Visual Studies Workshop Project Space Residency

 

Visual Studies Workshop

 

Photolucida is pleased to partner with Visual Studies Workshop (Rochester, New York) to give a six-week residency to one artist from this year’s Critical Mass program. When jurying is completed in the fall, one artist will be selected from the Critical Mass finalists’ roster and invited to participate in the residency. The residency offers artists six glorious weeks of uninterrupted creative time. We’re thrilled to offer an award that will have such a lasting, positive impact.

Visual Studies Workshop’s mission is to support makers and interpreters of images through education, publications, exhibitions, and collections. It was founded in 1969 by photographer, writer, curator, and educator Nathan Lyons. Over the past 40 years, VSW has produced hundreds of exhibitions, over 450 artists’ books and resource titles, maintained the publication Afterimage, housed collections with over a million images, and offered residencies to hundreds of artists.

The Project Space is VSW’s gallery and studio workspace for artists working in photography, visual books, and moving images. Artists selected for residency at VSW receive six weeks in the Project Space, access to the collections and production labs at the VSW, assistance from staff, a $600 stipend, and a nearby studio apartment for the duration.

The Project Space provides artists the opportunity to experiment with new work and new display strategies, and to have discussions with the community about works in-progress. At the conclusion of their time in the Project Space, artists take part in a public presentation and conversation with selected writers, curators, historians, and intellectuals from other disciplines about the ideas and strategies presented in the newly developed work.

The late artist and longtime friend of VSW, Rick McKee Hock, established the Project Space model. His contribution is honored in this video by some of the artists who participated in the residency during the first year of the program. It’s a great snapshot of the residency experience.

Learn more about the Visual Studies Workshop and check out their vibrant Instagram page.

Interested in submitting your work to Critical Mass? There’s still time! Entry is currently open. Get your work in the conversation this year! Learn more.