WNC artists get the spotlight in Center for Craft’s new residency

News release from the Center for Craft:

The Center for Craft invites applications for its new WNC Artist in Residence program that celebrates regional resilience and creativity through December 15. Two artists from Western North Carolina will be selected for the residency, and each will be awarded an honorarium of $10,000 plus an additional $2,000 for materials. “The Center for Craft is excited to launch this residency for regional artists,” conveys Stephanie Moore, Executive Director, “Our ambition is that this pioneering source of financial support will encourage others to do the same for this critical segment of our community that has been underresourced for way too long.”

Beyond the generous honorarium, artists in residence will receive an approximately 200-square-foot space in the Center for Craft’s Ideation Lab for eight weeks (from June 3 to July 27, 2024), a Flex Desk Cohort Pass in the Center’s National Craft Innovation Hub, and a monthly stipend for parking or bus fare (up to $250). Artists will have the opportunity to display artwork in the Center’s Engagement Studio and will also deliver one public event.

The artists-in-residence will work alongside two Virginia A. Groot Material Exploration Residents – that will take place during the same timeframe – forming a small cohort. They will have opportunities to network and explore historic and cultural resources in WNC, such as Penland School of Craft, Qualla Arts and Crafts Mutual, and Black Mountain College Museum and Arts Center, as part of three full days of regional exploration built into the residency schedule. The connections they make during the residency, facilitated through trips like these and visits with regional curators and collectors, will help them expand their own networks, linking them with people interested in springboarding their careers and supporting their work long-term.

The Center recognizes the vital role that craft artists play locally to connect people, reinvigorate traditions, and inspire innovation, bridging living legacies and practices that empower communities, including those that have historically been marginalized and underserved. The residency’s focus on artists based in WNC affirms the critical importance of craft traditions – and their future – in this corner of Appalachia, highlighting the need to celebrate and invest in our local and regional communities. This residency is designed to support the selected artists by giving them time and space to nurture their own practices. The size of the honorarium makes this residency unique in the region, and the residency is designed to maximize time and space for creation.

The residency is open to applicants who work primarily in craft and have been residents of WNC for at least two years. The application is open through December 15. There is an application fee of $10 (that may be waived if it is an obstacle to applying). The top five applicants will be interviewed in February 2024, and award recipients will be notified in March.

Learn more and apply for the WNC Center for Craft Artist-in-Residence program here. This residency is made possible due to the generous support of the Maxwell/Hanrahan Foundation.

ABOUT CENTER FOR CRAFT Founded in 1996, the Center for Craft’s mission is to resource, catalyze, and amplify how and why craft matters. As a 501(c)3 national nonprofit that increases access to craft by empowering and resourcing artists, organizations, and communities through grants, fellowships and programs that bring people together. The Center is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential organizations working on behalf of craft in the United States. For more information, visit www.centerforcraft.org.