In 2020, Erie Arts & Culture received a special grant from the Erie Community Foundation to launch a visiting artist residency program. To implement this program, Erie Arts & Culture partnered with Jacksonville-based Long Road Projects, a non-profit arts organization that has successfully administered a residency program in Northeast Florida since 2016.
Through this program, Erie Arts & Culture and Long Road Projects provide contemporary artists with dedicated time and space to reflect, research, and create new bodies of work – outside of their usual environments. This program also creates opportunities for new perspectives and creative processes to be shared, which in turn positively impacts the cultural and creative landscape in Northwestern Pennsylvania.
Presently, the residency program is by invitation only. Erie Arts & Culture and Long Road Projects have a concentrated focus on rising voices in the contemporary art community, artists who are exploring new mediums and processes through their work, and artists who are actively making work that is relevant to the present time and is intended to promote a deeper understanding of the human condition. Artists are expected to be able to demonstrate a clear ability to communicate both their processes and the ideas that fuel their work.
During their residencies, artists are provided with direct opportunities to explore Erie County and Northwestern Pennsylvania, examine the region’s built and natural environment, interact with local industry, engage with the cultural community, and access educational institutions. Artists in residence also imprint on the local community through a variety of engagement opportunities, including studio visits, exhibitions and presentation of work, public lectures, and demonstrations/master classes.
Learn more about our 2020 Visiting Artists here
Learn more about our 2021 Visiting Artists here