Mudhouse Residency
Mudhouse Residency
The Mudhouse Residency is an artist residency program designed to provide a cultural immersion; with the local community of a unique Cretan mountain village, with the rich historical context of the ancient Minoan civilization, and with the isolation and inspiration the natural environment and location provides.
Contemporary artists have the opportunity to enrich their professional practice with largely forgotten labors of traditional artisans and craftspeople of Crete, combining historical methods and mediums with present day techniques and materials. Inspiration is provided by the uncommon context of the residency; in an almost abandoned mountain village the ruins play an important role in the artistic expression of the artists-in-residence. In return, the residency brings life to the village, supporting the local community and allowing for communication and collaboration.
The residency is inclusive to a variety of artistic disciplines, with the facilities to accommodate studio artists, printmakers, fiber artists, ceramicists, photographers, filmmakers, writers, choreographers and composers. We will be offering residency specific workshops in eco-friendly processes and traditional materials such as sourcing botanical inks, papermaking, creating artists’ books, printmaking, ceramics, loom weaving and traditional Cretan dances. The residency also provides artists who don’t require the use of a studio with the time and structure to focus on a non-studio based project.
420 East 64th Street
#E 10B
New York, NY 10065
United States
Residency Program Information
Residency Program Summary
Application Information
The Mudhouse Residency is inclusive to a variety of artistic disciplines, with the facilities to accommodate studio artists, printmakers, fiber artists, ceramicists, photographers, filmmakers, writers, choreographers and composers. For studio artists our facilities include 24 hour access to a shared studio space in the heart of the village. One dancer/ choreographer will be provided use of a separate practice space with athletic flooring. The Music house concert hall/ grand piano is available to one composer-in-residence per session.
We will have three sessions the Summer of 2023: June 12- June 26, July 2 - July 16 and July 21 - August 4. We are accepting 14 artists for each session this summer.
The application process is free and open to all. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Artists must apply through our website: http://www.mudhouseresidency.com/apply. The next deadline to apply is February 15, 2023. Artists will be notified of the selection committee's decision by March 15, 2023.
Partners/ Collaborators must apply separately.
The residency fee also includes accommodations for each resident with a private bedroom and shared kitchen, two group meals each day, arranged meetings with visiting curators and professionals, equipment and staff support, and session specific workshops and excursions to places of interest on Crete. In this time of inflation, the actual cost of our residencies has risen exponentially. Through the generosity of individual donors and foundation partners, Mudhouse Residency is able to significantly reduce the fee of each residency. The reduced fee is €2400 for two weeks (€4300 without funding).
The Mudhouse Residency will also offer three Fellowships this year that will cover the full cost of the residency and are awarded through a competitive, juried process. Fellowships are based on merit and are available to any artist that demonstrates financial need. We want to support emerging and underrepresented artists who may not otherwise have the chance to attend.
To be considered for a Fellowship, you must fill out the 2023 Fellowship Application.
The Selection Committee for Fellowship Review will be headed by Ermanno Rivetti, Associate Director of Mendes Wood Gallery, Brussels.
Accessibility
The village of Agios Ioannis is not wheelchair accessible. It is a 600 year old village built on the side of a mountain in rural Crete, and there are many steps and stairs throughout. Our program provides communication before arrival to discuss accommodations, medical conditions, or other health needs and an orientation upon arrival. We provide staff to read information aloud, give directions, and offer guidance to help locate facilities or activities upon the artists' arrivals.
The weather is typically warm during the day, and cooler at night. It is not unusual for temperatures to reach 40 degrees Celsius (or higher) during the day (about 95- 100 degrees Fahrenheit). None of the accommodations or studios are equipped with air conditioning, but many of the residences are built with thick adobe-like walls that keep the rooms inside cool. We are requiring artists to provide proof of vaccination for Covid before arriving. Artists with limited mobility, an aversion to heat, or a compromised immune system are discouraged from attending.
Housing & Accomodation
Artists are accommodated in houses and apartments within the village. Each artist will have their own private bedroom, and may share a bathroom and kitchen with another artist. Linens are provided and laundry facilities are available, and the accommodations are professionally cleaned on a regular basis. Agios Ioannis has a large international community, with residents from Italy, France, England, and mainland Greece. Each residence was rebuilt from the ruins of the original stone village to the specific taste of the owner, and no two residences are alike. To navigate the village, artists must be able to climb stairs and tolerate heat and sunlight. Artists' workspace needs will be taken into account when determining accommodations. Most accommodations do not include Wifi, although Wifi is accessible at the taverna.
Guests are not permitted during the residency session, but arrangements may be made for artists and guests that wish to stay additional days before or after the session. Pets are not allowed and smoking is not permitted inside the homes or studios.
Meals are served family style at the Kafenio, a traditional Cretan taverna, with a brunch at 12pm and a dinner at 7pm. The taverna offers an excellent sampling of Cretan cuisine; fresh fruits and vegetables from Christina’s garden, homemade sweet and savory pastries, in addition to her daily specials and entrees, locally produced red and white wine, and the local "moonshine" raki. Accommodations can be made for allergies and specific dietary restrictions, if notified in advance. Artists who wish to have coffee/ tea, biscuits, fruit, snacks, drinks and wine/ beer may purchase groceries upon their arrival, as well as a week into the residency.
Studio & Facilities
The Mudhouse studio is a 1,000 sq. foot shared, open facility, with dedicated, individual workspaces within; including a table, chair, easel and wall space, if desired. The studio is available to the artists 24/7, with electric outlets and electric lighting. There are windows with screens on three sides, it is bright with natural light and airy. The Mudhouse also offers the use of the practice space with athletic flooring to one dancer/ choreographer in residence, and the use of the grand piano to one musician/ composer in residence, per session. Writers are housed in accommodations with access to a writing/ work space, they may also use the Mudhouse gardens as work space.
We will be offering residency specific workshops in 16MM filmmaking, eco-processing, sourcing botanical inks, papermaking, artists’ books, printmaking, ceramics, fiber arts and weaving. We have the facilities for an alternative processes darkroom, relief printmaking, paper making, ceramics firing and loom weaving.
The Mudhouse is pleased to host a reading, screening or viewing of works in progress as desired. Artists are invited to present a slideshow, lecture or reading on their work for fellow residents, as well as participate in a closing exhibition at the Residency’s conclusion that will be installed jointly in the ruins around the village and the exhibition space.
