I received in the mail a few days ago copies of the 2011 Midwestern Voices and Visions publication, which profiles the seven artist who received the award in 2010, and their individual artist residency experiences.
For those of you not familiar with Midwestern Voices and Visions, it’s a program organized by the Alliance of Artists Communities and supported by the Joyce Foundation. Seven artists are chosen from the midwest area, and awarded one of seven residency programs.
I was one of the recipients of the award, and spent last April and May at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Omaha, Nebraska. The other recipients are:
- Patrick Earl Hammie – a painter from Champaign, Illinois
- Ibrahima “IBé” Kaba – a spoken-word poet from Minneapolis, Minnesota
- May Lee-Yang – a writer and playwright from St.Paul, Minnesota
- Adolfo Martinez – a painter from kansas City, Missouri
- Linda Rodriguez – a writer and poet from Kansas City, Missouri
- Mitchell Squire – an installation, sculpture, and mixed-media artist from Ames, Iowa
It was very interesting to see the other artists’ works and read about their residency experiences. It seems for almost everyone, the residency offered a time to reflect on their creative practice and also to try something new.
My residency last year at the Bemis Center was definitely one of the best experiences in my arts career. As someone without a traditional background in the arts, the residency was my art school, and was where I first became aware of myself as an artist and began to treat my work seriously.
Even now, I still think residencies are one of the most important elements in any artist’s life. It doesn’t matter whether you’re an emerging artist or an established artist, a residency can be tremendously helpful experience.
For me, my time at the Bemis not only gave me the opportunity to explore the field of animation, I also began to think critically about my creative process. It was then that I began to incorporate the concept of play and experimentation into my process, creating without necessary having an end goal in mind and exploring new topics and techniques solely for fun. It’s been a wonderful addition to my practice, and I’ve found that a lot of my best ideas emerge from this process of play.
If you’re interested in applying for a residency, the Alliance of Artists Communities’ website is a good place to start. And if you’re in the Chicago area, the alliance’s annual conference is actually taking place there this year from October 19 – 22.
Of course, if you have any questions about residencies at the Bemis Center, or just in general, feel free to get in touch.