World of Co Artist Residency (WoC) is the first all-year round international artist residency program in Bulgaria. The initiative started in 2017 with the mission to create space for artistic exploration and to introduce international artists to the cultural life of Sofia. So far they welcomed more than 200 artists from all around the world, working in art, film, literature, fashion and other creative disciplines.

By the beginning of the pandemic, WoC has started offering an online residency program in order to help the international artist community to stay connected and be creative.

As a collaborative program, it is designed to give a chance to communicate across the globe on a regular basis, to link people from different corners of the planet and to work with them in surprising ways. The program builds a strong sense of community and artistic collaboration among its participants which lasts after the program ends.

The program includes
•   Regular meetings and activities throughout the month. Approximately three sessions per week.
•   Weekly live group meetings with fellow artists, focused on your work - discussion and exchange, moderated by WOC team
•   Group critique helping you to conceptualize your art projects hosted by professional artist
•   Workshops and seminars to change your perspective and enhance your knowledge
•   Building an effective online presence as an artist. Individual advices on your social media channels and website moderated by the WOC web and graphic designer
•   Internal meetups and discussions with previous WOC artists
•   Social media PR campaigns for each artist, on channels such as Facebook and Instagram
•   Exhibit your project in our online gallery at the end of the residency program
•   Presenting you on World of Co website and blog
•   Become part of our international artist network, consisted of more than 200 artists across the globe
•   Receive an official certificate of participation

Every residency program starts on the 5th day of the month and finishes on the 30th. All of the activities are held in the conference software Zoom. Before the beginning of the program, the World of Co team will send the participants the monthly schedule with all of the activities and Zoom links. Every schedule is created considering the different time zones of the participants, in other the timing to be suitable for everybody.

It is expected from participating artists to have

•   Participatory and respective attitude towards all participants and the WOC team
•   Willingness to learn, to experiment and to show incomplete or drafts in sessions
•   Attend residency sessions or inform us if you are not able
•   Time and space for reflection
•   Good internet connection

The one-month program will take place from September 2021 to May 2022.
The two-month program will have four sessions starting from September 2021 to April 2022.