Digital Artist Residency in Twillingate (DART) August 2019 St
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Digital Artist Residency in Twillingate (DART) August 2019 St. John’s, NL Prepared by: Eleanor Dawson, Cultural Consultant [email protected] / 709.325.7839 Prepared for: Grow Twillingate Inc. Table of Contents Executive Summary 1 Background 2 What is Digital Art 2 Digital Artist Residencies 3 Twillingate 4 Role of Arts in Growing Communities 4 A Model for a Digital Arts Residency in Twillingate 4 DART Management Model 6 Engagement with the Arts Community: Outreach and Potential Partners 7 Community Engagement 10 Financial Model 12 Fundraising 12 Budget 14 General Recommendations 15 Appendix A: Digital Artist Residency Sample Contract 16 Appendix B: Contact information 20 I. Executive Summary Grow Twillingate Inc. is a not-for-profit organization established to develop initiatives that develop and strengthen the economy of Twillingate and surrounding areas with a particular focus on events that benefit the digital arts sector. The cornerstone project of Grow Twillingate Inc. is the Unscripted Twillingate Digital Arts Festival. Following four successful festivals, Grow Twillingate Inc. is now exploring the feasibility of establishing a digital artist residency program as an extension of the festival. The first phase of this initiative consisted of field research, while phase two (this report) focuses on a model suited for Twillingate. There is no single formula for establishing a successful artist residency program; however, the program should be designed in a way that is cognizant of the needs and sensitivities of all parties involved. Based on a review of the research; a series of in-depth interviews with managers of residency programs, arts practitioners, digital providers, provincial and federal agencies, industry associations and funding agencies; and the objectives outlined by Grow Twillingate Inc., the following is recommended as a model for Twillingate. Grow Twillingate Inc. will award two residencies annually for periods of up to two - three months to run concurrently. Artists will be provided with studio space, comfortable housing, a stipend and assistance with travel costs. Some basic materials will be provided; however, participants will be responsible for bringing specific tools and materials as needed. As part of the residency, artists will be expected to complete a project to be presented at the annual festival and to engage with the community. This engagement will be determined in consultation with the artist but can include such activities as an open studio, youth camps, artist talks, and workshops. Artists utilizing digital technology will be invited to apply. Examples of digital arts/media can include but will not be limited to: video, animation, digital photography, interactive gaming platforms, virtual reality experiences, video-mapping, site-specific apps, and internet-based works. Emphasis will be placed on the importance of immersion in the local culture. The residency will be open to local, national and international artists and will support emerging as well as established artists. Year one of DART will be presented as a pilot project designed to evaluate feasibility, time, cost, and unexpected adverse events. This will allow careful monitoring of the program in order to set the groundwork for an expanded program in subsequent years and increase the likelihood of sustainability in the long term. Success of this project will depend on developing a clearly defined mandate that provides the necessary support and regulation, the ability and willingness to work collaboratively with other festivals, arts organizations, and institutions, and ensuring meaningful engagement with the local as well as the professional communities. 1 II. Background Grow Twillingate Inc. is a not-for-profit organization established to develop community arts initiatives that grow the economy of Twillingate and surrounding areas with a particular focus on events that benefit the community. The cornerstone project of Grow Twillingate Inc. is the Unscripted Twillingate Digital Arts Festival (“Unscripted Twillingate”). Established in 2015, the festival offers four days of digital creativity through interactive workshops and content creation, while adventuring on Twillingate Island and sharing and celebrating the best digital creativity of the week. Atlantic Canada’s first digital arts festival, Unscripted Twillingate has garnered local and national attention in its short life and has become a mainstay on the Newfoundland and Labrador annual festival calendar. Grow Twillingate Inc. would like to explore establishing a digital artist residency program as an extension of its festival with the following objectives: • Establish a program that supports the Central Newfoundland focus on growing artistic experiences in the region. • Create innovative digital art that will form a part of the digital arts exhibit during the festival. • Establish a body of creative work that is associated with Twillingate as a destination and encourages creative travel. • Create legacy pieces of art that become an attraction in Twillingate or an online promotion for Twillingate. • Provide opportunities to the local community, including students, to engage in and enjoy innovative art. A recent field study of three digital artist residency programs in North America indicates there is a rich diversity of programs, from small grassroots initiatives to large, fully resourced programs such as the Banff Centre, and from rural to urban-based. Based on these observations, there appears no significant barrier that would prevent Twillingate from becoming a successful location for an artist residency program. This report will focus on a model best suited for Twillingate and will address: • How will the program function within the community? • How will the program be managed? • What resources will be required? • What resources are available? • How will the program complement the other activities of the host organization? • How will the local community be engaged to ensure a successful outcome? III. What is Digital Art? Digital art is work created with digital technology and/or presented using digital technology. It is a method of art-making that lends itself to a multimedia format because there is the potential for 2 it to be viewed on multiple platforms. In short, digital art is the merger of art with technology that allows new approaches and methods to creating art. It can also be a meld of disciplines (programming, animation, music, photography, design, multimedia, etc.), and while Unscripted Twillingate has explored pure digital art forms such as digital photography and digital music, the festival has not ventured into the exciting world of digital art programs that are cross-platform. It is clear from the research phase of this initiative that there is no simple and generally shared understanding of what digital arts is—it is emerging and changing. Unscripted Twillingate can not only be a part of this conversation, it can offer its own unique rural voice. IV. Artist Residency Programs An artist residency program invites artists to apply for time and space away from their home environment to allow for reflection, discovery, and the creation of new work. There is no single model, and the expectations and requirements vary greatly. The relationship between the resident artist and the host organization is an important aspect of any residency program. Sometimes residents are expected to become closely involved in the community, giving presentations and workshops, while others are offered a more solitary experience with more time for the artist to focus on their own practice. For the host organization, inviting artists from different cultural and professional backgrounds can lead to long-lasting relationships involving wider networks of international artists and cultural organizations. In addition to the benefits to the host organization, creative stimulation within the region can occur. With committed and united planning, an artist residency program can become a one-of-a-kind experience that continues to blossom long after the residency itself has ended. Although there is no single formula for establishing a successful artist residency program, the program should be designed in such a way that it addresses the needs and sensitivities of all parties involved. General considerations include: • Length of residency • Contractual agreement between the artist and the host (see Appendix A for a sample) • Artist living and studio space • Artist stipend for living expenses • If, and where, art produced during the residency will be displayed • The extent and shape of community involvement • Relationship between the residency and other host initiatives (i.e., Unscripted Twillingate) Residencies are incubators for productivity, as well as opportunities for forging relationships and finding inspiration. As with most aspects of the art world, “one-size-fits-all” is not a term that can be applied. A residency program should be tailored to the needs and expectations of the host organization, as well as to the social and geographic character of the region. 3 V. Twillingate Twillingate is a town of approximately 2,400 people located on the Twillingate Islands in Notre Dame Bay off the north eastern shore of Newfoundland, Canada. The town is about 100 km (62 mi) north of Lewisporte and Gander and is connected by a series of bridges and causeways creating one of the province’s most scenic routes. It is one of the oldest ports in the province but since the decline of the fishery, the