The Galveston Artist Residency’s courtyard
The Galveston Artist Residency (GAR) has announced that applications are now open for its 2019-2020 residency period. Running since 2011, the residency program has brought many national artists to Galveston, some of whom have stuck around post-residency on the island or in Houston. One of the draws of the program, which lasts eleven months, is that it’s designed to give artists open time to think about their work. To this extent, GAR asks that all accepted residents live on site for the program’s full term.
GAR accepts three residents every year, all of whom are on the same cycle — meaning that selected artists become a small, sort-of self-sufficient community for nearly a year. The residency emphasizes that although Houston is only an hour away, the island can be somewhat sleepy, and the social circle somewhat small, stating:
“You by no means have to be the most social person to be a GAR resident. In fact, if you are someone who requires a lot of social stimuli you may find you have difficulty here. That being said, we are a very small community – there are 3 GAR employees and 3 residents. The residents work and live right next to each other. Therefore it is imperative that you be able to get along with people, no matter their background, experiences, art practice, etc. We require all our residents to be respectful of each other, first and foremost. We also recommend applicants be self-reliant, flexible, and tolerant. Galveston isn’t a big city, and we’re a small community.”
Works by Leonardo Benzant and Fidencio Fifield-Perez at the 2017 residency exhibition
All GAR residents receive a studio, an apartment, a $500 travel stipend, and a monthly stipend of $1000. Additionally, residents will have access to bicycles to provide them transportation around the island. As a culmination of the program, the residents will get an exhibition in GAR’s gallery in the spring of 2020. The residency is open to artists collaborations and welcomes artists’ families, although GAR can provide no extra accommodations. Applications are due on March 2, 2019 at 12 AM CST. For more details, go here.
To read Glasstire’s reviews of past GAR resident exhibitions, go here and here.
