Call for applications: Residence Researcher/Artist

Art Explora and the Cité internationale des arts are going into partnership to co-construct a unique program conceived for French and international artists and researchers.

Art Explora is a foundation which deeply believes in the power of culture to create dialogues and to reinforce social cohesion. The foundation is thus committed to bridging cultural gaps in all the projects it undertakes by promoting access to the arts and culture for as many people as possible. In order to carry out this mission of general interest, the foundation is promoting several projects: creating a digital platform for the discovery of the arts and art history that will appeal to the widest possible audience; setting up in a historical exhibition site with a magnificent park where the links between art, science and nature will be highlighted; promoting itinerant devices such as the Mumo, a mobile museum in collaboration with the Centre Pompidou, or the boat ArtExplorer designed as a floating museum, to meet people from all continents of the globe.

Since its creation in 1965, the Cité internationale des arts has welcomed artists in residence from all over the world. It is a living space open to dialogue between cultures, where artists meet their audiences and professionals.

They offer two programs :

• SOLO program: only for artists. Residence of 6 months from March 2021 onwards. 2 sessions per year, each of which will welcome 6 artists (12 artists welcomed each year): March-August and September-February.
• DUO program: for a collaboration between a researcher and an artist. Residency of 3 months starting in March 2021. 4 sessions per year, each of which will host a duo artist – researcher (4 artists and 4 researchers welcomed each year : March-May, June-August, September-November and December-February.

Both programs are open to artists and researchers of all nationalities, with no age limit and who can justify a minimum of five years of professional activity. Eligible artistic disciplines: visual arts, performing arts, digital art. Eligible areas of research: humanities, social sciences, sciences, technological innovation & sustainable development, art criticism & exhibition curating. Artists and researchers will have to present a project that questions the art/science links and on the theme of scientific exploration, technological exploration and exploration of the world (including the promotion of more emerging local art scenes). 20 residents will be selected each year. In addition to evaluating the candidate’s professional background, the members of the jury pay particular attention to the quality of the project. The selection committee is made up of leading figures from the world of art and research and representatives of the Cité Internationale des Arts and the Art Explora Foundation.

Every resident will benefit from:

• A 6-month residency for artists in the SOLO program; a 3-month residency for artists and researchers in the DUO program
• A housing workshop of about 50m2 , fully equipped and furnished
• A grant of 1,000 euros per month
• A production grant of up to 3,000 euros, delivered only upon supporting document and according to the specifics of the project.
• Assistance to the implementation of the project
• A round trip paid for by the foundation

The residents agree to abide by the internal rules and regulations and respect the dates of residency decided by the selection jury. During his or her residency, the artist and/or researcher will be asked to participate in the life of the site: he or she will take part in meetings with the public (schools, associations), studio visits by art professionals, workshops, conferences or any other activity that enhances the value of his or her practice and allows it to be known to the greatest number of people. Restitution of the residency project will be considered in accordance with the project, the format and the artistic discipline.

The deadline for applying is 6 November 2020. Interested artists or researchers must submit a project on the online application in English or French (no other language accepted) that includes:

• A portfolio of past projects relevant to the proposed project: 20 pages max
• A detailed CV or biography: 2 pages max
• A description of the artistic project or research that will be developed during the residency (general description, stages of construction of the project, rendering): 5 pages max
• A motivation letter in written (2 pages max) or video form (5 minutes max) that describes the proposed project and the relevance of its proposal to the objectives of the residency programme Art Explora x Cité internationale des arts