Artist Residency and Fellowship 2022-2023

About Josephine Sculpture Park

Josephine Sculpture Park (JSP) is the vision of sculptor Melanie VanHouten who serves as director. Originally established in 2009 on 20 acres of reclaimed farmland in Franklin Co., KY, JSP exists as a large earthwork and public sculpture park designed by VanHouten. The park expanded to 30 acres in 2018. It hosts a rotating exhibit of nearly 70 artworks created by artists from across the globe, primarily large-scale outdoor contemporary sculpture and large graffiti murals in the midst of native meadows and natural habitat. Artists included in the exhibition are Chakaia Booker, Peyton Scott Russell, Wayne Potratz, Daniel Shieh, Andrea Stanislav, Clare Koury, Rollin Marquette, Boaz Vaadia, Kiah Celeste and Heather Hart. JSP provides tours, artist talks, hands-on exhibitions, conservation walks, internships and workshops to school children, civic groups, general public and at-risk and developmentally challenged youth and adults across disciplines. JSP offers a free venue for community performing arts, arts education, arts appreciation and cultural enhancement. Artist residency, workshop and exhibition programs support emerging, mid-career and professional artists through unique, supported and equipped non-traditional studio space for large-scale sculpture, murals and community artworks in central KY. JSP is free and open every day of the year from dawn until dusk.

Mission

Our mission is to connect people to each other and the land through the arts. We provide creative arts and nature education to our community and transformative opportunities to artists while conserving the beauty of Kentucky’s native, rural landscape.

Our vision is to be a leader in our community that respects and reflects diverse voices and ideas through shared, creative experiences and responsible land stewardship practices.

Our commitments are to support artists, inspire intellectual exploration and expression, build a stronger, healthier community and conserve the beauty of Kentucky’s fine natural and cultural heritage through creative, outdoor activities.

Residency description

The JSP Artist Residency will provide artists with opportunities to live and work at JSP, create original artworks for exhibit here, interact with the public and lead workshops and/or community activities as deemed relevant by each resident. It will support artists and the development of their artwork while engaging KY residents and visitors in the visual arts. It will serve our region by hosting internationally recognized artists at JSP to engage a rural audience and landscape and by providing significant support to artists from KY who have been traditionally underserved/under-recognized by national opportunities. Residencies are scheduled to allow each artist time at JSP without the distraction of other residents. In many ways it is more like a retreat, allowing artists the time and space to dive deep into their practice with undivided support from JSP staff as needed. The JSP Residency program is supported in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

The JSP Artist Residency will host Fellowship Artists who receive funding and housing, studio space and technical assistance to support their residency and exhibition, as well as Self-Funded Artists who are provided housing, studio and exhibition opportunities.

Resident artists’ responsibilities

Fellowship Artists will create artwork to be included in Josephine Sculpture Park’s outdoor exhibition for a minimum of one year. While in residence, Fellowship Artists are expected to engage with the public in at least one of the following formats or something equivalent to: present a public lecture, provide one-on-one critique to Intern Artists and/or host a workshop for the public.

JSP responsibilities

JSP provides outdoor studio space with access to a shared indoor studio space in the Art Barn. Studio is equipped with basic metal shop and wood shop facilities and a tool crib with a variety of hand tools. JSP Studio Manager and interns are available to provide technical support and respond to the studio needs of our fellows. Fellowship Artists will have access to Intern Artists to assist in the production of your work for up to ten hours per week. Self-Fuded Artists will have access to Intern Artists to assist in the production of your work for up to five hours per week. Additional hours are optional and will be the responsibility of the artist in residence, payable to JSP at $25/$35 per hour.

Housing on site will be provided to Residents. Fellowship Artists are housed in a private trailer adjacent to the studio space. Self-Funded Artists are generally housed in an off-grid tiny house, or the private trailer, based on schedule of Fellowship Artists. Meals and materials are the responsibility of the artists, although JSP staff may be able to provide access to discounted/donated materials when applicable and available.

Artists with families

Partners and children are welcome to visit and/or live with selected artists during their residency with prior approval and space permitting. Please contact JSP Staff with any questions regarding family stays prior to application.

Selection process

A panel of jurors will select Fellowship Artists. Applications will be judged on the quality of the work examples, feasibility of the proposed project, and the potential to make the most of their time in the residency.

Eligibility

• Preference will be given to artists who meet any of these criteria:
  • Artist is living and/or working in KY, or is originally from KY
  • Artist identifies as a person of color
  • Artist identifies as a woman, gender non-conforming person or trans-gender person
• Preference will be given to artists exploring any of these themes:
  • Social justice
  • Environmental justice
  • or the proposal is site specific to JSP, Frankfort or KY
• Resident Artist must be a U.S. resident or hold valid visa documents.
• Applicant must be active and practicing artist, evident in resume or CV.
• Artist must be 21 years of age or older during the time of residency.
• Applicant’s work must be characterized as one or more of the following: sculpture, three-dimensional installation, multimedia, site-specific, land art, conceptual art, social practice, painting/mural, public art, performance art, and/or outdoor mural

Length and number of residencies available

Fellowships must last a minimum of two weeks and a maximum of four weeks.

Fellowships occur during the months of May-Oct. 2022 or 2023.

Please list preferred dates in your application form.

All projects must be completed by Oct. 30.

At least 1 Fellowship Artist from KY will be selected for the 2022/23 residency.

At least 1 Fellowship Artist from outside of KY will be selected for the 2022/23 residency.

Financial details

Selected Fellowship Artists will be granted awards of $3,500-$5000.

When completing the application form, artists are asked to upload a detailed budget for their proposed project including, but not limited to, items such as: travel expenses, material costs, labor, artist fees, rent and additional income needed to complete the proposal where appropriate.

Timeline

DEADLINE to apply: February 1, 2022   11:59pm (EST)

Notification via email: February 11, 2022

Residency dates: The review committee will be considering applications for 2022 and/or 2023

TO APPLY

1. Click the APPLY button at the bottom of this page to complete and submit the application form and upload the following materials.

Application Materials:

You will be asked to upload the following materials through the application form.

1. Letter of Interest: A brief description of your interest in the Josephine Sculpture Park Residency. One-page max. Please include your preferred dates to be in residence for a 2-4 week period between May 1 – Oct. 30, 2022 or 2023.
2. Project Proposal: A written description of the proposed project, its proposed impact on your artistic practice and on JSP visitors, and a timeline. One-page max.
3. 1-3 Proposal Images: A drawing, photographed maquette, or digitally generated image of the proposed project.
4. Artist Statement: A written description of your artistic practice, philosophy, and/or themes found within your work. One-page max.
5. 8-10 Work Samples: images or video links of recent work created within the past 3 years. Video files should be no longer than 1 minute. OK to send a link to your website that shows images of your work.
6. Image Description List: A numbered list that corresponds to each of the submitted images/links. For each image, include a thumbnail and the title, date, materials and if necessary a two sentence description of the work.
7. Current Artist Resume or CV: 5 pages max.
8. Project Budget: A detailed budget describing how the fellowship funds will be used and additional funding if applicable. Include labor, materials, food, travel costs, artist fees, rent, etc.
9. References: List of 3 references, noting their relationship to you. Include email and phone number for each.

If you have questions regarding the JSP Residency program, please contact JSP staff at 502-352-7082 ext. 1 or email us HERE.

Please note:

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Please read the program details and eligibility requirements thoroughly.

JSP will only accept applications from U.S. residents and/or applicants who have valid visas.

Fellowship funds awarded are reported for tax purposes.