Studio in the Park: The Queens Museum-ArtBuilt Mobile Studio Residency

Deadline: Friday, May 15, 2015 (midnight)

The Queens Museum, in partnership with the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation and ArtBuilt,  is accepting proposals for:  Studio in the Park: The Queens Museum-ArtBuilt Mobile Studio Residency Program.  Operating in conjunction with the Museum’s artist services and community engagement programs, the Mobile Studio Residencies will provide visual artists the chance to work in a purpose-built mobile studio space situated adjacent to the Museum in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, and near a gateway park entrance with maximum public accessibility.

There are two distinct opportunities: TRACK 1: World’s Park Residency, focused on responding to specific opportunities for re-imagining park entrances and signage, in collaboration with a group of community advisors; and TRACK 2: Public Art Residency, focused on public art, socially-engaged or public-practice art-making. One artist (or collaborative duo) will be selected for each residency.

The Queens Museum-ArtBuilt Mobile Studio is 150 square feet and has electricity, air conditioning,  and internet access.  Bathrooms are available in the museum right next door.

Each artist will receive free use of the studio space for four weeks during summer 2015.  The World’s Park residency begins on June 14 and goes through  Sunday, July 12.  The Public Art Residency begins on Sunday, July 19 and ends Sunday, August 16. Additionally, each artist will receive a  stipend of $1,500.

Successful applicants must commit to working in the mobile studio a minimum of five days per week during the residency period, including at least one weekend day. Selected artists will engage the public/park visitors according to a pre-arranged schedule, and project proposals should be structured with this in mind.

Eligibility: The residency program is limited to visual artists living in New York City who are working in traditional or new media, and who meet the following guidelines:

• Artists who are working in painting, drawing, sculpture, printmaking, photography, multimedia, installation, public art, participatory and/or performance-based visual expression are eligible for this opportunity.
• Artists must be a resident of New York City—from any of the five boroughs—and must have resided in the City for at least one year prior to the application deadline. Artists must reside in NYC during the entire residency period.
• Artists may not be enrolled in a degree-seeking program, either part-time or full-time, at an institution of higher learning at the time of the application deadline or during the Fellowship year.
• Preference will be given to artists whose work includes a strong theme of social engagement, public practice and/or urban planning.

To apply to the Studio in the Park: The Queens Museum-ArtBuilt Mobile Studio Residency Program: Select which track you are interested in (you may apply for only one), and complete the on-line application by 12 midnight on Friday, May 15th 2015.

TRACK 1: World’s Park Residency
Will build on concepts generated by a group of neighborhood residents for:

• Art installations that re-imagine park entrances by reflecting local cultures
• A system of ground symbols for leading park visitors around the park

Click here for the Track 1 online application

TRACK 2: Public Art Residency
Will focus on at least one of the following:

• Public Art
• Socially-engaged art practice
• Public participation/public practice
• Urban planning/public land use

Click here for the Track 2 online application

Each application will include a Proposal of up to 500 words (see application for details), plus Supporting Materials: a PDF portfolio of 10 representative images of your visual artwork (or a link to up to 5 minutes of video), a current resume (or an experience statement of up to 500 words), and up to five pieces of critical writing about your work.

Selection: A panel of arts professionals will review applications and select residency participants.  Reviewers will include Queens Museum programming staff, ArtBuilt mobile studio staff, Parks Department public art staff, and the World’s Park community advisors (neighborhood residents actively involved in the park). Selections will be announced Friday, May 29, 2015.

Information Session: On May 3, an informal informational session will offer you a chance to meet the Studio in the Park residency organizers and get answers to any questions you may have.  The session will happen at the Queens Museum on May 3 at 12:30pm.

FAQs

Is there any chance this will be on-going? Or is this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? This is an experimental pilot project geared towards learning a how artists might benefit from a mobile studio environment, and how a mobile studio residency program might respond to a specific site. ArtBuilt is hoping to launch more mobile studios with new partners in the near future, but for the moment there are no long-term plans on behalf of the Queens Museum to offer this as an ongoing program in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

Are there other opportunities for artists? Look out for two other upcoming open calls from the Queens Museum — one for our (indoor) Studio Program and one for Queens International, our biannual exhibition of Queens artists.

How do I learn more about Flushing Meadows-Corona Park? The best way to learn about the park is to visit.  If you are the researching type, there is also a wealth of information in the Parks department page for FMCP, where you can find a 2008 document called the "Strategic Framework Plan” that contains very useful background.   For more information on NYC Parks, as well as parks rules and regulations please visit:  www.nyc.gov/parks

Is the park safe? The park sees relatively relatively little violent crime, but property crimes like theft of valuables left in cars, gym lockers, and unattended purses do sometimes occur.  The most recent NYPD statistics can be found here.  Like with all parks, we advise caution when walking the park at though isolated areas or at night.  It would not be wise to stay after dark or after the Park’s official close at 9 p.m.

How does Mobile Studio relate to the existing Queens Museum’s Studio Program?  During their residency, artists participating in the Mobile studio residency will have many of the same privileges as artists participating in Queens Museum’s (indoor) Studio Program.  This includes the ability to work with the museum’s Public Programs and Community Engagement department to help support staffing, tech, materials, and promotion for public events in and around the mobile studio related to the proposed project.  The will also be able to get advice from curatorial regarding installation plans in the studio.  Additionally they will have first priority along with other Studio Program artists for any RSVP required Open A.I.R. artist services program falling within their residency, such as dinners with curators, studio visits, limited capacity workshops.

Will the work I do here eventually go on view at the Queens Museum? This residency is focused on projects that impact the park and its public.   There will be no formal exhibition inside the Queens Museum.   However, Artist "report-back” sessions can be scheduled as a one-day event inside the museum either during or after the residency period.

Will the work I do here get publicly installed in the park? We expect artists will propose projects from the conceptual, to the event-based, to the sculptural.   For artists that are interested in actually creating a physical object to install in the Park, there will be several levels of approval that must be met (and significant requirements, like insurance, to be addressed).  4 weeks may or may not be enough time.   Keep this in mind and structure your project proposal accordingly.

Will I have 24-hour access? No. You will have access only during park opening hours: 7 days a week, sunrise to 9pm.  Museum facilities (café, larger meeting spaces) can be booked in advance with the Public Programs Department.

How’s parking? Free parking is generally available in lots on either side of the Museum on a first-come basis. However on weekend afternoons the park and most of its parking lots, including the Queens Museum lot, get very crowded. There might also be shortage of parking spaces during times when there are large events/festivals in the Museum or Park. Please keep track of park events here.  In case of difficulty parking, resident artists can make arrangements with Museum Security to access private parking areas if available.

Can I weld stuff, set things on fire, get naked, sleep overnight?   No, don’t do any of these things. Keep in mind that you must adhere to all park rules and regulations (for example, no smoking in the mobile studio).   Additionally, you cannot have toxic materials, oil paints, open flames, or heavy equipment.  However, on a case by case basis, Queens Museum can grant access to the use of its wood shop.

Is the studio wheelchair accessible? Unfortunately, the studio is not yet wheelchair accessible.