Indigo Mentorship Residency Program
Deadline: Ongoing
About the residency: The Mentorship Residency Program at Indigo Arts Alliance in Portland, Maine, brings together artists from diverse backgrounds of the African Diaspora to engage in their creative processes while building lasting relationships rooted in co-mentorship. The program pairs a National or International artist with a Local/Regional artist to foster rich conversations, collaborations, and exchanges of experiences, knowledge, and technical skills. Artists are encouraged to work independently but are expected to dedicate 8–10 hours weekly to joint activities, including community engagement and collaborative projects. The residency provides 24-hour access to a flexible 3,000-square-foot community studio equipped for various disciplines. Visiting Artists are provided with private housing within walking distance of the studio.
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:
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, Southeast Asian/Indian African Ocean World, the Middle East, and the Pacific Rim.
Residents should have 2+ years of exhibition and/or studio experience.
Artists must present a sustained commitment to their practice, risk-taking, and clear concepts and creative methodologies that advance artistic expression.
Artists must demonstrate a relationship with the communities in which they live, work, or care about.
Applicants must be 21+ at the time of the proposed residency.
Artists of all disciplines are encouraged (Painting, sculpture, illustration, writing, dance, music, theater/performance, photography, fiber/textiles, etc).
Applicants cannot be enrolled in a full-time academic program at the time of the residency.
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.
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.
