibility Criteria above