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Photo credit : Dimitur Slavov

Open call

Water tower art residency – Gradets 2024

20-25 September

Water Tower Art Residency #9 presents an exceptional opportunity for artists to join an esteemed community of creatives. Building upon the success of Water Tower Art Fest, a renowned festival featuring over 80 contemporary art proposals from across Europe, Brazil, Canada, USA, and Japan, the residency aims to foster artistic development, create impactful works, and engage audiences within a unique context.

This year, we are committed to effecting positive change within the community by exploring diverse themes. We invite artists of all ages and experience levels to join us in Roma village of Gradets , Region of Sliven located in the Eastern Balkan Mountains – 14 km. from Kotel, and nearby are also Medven, Zheravna, Katunishte.

In every situation and location, lies great potential. Our motivation for selecting Gradets as the residency site is to tap into this potential and redefine its future. Through research, immersion, and collaboration with local Roma community, participants will have the opportunity to interact with mentors, share knowledge, and exchange experiences, resulting in the creation of compelling artistic works in the spehere of socially engaged art practice.

Why Join?

Immerse yourself in the captivating ambiance of Roma culture in village of Gradets, an ancient town brimming with untapped artistic inspiration.

Expand access to cultural content by producing and disseminating adapted or new works, reaching diverse audiences through digital and physical platforms.

Engage and inspire young audiences, fostering a lasting presence of Bulgarian art and artists in international partner organizations.

Connect with the local Roma community, harnessing its inherent potential to shape a brighter future.

Collaborate with esteemed mentors from various parts of the world, drawing from their expertise and guidance.

Cultivate new skills, broaden your understanding of art and culture, and forge connections that transcend boundaries.

Embrace a new culture, exploring interconnections between people, environment, heritage, and technology, with a focus on coexistence and sustainable development.

Residency Details:

Artists working in digital art, sound art, painting, printmaking, photography, installation, performance, music, and socially engaged arts are encouraged to apply.

What We offer:

Accommodation during the residency period.

Shared spaces for communal cooking and interaction among participants.

Please note that the cost of food products is not covered by the organizers.

The residency accommodates up to 8 artists.

Participate in a mentorship program, receiving personalized guidance, workshops, and presentations from our esteemed mentors.

Access to a venue to realize your projects and ideas. Contact witj mediators and school teachers for organizing of workshops with kids and general communication with Roma community.

Accommodation in shared living arrangements.

Technical support for installation and artwork creation.

Exhibition of the residency results.

Extensive promotion of the residency outcomes through media and social networks, including individual presentations for each participant.

Mentors:

Johannah Herr https://www.johannahherr.com/?fbclid=IwY2xjawEVrQ9leHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHfZsl44NY0D7RH0fuyYv1sZ-kIz0-9ywWzcKI5br00WwXsUp0ojrvgtc3w_aem_bS0-MYpPfK4Q4SaiwYf_MA

is an interdisciplinary artist whose work uses subversive, colorfully patterned objects and maximalist installations to critique state-sanctioned violence in America. She holds an MFA from Cranbrook and a BFA from Parsons. She has had solo shows at Geary Contemporary, Untitled San Francisco, BRIC, Elijah Wheat Showroom, Envoy Enterprises, Red Ger Gallery (Mongolia) and Galeri Metropol (Estonia). She is a Fulbright Scholar (Mongolia) and attended residencies at SIM, Wassaic Project, IEA’s Experimental Projects Residency, Oxbow, Museum of Arts and Design, and Vermont Studio Center. She is also the Co-Founder of Daughters Rising, an anti-human trafficking NGO in Mae Wang, Thailand. She lives / works between Brooklyn and Mae Wang.

Boyan Avramov – musician,  percussionist – workshop with musical instruments

To apply, please send an email to watertowerartfest@gmail.com accompanied by your CV and a cover letter before 30.08.2024. Please note that there may be restrictions on safety and other requirements imposed by municipal managers, which are beyond our control.

For further inquiries or to submit your application, please contact: watertowerartfest@gmail.com.

***This project receives support from the Ministry of Culture.

Photo credit@Kat Pegler 

Water Tower Art Residency is the natural extension of Water Tower Art Fest, a festival featuring more than 80 contemporary art proposals – painting, sculpture, video and photo projections, installations, performances – from over 10 European countries as well as from Brazil, Canada, USA and Japan.
Based on years of experience and a network of participants and partners, the essence of the Water Tower Art Residency is to continue the set tone and tradition: the artistic development of artists and their audiences and the creation of works in a specific context and location.
The new edition of our next decentralized residency is looking for its artists. Regardless of age or experience in the arts, this year we also want to bring change to the community through the interpretation of different themes. A stay on site is needed for research, insight into an issue or direction for in-depth development and presentation of the work as a final product to the general public.
Our goal is to bring the participants of the residency together with our mentors and through immersion in the environment to share knowledge, experiences and practices in the arts.
Why are we doing this?
The creative residency will take place in one of the oldest Danube-side towns in Bulgaria – Lom.
In the past Lom was one of the main cultural centres of the country. The first women’s society was founded there, one of the first community centres in the country, and some of the first theatre productions were staged there. Today, however, the town is located in the poorest part of the European Union – North-Western Bulgaria.
One of our main motivations to hold the residency there is that in every situation – and location – there is potential.
Goals
The idea of our residency is to widen access to cultural content for a wide audience outside of central areas, through the production and distribution of adapted or new content to promote the activities and production of artists and organisations on digital/physical networks and channels
To create conditions for attracting, introducing and engaging youth audiences with cultural products/new audiences – to encourage the long-term and active presence of Bulgarian art and artists in international partner organisations, enabling a presence on platforms for dissemination of information on collaborations.
Our goal as socially engaged artists is to connect with the place and the people to extract the potential and change the concept of the future. That’s why we choose to have the event outside of destinations and locations where such creative collaborations traditionally happen.

What does the residency include?
We offer individual work with mentors working in different parts of the world and different media. The focus of their creative professional activity is described below for each of them amongst which:
- New social and artistic policies based on different expertise offered by specially invited mentors
- The creative residency offers a platform for communication and learning new skills and understandings in the field of art and culture.
- A new culture and new interconnections between people, environment, heritage, technology leading us to an understanding of coexistence, both within and without, in the spirit of continuity and developing a base for a possible future.
Anyone interested and working in digital art, sound art, painting, printmaking, photography, installation, performance, music and socially engaged arts is welcome to participate in our program.
The organizers offer:
- Accommodation
- Space for participants to prepare and share food with each other
- The organizers do not cover the cost of purchasing food items
From the organizers
What the WTAR includes :
- Number of participants for each residency up to 12 artists
- Mentoring program with one-on-one guidance from our mentors, workshops and presentations
- A venue for your projects/ideas

- Assistance in finding accommodation options at preferential rates/ or shared accommodation
- Technical assistance with the installation and creation of your artwork
- Exhibition of the results of the residency
- Dissemination of information about the results of the residency in the media and social networks, with individual presentation of each participant
Mentors:
Nia Pushkarova – performance interaction
Boyan Avramov – workshop for children The music in us – percussion
Svetli Damyanov – ceramics workshop
More tba

…

** To apply, please send resume and cover letter to: watertowerartfest@gmail.com, indicating dates of availability and interest in the 2024 residency position, by April 30, 2024.
*During residency, there may be restrictions regarding safety zones and other requirements from Lom Municipality partners beyond our control.
***Water Tower Art Residency is realized under the project “Art in Lom” funded by the National Culture Fund under the program “Socially Engaged Arts” – 2023.

https://www.kerbsidecollective.com/watertowerartresidency

https://rutenorte.com/cronicas-de-viagens/bulgaria/

OPEN CALL FOR PARTICIPATION: WATER TOWER ART RESIDENCY – LOM

10 – 20 JULY 2023

Water Tower Art Residency #7 presents an exceptional opportunity for artists to join an esteemed community of creatives. Building upon the success of Water Tower Art Fest, a renowned festival featuring over 80 contemporary art proposals from across Europe, Brazil, Canada, USA, and Japan, the residency aims to foster artistic development, create impactful works, and engage audiences within a unique context.

This year, we are committed to effecting positive change within the community by exploring diverse themes. We invite artists of all ages and experience levels to join us in Lom, one of Bulgaria’s oldest Danube towns. As a former cultural hub, Lom boasts a rich history, being home to the first women’s society, one of the country’s inaugural community centers, and a pioneer in theater productions. However, today it faces socio-economic challenges as one of the poorest regions in the European Union.

In every situation and location, lies great potential. Our motivation for selecting Lom as the residency site is to tap into this potential and redefine its future. Through research, immersion, and collaboration, participants will have the opportunity to interact with mentors, share knowledge, and exchange experiences, resulting in the creation of compelling artistic works.

Why Join?

Immerse yourself in the captivating ambiance of Lom, an ancient town brimming with untapped artistic inspiration.

Expand access to cultural content by producing and disseminating adapted or new works, reaching diverse audiences through digital and physical platforms.

Engage and inspire young audiences, fostering a lasting presence of Bulgarian art and artists in international partner organizations.

Connect with the local community, harnessing its inherent potential to shape a brighter future.

Collaborate with esteemed mentors from various parts of the world, drawing from their expertise and guidance.

Cultivate new skills, broaden your understanding of art and culture, and forge connections that transcend boundaries.

Embrace a new culture, exploring interconnections between people, environment, heritage, and technology, with a focus on coexistence and sustainable development.

Residency Details:

Artists working in digital art, sound art, painting, printmaking, photography, installation, performance, music, and socially engaged arts are encouraged to apply.

We offer:

Accommodation during the residency period.

Shared spaces for communal cooking and interaction among participants.

Please note that the cost of food products is not covered by the organizers.

From the organizers:

The residency accommodates up to 12 artists.

Participate in a mentorship program, receiving personalized guidance, workshops, and presentations from our esteemed mentors.

Access to a dedicated venue to realize your projects and ideas.

Assistance in finding accommodation options at preferential rates or shared living arrangements.

Technical support for installation and artwork creation.

Exhibition of the residency results.

Extensive promotion of the residency outcomes through media and social networks, including individual presentations for each participant.

Mentors:

Nia Pushkarova – artist and organzier of WTAR – performance interaction https://nia.watertowerartfest.com/

Boyan Avramov – percussion workshop  “Music within us”

Svetly Damyanov - workshop and presentation with the topics of installation, sculpture of clay, site specific and more at his ceramic studio and public spaces

Voin De Voin – performance artist running AEther art space Sofia https://voinvoin.wixsite.com/voindevoin

More tbc

…

To apply, please send an email to watertowerartfest@gmail.com accompanied by your CV and a cover letter before 01.07.2023. Please note that there may be restrictions on safety and other requirements imposed by municipal managers, which are beyond our control.

For further inquiries or to submit your application, please contact: watertowerartfest@gmail.com. Kindly indicate your availability and interest in the 2023 residency position in your cover letter. The application deadline is July 1, 2023.

***This project receives support from the Ministry of Culture.