Artborne Magazine FEBRUARY 2017 | Page 52

A Curatorial Perspective

Curating Life-Changing Experiences at a Residency by Ivan Riascos

photo by Ivan Riascos
The type of curating that happens at Atlantic Center for the Arts is quite different from the type most are familiar within the art world , where a curator selects and works on a presentation for an exhibition in the “ white cube .” The word curate , as a verb , can be found at work at ACA , but before discussing this in depth , I believe an overview of Atlantic Center for the Arts and how it operates will facilitate people ’ s understanding of how curate functions at our establishment .
ACA is an artist-in-residency program founded in 1977 in New Smyrna Beach by Doris Leeper . Our core mission is to provide artists time and space for refl ection , research , presentation , production , interdisciplinary interaction , and collaboration . Each year , ACA organizes four residencies , each lasting for a period of three weeks . The residencies are led by three invited artists who are prominent fi gures in today ’ s art culture , and work in various disciplines such as visual arts , music , literature , and performing arts — we call them “ Master Artists .” We have an open call online , with a set deadline established for people who would like to be under the mentorship of one of the three Master Artists assigned for that specifi c residency . Each Master Artist selects eight applicants from the pool of submissions . Upon acceptance , the applicants are then given the title of Associate Artist , making a total of 24 Associate Artists per residency . As an associate , you are not expected to create a fi nal project — the emphasis is on the process .
One of the defi nitions of curate is “ to pull together ,” which the ACA does initially when inviting Master Artists to our residency . The residencies are planned one to two years out , with time spent
51 researching potential Master Artists that our National Council ( artistic advisory board ) recommends . The council looks at their past work and history — curriculum vitae , statements , online presence , recommendations , and reviews — to see if they would be a good fi t for our residency program . Not only do we look at the artist ’ s accomplishments relative to our culture , but we also look for artists who communicate ideas clearly , have polished social skills , a passion for mentorship , and are of interest to potential applicants . This is one of the aspects of the evolution of each residency that is interesting ; it just falls into place . It is often a serendipitous process , but because of our set criteria , the Master Artists we have approached over the years have created a highly successful residency program .
Another defi nition of curate is “ to select .” Most residency programs have a committee that selects who will attend a residency and assign who goes with who ; at ACA , the Master Artist is assigned the sole responsibility of selecting their eight Associate Artists . The Master Artist is curating their own experience based on applicants ’ work , ideas , and discussions that are generated with the art submitted with their application — they have full ownership of the experience they create . Each Master Artist ’ s criteria varies from residency to residency ; some select based on work only , while others are also infl uenced by intent , artist statements , and bios . There have also been criteria inclusive to artists dealing in more niche areas regarding things like fi ction , prose , feminism , identity , electroacoustic music , and so forth . Once the artists have begun the residency , there is no set plan or formula , other than the fact that they are required to spend two hours
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