Deadline, Saturday, January 31, 2015 no later than 11:59pm PST
221A is a non-profit artist-run centre that presents exhibitions, talks, publications and special projects that explore the role of design in the shaping of contemporary societies. 221A is seeking proposals from practicing artists, designers, architects, academics and/or curators, including curatorial collectives, for the 2015-16 Curatorial Residency Program. Started in 2010, the Curatorial Residencies program was implemented to diversify our curatorial approach. Residents take on the critical function of working both inside and outside of the organization, offering their experience and ideas towards the continued re-framing of 221A.
Residency
Up to five selected residents will conduct independent research and develop a curatorial project plan over the course of 2015, and execute a project during 2016. Curatorial residents are expected to develop a work plan that reflects their individual practice, while meeting presentation deliverables established by the organization.
Proposals must discuss a viewpoint, theory or approach that the project hopes to foster in relation to the organization’s mandate. Additionally, selected curatorial residents are expected to participate in the Curatorial Committee, meeting monthly, to offer feedback to other curatorial residents and the overall program. The committee offers a space for reflection on the wider program at 221A and a connection between curatorial residents, staff and community.
Projects & Infrastructure
Projects may include exhibitions, performances, publications, talks, reading groups and lecture series or non-typical initiatives (digital projects, non-profit retail, financial systems, architecture, etc.). We encourage projects to be critically organized in our local context and within the technical constraints of 221A’s existing exhibition room, outdoor site, communication infrastructure, web presence and publishing standards or to negotiate ad-hoc or temporary infrastructure to support projects that work beyond existing modes of cultural production.
Proposal Guidelines
Applicants must submit a digital proposal to hello@221a.ca with the following:
• a one-page project proposal, describing the curatorial argument and its relationship to the mandate of the organization;
• a current CV of each of the key contributors (maximum 2 pages each);
• related images/texts as required and a corresponding list indicating the title/description, artist(s) and year of each image/text (pdf or jpegs, max. 15 images, or up to 10 min. of audio or video). For larger format images or videos that cannot be transferred by email please include instructions for access.
Proposals should demonstrate the project’s overall intention and background and are only expected to include pertinent details. Applicants cannot propose ‘self-curated’ projects unless there is a reasoning behind this approach. Further research and development of the project is expected upon selection and acceptance. Copyright of curatorial work rests wholly with the curatorial resident. 221A will require license to present the project and use communications materials for information and marketing purposes.
Selections Process
Project proposals are shortlisted by a committee comprised of two members of the Board of Directors, two past Curatorial Residents and the Director. Final selections are made by the Director. Selected applicants will be contacted in February 2014. The proposals are assessed based on the organization’s mandate and the current overall direction of the programming.
During the proposal process, the name of the applicant and some formal qualifications may be omitted from the view of the selections committee. Please note that only applicants under consideration will be contacted. After selections have been made, candidates will be given the opportunity to read over and consider the residency details before signing a formal agreement.
Funding
221A is a non-profit organization funded through a mixture of self-generated income, private donations and public funding. Curatorial Residents will be expected to produce a project with a budget of $8,000–14,000 CDN. The budget allocation will be dependent on the organization’s overall funding conditions and the scope of the project. Curatorial residents are paid a minimum curatorial fee of $2,000 out of the total budget and all projects must pay professional fees to participants at above CARFAC’s minimum fee schedule.
Current/Recent Curatorial Residents
A.E. Benenson & Kristen Chappa (NYC), Raymond Boisjoly, Matthew-Robin Nye (Montréal), Steffanie Ling, Julian Hou, Jaquelyn Ross & Meredith Carr, Brady Cranfield & Jamie Hilder, Dennis Ha, Kimberly Phillips & Vanessa Kwan, Dan Starling, Amy Fung
Inquiries, Bopha Chhay, Projects Coordinator at bchhay@221a.ca