OVERVIEW OF RESIDENCY

The Social Practice And Community Engagement Artist in Residency program (SPACE AIR) at Franklin and Marshall College is seeking emerging and mid-career artists with demonstrated experience or commitment to social practice and/or community based projects in the Lancaster County region. The residency is a program of the Center for Sustained Engagement with Lancaster (CSEwL).

Prospective residents must be from or currently living, working or studying in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. 

Experienced artists for the purposes of this residency are defined as individuals with a regional or national exhibition record, public speaking experience, and an openness to collaboration (prior collaborative experience helpful).  

This residency is designed for artists who would benefit from engaging community members at Franklin and Marshall College, Lancaster County, and City residents within their communities.

This residency is also designed to be a mutual benefit to the Department of Art and Art History, Film and Media Studies at Franklin and Marshall College, the Phillips Museum of Art,  and the Artist in Residence (AIR). Meaning, students, faculty, and staff involved will benefit from having an artist cultivate the movement toward more community based art practice. Additionally, exposure to working artists is imperative to the growth and development of students in arts programs. This residency will provide opportunities for convergence and idea sharing between participating artists, students, faculty, and staff.

SO WHAT IS SOCIAL PRACTICE? 

Social Practice and Community Based  Art are two distinct but intersecting methods of working in and with a community (broadly defined as geographic and diasporic). Rooted in empathetic collaboration, civic engagement, and critical discourse, both practices use art making as a vehicle for collaboration, communication, and problem solving.  

Simply put: Social Practice Art involves an artist working in the context of social issues or toward social impact. Often social practice art involves working in a community but may not be restricted by a geographic communities boundaries. Community Based Art is understood as artists working collaboratively with and  in a specific community, often geographically bound, on creative and/or artistic projects that address a community-specific social issue. 

In both cases, an artist is working with and in a community and requires an artist who is open to collaboration, aware of their own biases, and willing to navigate challenging environments and tension (within reason) to gain the trust of their community partners. Successful Social Practice projects are non-hierarchical; address/critique systems, not people; and share the mic and amplify the voices of community members.

SPACE RESIDENT COMMITMENTS: 

The 25-week (6 month) residency provides the SPACE AIR with scheduled programming on campus, including five Labs throughout the duration of their tenure. Labs are led by interdepartmental faculty and staff at Franklin and Marshall College as well as local experts. Lab will take place within the first month of residence. These labs will provide the AIR with a toolbox that will help them conduct a minimum of three community-based engagements open to the public. Labs include, but are not limited to:

• Trauma-Informed Practice
• Cultural norms
• Cultural Competency and Bias
• Effective communication with communities of varying reading/language levels
• Guided Art Making for Non-Artists

The SPACE residency will close with an exhibition in the Winter Center for Visual Arts galleries upon approval of the AIRs exhibition proposal. The exhibition provides an opportunity for the AIR to present the cumulation of their work created in the Lancaster community or as a result of their community-based engagements. 

In addition to the three community-based engagements and five SPACE Labs, SPACE residents will participate in: 

• One-day orientation on campus including an informal meeting with Phillips Museum staff, Studio Faculty, and the SPACE selection committee
• Open Studio (for the greater Lancaster Community) at least once a month during their tenure 
• Office Hours (for F&M Students, Faculty and Staff) 
• Teaching Assistance and/or Lab Assistance as agreed upon with current Department of Art and Art History Faculty and Staff
• Regular check-in and planning meetings with SPACE leadership
• Artist Talk after exhibit opens (during opening reception)
• Guest instruction as agreed upon with current Department of Art and Art History Faculty and Staff
• Attendance at relevant community events/meetings 

SPACE PERKS!

SPACE AIRs receives: 

• 24/7 access to a private studio space 
• Access to Darkroom, Printmaking Lab, Digital Lab, Sculpture Studio, Painting Studio, Drawing Studio, and other amenities in the Winter Center for Visual Arts in agreement with the principal stakeholders of the Center (Art and Art History, Film and Media in concert with the Provost Office and the Phillips Museum of Art) and Professional Staff (Photography and Film Technicians and Wood Shop Supervisors).
• Access to all Franklin and Marshall College libraries during SPACE tenure
• Access to the Phillips Museum of Art archives and collection in agreement with Phillips Museum of Art Staff
• Emotional/Trauma informed support via on campus health services*
• Final exhibition in the Winter Center in collaboration with the Phillips Museum of Art.
• A stipend of $20,000 (includes supplies and travel)

*Chosen artists may use this option in addition to the general support provided by the residency coordinator. This is not mandatory but is a hugely beneficial service for community based artists.

Application Requirements

Eligibility Criteria