UNDERWATER, UNDERGROUND
Call to Multimedia Visual Artists & Hip Hop Artists
for an Artist-Residency Program
STEP 1: LISTEN TO OR READ THE CALL TO ARTISTS BELOW.
STEP 2: APPLY BY 11:59 PM ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 13, 2023.
*Scroll down to the bottom of this page and click on the APPLY button to access the Application Form.*
STEP 2: APPLY BY 11:59 PM ON SUNDAY, AUGUST 13, 2023.
*Scroll down to the bottom of this page and click on the APPLY button to access the Application Form.*
IF YOU NEED HELP UNDERSTANDING THIS CALL TO ARTISTS,
EMAIL US AT: [email protected]
OR LEAVE US A MESSAGE AT: 765-560-5445.
EMAIL US AT: [email protected]
OR LEAVE US A MESSAGE AT: 765-560-5445.
LISTEN TO THE CALL TO ARTISTS:
READ THE CALL TO ARTISTS:
CLEMMONS FAMILY FARM’S NEW “UNDERWATER, UNDERGROUND” ARTIST RESIDENCY PROGRAM FOR ONE MULTIMEDIA VISUAL ARTIST AND ONE HIP HOP ARTIST
CLEMMONS FAMILY FARM’S NEW “UNDERWATER, UNDERGROUND” ARTIST RESIDENCY PROGRAM FOR ONE MULTIMEDIA VISUAL ARTIST AND ONE HIP HOP ARTIST
1. ANNOUNCEMENT AND INSTRUCTIONS
Clemmons Family Farm joyfully announces our call to multimedia visual artists and hip hop artists for a new artist-in-residence (AiR) program called UnderWATER, UnderGROUND. The purpose of this program is to creatively lift up the underrepresented past, present, and future voices and experiences of the peoples of the African diaspora who reside or resided in the Lake Champlain Basin area (parts of Vermont, New York, and Quebec). This program will support two artists to research, learn about, and create new work about some of the untold histories, cultures, and geology of the area.
Up to two artists will be selected by a jury through a competitive process. The artists-in-residence (AiRs) will receive a $7,500 stipend, and access to accomodations and studio space on the historic Clemmons farm in Charlotte, Vermont between September 2023 and December 2024. Additional details on the support for the selected artists are shared in Section 5 of this Call to Artists.
This artist residency is not a full-time commitment. You will only be required to work on the farm from time to time on dates you will choose with your co-artist. The selected AiRs will reside on the Clemmons farm only occasionally with 20 overnight stays on the farm during the timeframe of this artist-in-residence program: this is not a continuous live-in arrangement. Additional support for the selected artists is described in Section 5 of this Call to Artists.
How to submit your application
If you need help reading or understanding this Call to Artists, call and leave a message at this phone number: 760-560-5445
2. ABOUT THE UNDERWATER, UNDERGROUND ARTIST-RESIDENCY PROGRAM
Two artists-in-residence will work collaboratively to research and co-create works-in-progress and exhibitions featuring multi-media visual arts and hip hop music. Their art will help to tell some of the stories of the Beluga Whale, the Champlain Sea, the Underground Railroad, the Great Migration, and the immigration of Vermonters of the African Diaspora to the Lake Champlain Basin area, which includes parts of Vermont, New York, and Quebec, Canada.
During community co-creation workshops, participants will work with the artists to use upcycled materials to create visual art and to create hip hop lyrics, beats, and music inspired by the AiRs’ presentation of their research findings and creative interpretations.
3. PRELIMINARY TIMELINE FOR THE RESIDENCY
The residency will involve a three-phase process inspired by the UnderWATER, UnderGROUND creative theme: (1) Submerge; (2) Immerse; (3) Emerge. A final calendar will be developed through discussions with the two artists. The preliminary calendar of key activities in the residency is as follows:
Orientation: The two AiRs will receive an orientation at the Clemmons farm and will be introduced to the community and collaborating organizations who will be involved in the AiRs’ field trips. 1-2 days TBD in September 2023.
Submerge #1: First Set of Field Trips. AiRs will visit selected sites (the priority field trip sites are listed below in section 4 of this Call to Artists) that are conducive to the creative learning and research process. Dates TBD in September 2023.
Submerge #2: Second Set of Field Trips. AiRs will visit some of the field trip sites as part of their creative research and learning process. Dates TBD in September - October 2023.
Submerge #3: Third Set of Field Trips. AiRs will visit some of the field trip sites as part of their creative research and learning. Dates TBD in October - November 2023.
Immerse: Research, slow-journaling immersion sessions, and individual and collaborative creative work by the two AiRs. Dates TBD in November 2023 - January 2024.
Emerge #1: AiRs will share their works-in-progress with the general public and in selected schools through artist talks and presentations. Dates TBD in February – May 2024.
Emerge #2: AiRs will conduct a series of co-creation workshops with community members, K12 schools, and visitors to the farm. Dates TBD in June – July 2024.
Emerge #3: Curate and install final exhibit for public viewing at the Clemmons farm. Compile documentation of the project, feedback from artists and community members, and prepare final report. Dates TBD in July – December 2024.
4. ON-FARM RESIDENCY AND FIELD TRIP LOCATIONS
On dates to be determined over the period of the residency program, the two AiRs will reside at the Clemmons farm for 20 overnight-stays. They will have daytime access to studio space on the farm, and will visit the following locations:
5. SUPPORT FOR EACH ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE
Over the period of the residency program, each artist-in-residence will receive:
6. ELIGIBILITY, SELECTION CRITERIA, AND SCORING
Two artists will be selected by a jury for the UnderWATER, UnderGROUND artist residency opportunity. One artist will ideally be a multidisciplinary visual artist with demonstrated artistic excellence in at least three of these media: photography, videography, painting, drawing, collage, quilting, weaving, mudcloth, tie-die, silkscreen, sculpture, metalwork, stonework, woodwork. One artist will ideally be a hip hop artist with demonstrated artistic excellence in creating lyrics, and performing hip hop songs with beats and music.
Eligibility criteria:
Artists who apply for this opportunity will be screened for eligibility. In order to pass the screening, you must meet all of the requirements listed below:
Selection criteria:
A jury will review all eligible applications and select the top two artists based on three assessment areas that use the following criteria:
A. Artistic Excellence: 30 POINTS
B. Commitment to the spirit and purpose of the UnderWATER, UnderGROUND residency: 40 POINTS
C. Availability and flexibility to fully engage in the residency: 30 POINTS
7. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Clemmons Family Farm joyfully announces our call to multimedia visual artists and hip hop artists for a new artist-in-residence (AiR) program called UnderWATER, UnderGROUND. The purpose of this program is to creatively lift up the underrepresented past, present, and future voices and experiences of the peoples of the African diaspora who reside or resided in the Lake Champlain Basin area (parts of Vermont, New York, and Quebec). This program will support two artists to research, learn about, and create new work about some of the untold histories, cultures, and geology of the area.
Up to two artists will be selected by a jury through a competitive process. The artists-in-residence (AiRs) will receive a $7,500 stipend, and access to accomodations and studio space on the historic Clemmons farm in Charlotte, Vermont between September 2023 and December 2024. Additional details on the support for the selected artists are shared in Section 5 of this Call to Artists.
This artist residency is not a full-time commitment. You will only be required to work on the farm from time to time on dates you will choose with your co-artist. The selected AiRs will reside on the Clemmons farm only occasionally with 20 overnight stays on the farm during the timeframe of this artist-in-residence program: this is not a continuous live-in arrangement. Additional support for the selected artists is described in Section 5 of this Call to Artists.
How to submit your application
- To apply for this artist-in-residency program, please listen to or read through all of this document, which includes a total of seven (7) sections.
- To complete the application form, click on the APPLY button at the bottom of this webpage and fill out the application form.
- Submission deadline: Sunday, August 13, 2023 at 11:59 PM.
If you need help reading or understanding this Call to Artists, call and leave a message at this phone number: 760-560-5445
2. ABOUT THE UNDERWATER, UNDERGROUND ARTIST-RESIDENCY PROGRAM
Two artists-in-residence will work collaboratively to research and co-create works-in-progress and exhibitions featuring multi-media visual arts and hip hop music. Their art will help to tell some of the stories of the Beluga Whale, the Champlain Sea, the Underground Railroad, the Great Migration, and the immigration of Vermonters of the African Diaspora to the Lake Champlain Basin area, which includes parts of Vermont, New York, and Quebec, Canada.
- Inspiration: Approximately 11,500 years old, the skeleton of a Beluga whale was found in 1849, ten feet underground and just two miles south of what is now known as the Clemmons farm in Charlotte, Vermont. View the 90-second 2018 video clip by Clemmons Family Farm sharing the history of the Beluga whale and its connection to the Clemmons farm: https://vimeo.com/756173925/3d88d52e56. The 148-acre Clemmons farm was originally settled in the late 1700s, on unceded Abenaki land, by the McNeil family, white settlers who founded the first Charlotte-Essex ferry and who operated as conductors on the Underground Railroad. Jackson and Lydia Clemmons, an African-American couple, moved to Vermont from the Midwest during the tail end of the Great Migration and purchased the historic farm in 1962.
- Learning: Grant funds will support the AiRs’ travel to priority sites (field trips) to review archival data, participate in educational tours, explore the exhibits, and conduct research. Research topics include the geological history of the Beluga whale; the Champlain Sea; the construction of the Burlington-Rutland railroad; the histories of the McNeil and Clemmons families in the contexts of the Underground Railroad and the Great Migration; and the contemporary oral histories of immigration through the stories of African diaspora immigrants in the Burlington-Winooski areas. The AiRs will be supported to learn how to research archives, how to gain informed consent of any research participants, how to conduct oral history interviews, and how to use their cell phones and accessories to gather high-quality audio, photography, and videography as part of their data collection process.
During community co-creation workshops, participants will work with the artists to use upcycled materials to create visual art and to create hip hop lyrics, beats, and music inspired by the AiRs’ presentation of their research findings and creative interpretations.
3. PRELIMINARY TIMELINE FOR THE RESIDENCY
The residency will involve a three-phase process inspired by the UnderWATER, UnderGROUND creative theme: (1) Submerge; (2) Immerse; (3) Emerge. A final calendar will be developed through discussions with the two artists. The preliminary calendar of key activities in the residency is as follows:
Orientation: The two AiRs will receive an orientation at the Clemmons farm and will be introduced to the community and collaborating organizations who will be involved in the AiRs’ field trips. 1-2 days TBD in September 2023.
Submerge #1: First Set of Field Trips. AiRs will visit selected sites (the priority field trip sites are listed below in section 4 of this Call to Artists) that are conducive to the creative learning and research process. Dates TBD in September 2023.
Submerge #2: Second Set of Field Trips. AiRs will visit some of the field trip sites as part of their creative research and learning process. Dates TBD in September - October 2023.
Submerge #3: Third Set of Field Trips. AiRs will visit some of the field trip sites as part of their creative research and learning. Dates TBD in October - November 2023.
Immerse: Research, slow-journaling immersion sessions, and individual and collaborative creative work by the two AiRs. Dates TBD in November 2023 - January 2024.
Emerge #1: AiRs will share their works-in-progress with the general public and in selected schools through artist talks and presentations. Dates TBD in February – May 2024.
Emerge #2: AiRs will conduct a series of co-creation workshops with community members, K12 schools, and visitors to the farm. Dates TBD in June – July 2024.
Emerge #3: Curate and install final exhibit for public viewing at the Clemmons farm. Compile documentation of the project, feedback from artists and community members, and prepare final report. Dates TBD in July – December 2024.
4. ON-FARM RESIDENCY AND FIELD TRIP LOCATIONS
On dates to be determined over the period of the residency program, the two AiRs will reside at the Clemmons farm for 20 overnight-stays. They will have daytime access to studio space on the farm, and will visit the following locations:
- Beluga Whale Historic Marker, the Charlotte Beach, and Mount Philo in Charlotte, Vermont
- Charlotte-Essex Ferry Crossing
- Charlotte historic McNeil homesteads including the Clemmons farm
- UVM Perkins Museum to view the Charlotte Beluga whale skeleton
- Leahy ECHO Center/Lake Champlain Resource Center in Burlington, Vermont
- Mystic Aquarium, Mystic, CT to see live Beluga whales
- Rokeby Museum, Ferrisburgh, VT
- North Star Underground Railroad Museum, Ausable Chasm, NY
- Essex, NY Town Historian Office
- Adirondack History Museum, Elizabethtown, NY
- Burlington and Winooski, VT: Meetings and oral histories with African diaspora immigrant communities
5. SUPPORT FOR EACH ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE
Over the period of the residency program, each artist-in-residence will receive:
- A stipend of $7,500 paid in installments over the period of the residency (September 2023 – December 2024);
- 20 overnight stays in the historic Barn House apartment on the Clemmons farm;
- Mileage reimbursement or paid transportation for field trips to the above-listed field trip locations, including paid hotel for overnight stay in Mystic, Connecticut;
- Art supplies and equipment for the artist’s creative work for this residency program;
- Free studio space on the Clemmons farm for their creative works through the duration of the residency, with access to wireless internet and library;
- Professional development mentoring and support in research techniques and library skills;
- Administrative and logistical support to coordinate field trips, community engagements;
- Professional services to support the development and installation of a multi-media exhibit of the AiR’s creative work at the Clemmons farm; and
- Media and promotional services related to the UnderWATER, UnderGROUND residency program.
6. ELIGIBILITY, SELECTION CRITERIA, AND SCORING
Two artists will be selected by a jury for the UnderWATER, UnderGROUND artist residency opportunity. One artist will ideally be a multidisciplinary visual artist with demonstrated artistic excellence in at least three of these media: photography, videography, painting, drawing, collage, quilting, weaving, mudcloth, tie-die, silkscreen, sculpture, metalwork, stonework, woodwork. One artist will ideally be a hip hop artist with demonstrated artistic excellence in creating lyrics, and performing hip hop songs with beats and music.
Eligibility criteria:
Artists who apply for this opportunity will be screened for eligibility. In order to pass the screening, you must meet all of the requirements listed below:
- be 18 years old or older;
- be a visual artist or a hip hop artist;
- self-identify as a bearer of African-American, African diaspora or Afro-indigenous cultures;
- be able to authentically represent your culture through your artwork and your lived experiences;
- be a resident of Vermont, or a resident of the Lake Champlain Basin area of New York or Quebec, Canada;
- be a US citizen or a permanent resident of the US with authorization to work in the US;
- available and able to occasionally do research and creative work, and to occasionally reside on the Clemmons farm with 20 overnight stays between September 2023 and December 2024.
Selection criteria:
A jury will review all eligible applications and select the top two artists based on three assessment areas that use the following criteria:
A. Artistic Excellence: 30 POINTS
- Demonstrated artistic excellence in at least three of these visual media: photography, videography, painting, drawing, collage, quilting, weaving, mudcloth, tie-die, silkscreen, sculpture, metalwork, stonework, woodwork; OR
- Demonstrated artistic excellence in creating lyrics, and performing hip hop songs with beats and music.
- AND Demonstrated ability to authentically express Black culture through lived experience.
B. Commitment to the spirit and purpose of the UnderWATER, UnderGROUND residency: 40 POINTS
- Demonstrated interest in and commitment to exploring and learning new information, especially the history and geology of the Lake Champlain Basin area and the peoples of the African diaspora who live or lived there;
- Demonstrated passion to channel what you learn about the histories, geography, and untold stories of the Lake Champlain Basin area into compelling creative work;
- Demonstrated willingness to creatively share your artistic work with visitors and the community in a way that builds understanding and appreciation of the untold histories of the Lake Champlain Basin area from the perspectives of Black and/or Afro-indigenous peoples and cultures; AND
- Demonstrated ability to produce creative works within an allotted amount of time.
C. Availability and flexibility to fully engage in the residency: 30 POINTS
- Degree to which the artist confirms that they are available to undertake all of the activities in the residency within the given timeframes;
- Degree to which the artist confirms that they are willing to discuss, plan and coordinate activities- including travel, overnight stays, co-creation, and sharing works in progress—with the other AiR;
- AND Degree to which the artist confirms they will be flexible in the planning on dates for collaborative travel, research, overnight stays, and co-creation work with the other AiR.
7. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- Finalists will be invited to participate in an interview with the jury on Zoom for purposes of confirming the final scores and top artists among the applicants.
- Although our intention is to support two artists-in-residence for this program, Clemmons Family Farm reserves the right to award two, one, or no artists with this opportunity in response to the applications received. In the event that one or no artists are selected in the first application round, Clemmons Family Farm reserves the right to repeat this Call to Artists for a second round of applications.
Photo caption: A Beluga whale, an 1862 painting of freedom seekers, Vermont visual artist Julio Desmont, Vermont multidisciplinary artist Harmony Edosomwan,
and Vermont singer-songwriter KeruBo, with the historic Big Barn and its whale weathervane atop the cupola in the background.
and Vermont singer-songwriter KeruBo, with the historic Big Barn and its whale weathervane atop the cupola in the background.
This project has been funded by an agreement awarded by the Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC) to NEIWPCC in partnership with the Lake Champlain Basin Program (LCBP). The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of NEIWPCC, the LCBP, or GLFC, nor does NEIWPCC, the LCBP, or GLFC endorse trade names or recommend the use of commercial products mentioned in this document.
Additional funding for the UnderWATER, UnderGROUND artist-in-residency program has been provided by Vermont Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.
