Mentorship Residency Program

AiR residence Jordan Parks and Diedrick Brackens during a community workshop

AiR residence Jordan Parks and Diedrick Brackens during a community workshop

AiR residence Meghna Singh & Deepanjan Mukhopadhyay

AiR residence Meghna Singh & Deepanjan Mukhopadhyay

Danielle Arroyo presenting their work

Danielle Arroyo presenting their work

Mentorship Residency Program

Portland, ME, United States

Mentorship Residency Program

The Indigo Arts Alliance studio located in Portland, Maine is the host site for our Mentorship Artists Residency program. This program is the heart of IAA, modeling our values of global community building. Our goal is to bring together artists from diverse backgrounds of the African Diaspora to engage in their creative process, while building lasting relationships rooted in co-mentorship. We believe artists hold the key in creating a better world, and in our work, we allow for Black and Brown voices to lead the way.

The Mentorship Residency Program is a pioneering residency concept that serves as an arts incubator with generous workspace and modern facilities enabling the creative work of visual artists across disciplines. We foster mentorship by pairing two artists together during a residency period to cultivate rich conversation, collaboration, and exchange experiences, knowledge, art industry information and technical skills. The artist-pairing consists of a National or International artist who is traveling to the state of Maine from their respective homes to be in residence with a Local/Regional artist. The goal of the pairing is to build positive relationships that enhance the individual artists as human beings and thought leaders. We want to create healthy relationships for artists of color who are navigating their art practice and create avenues of success that build networks.

 

Contact

60 cove St.
Portland, ME 04101
United States

Year Founded
2018
Context
Urban
Suburban
Residency Structure
Stand-alone
Longterm/embedded in neighborhood
Embedded in intentional community
Residency Program Type
Studio-based (no housing)
Studio-based (with housing)
Community-engaged
Research
Experiential
Residency Length
1 month - 2 months
Languages
English
Portuguese
Average Number of Artists in Residence at a Time
3
Collaborative Residency
Must apply and be accepted individually
Discipline
Drawing
Interdisciplinary Arts
Mixed Media
Painting
Printmaking
Sculpture
Visual Arts
Blacksmithing
Book Arts
Ceramics/Clay Arts/Pottery
Costume/Fashion Design
Digital Fabrication
Fine Metals/Jewelry
Glass Arts
Installation Arts
Paper Arts
Textile & Fiber Arts/Weaving
Woodworking
Criticism
Fiction
Journalism
Literary Nonfiction
Literature
New Genres
Nonfiction
Playwriting
Poetry
Screenwriting
Translation
Writing
Acting
Choreography
Dance
Performance Art
Theater
Music
Opera
Symphony
Animation
Augmented Reality
Computing
Digital Media
Documentary
Electronic Arts
Film
Moving Image
Multimedia Arts
Photography
Sound Art
TV + Radio
Virtual Reality
Graphic Design
Illustration
Industrial Design
Architecture
Environmental Arts
Landscape Architecture
Public Art
Social Practice
Storytelling
Art Education
Art History
Philosophy
Companions
Pets are not allowed
Country of Residence
Only open to artists based in country the program is located
Family Friendly
Spouses/partners allowed for full stay (non-collaborators)
Children allowed for full stay
Stage of Career
Any stage of career
Additional Expectations/Opportunities
Participate in public programming
Participate in open studio with fellow residents
Give artist talk or presentation
Teach in studio
Lead workshop for the public
Lead workshop for fellow residents
Lead a skill share
How does your residency program support artists?
Opportunity to be in another context
Immersion in new culture and/context
Unstructured time
Art production support
Access to studio space to create new work
Access to equipment, specialized facilities and/or technical support
Access to training on new artistic techniques and/or apprenticeship
Inspiration from natural environment
Inspiration from cultural context
Professional development support and/or trainings
Opportunities to develop relationships with local or regional artists/arts organizations
Opportunities to collaborate with local or regional artists/arts organizations
Opportunities to collaborate with other artists/residents
Opportunities to develop relationships with other artists/residents
Opportunities for work with the local community
Opportunities to exhibit or perform new work
Additional Eligibility Information

Artist Eligibility

The participating artists in our Mentorship Program serve as either Visiting Artist or a Local Artist. To learn more please visit our FAQ page. The eligibility for both artists are listed below:

  1. Artists must be a descendent from any of the African nations, African-American, Afro-Latin, Caribbean, i.e., the communities inhabiting the geographic breadth of all the places where Africans were displaced as a result of the transatlantic slave trade, Native Americans, indigenous peoples, Latinx, East and Southeast Asian, the Middle East, and the Pacific Rim.
  2. Residents should have 2+ years of exhibition and/or studio experience. 
  3. Artists must present a sustained commitment to their practice, risk-taking, and clear concepts and creative methodologies that advance artistic expression.
  4. Artists must demonstrate a relationship with the communities in which they live, work, or care about. 
  5. Applicants must be 21+ at the time of the proposed residency. 
  6. Artists of all disciplines are encouraged (Painting, sculpture, illustration, writing, dance, music, theater/performance, photography, fiber/textiles, etc).
  7. Applicants cannot be enrolled in a full-time academic program at the time of the residency.
  8. If artists maintain a full time job, they must plan their work schedules to accommodate a minimum of 75% time in the studio during residency.
  9. Applicants must have the most up to date COVID-19 vaccination at least 3 months prior to the start of their proposed residency. You may learn more about our COVID-19 policy here
Number of Artists Accepted in Most Current Year
5
Artist Stipend
1000
US Dollar (USD)
Travel Stipend/Material Stipends
Residency Fees
0
US Dollar (USD)
Grant/Scholarship/Other Funding Support
Application Fee
0
US Dollar (USD)
Application Type
Open application
What does your program provide during the residency experience?
Pre-orientation
Manual / handbook before arrival
Communication before arrival to discuss accommodations, medical conditions, or other health needs
Orientation upon arrival
Contact information and available accommodations for programs, events, and campus
Full description of accessibility on campus
Captions for videos
Links to resources, effective practices, grievance procedures, etc.
Assistive listening devices
Written and or hard copies of text being presented
High contrast, clear way-finding and/or signage
Staff/volunteer reading information aloud
Staff/volunteer giving directions
Staff/volunteer providing guidance to help locate facilities or activities
Contact info for accessibility requests for event/programming
Is your campus wheelchair accessible?
Partially Accessible
Caregiver/Aide/PCA
No housing accommodations available
Case by case consideration by staff
Accessibility Contact Name
Ashley Page
Accessibility Contact Email
Ashley@indigoartsalliance.me
Accessibility Contact Phone Number
Please briefly describe the facilities and areas of the campus that are NOT accessible.

The second floor office

Type of Housing
No housing provided
Accessible Housing
N/A
Housing for Companion And/or Caregivers
N/A
Accessible Communal Spaces
N/A
Meals Provided
Some meals (at least 2 meals provided)
Residents have access to shared kitchen
Computer/Internet Access
Computer and internet connection provided in common area (shared)
Wireless Internet (WIFI)
Studios/Special Equipment
Private Studios
Shared Studios
Dedicated Studio/Shop Technicians - Part Time
Exhibition / Installation Space
Performance/Presentation Facilities
Fine Metals / Jewelry Making
Painting Workspace (Oil)
Easels
Drawing Benches
Printmaking Workspaces
Hot Plates
Metal Plate Shear
Paper Soaking Sinks
Paper Tearing Table
Silkscreen Studio
Light Tables
Large Sinks
Textiles Workspace
Fiber Arts Workspace
Washer And Dryer
Woodworking Tools
Wood Vises And Wood Working Table
Studios/Facilities Accessibility
Universally designed
ADA Compliant
Studio Support/Tech
Studio/facility orientation provided
Studio support provided by staff
Studio support provided by dedicated tech
Tech hours
On-call Studio support provided
Studios/facilities Details