INTERNATIONAL ARTIST IN RESIDENCE PROGRAMME

The In-Residence Program is an exciting new addition to the National College of Arts, Lahore. The program takes as its primary goal the broad integration of the arts through residency curricula, seeking particularly to stimulate the creation and enhancement of college developments and broader curricular missions by supporting extended, multi-dimensional residencies that combine pedagogy, public presentation, and informal exchange among artists, faculty, students, the campus, and area communities.

The In-Residence program is designed to support and enhance the artistic and educational environment within the college. During their residency professional working artists and scholars will be provided studio space to carry out their own practice. Resident artists and scholars will augment the academic programs through interaction with the college community; students and faculty both, in various activities including demonstrations, workshops, and lectures.

There are three different kinds of Residencies that are currently being offered by the National College of Arts. These Residencies may vary in duration, frequency, focus, and methodology, taking a variety of forms: class visits, public lectures, and small workshops; longer-term collaborative creative projects with faculty and students; and specially-designed team-taught classes involving faculty members and a visiting artist. They may be undertaken by faculty as part of a specific class, as a concentration- or department-wide residency, or as a multi-departmental project.

The National College of Arts offers an eight-ten week artists residency for established and emerging artists to develop their work.

Artists are expected to develop a proposal of how they intend to work within the education setting and how they envisage interacting with the college community. This could include open studio practice, collaborative projects, workshops, conversations or presentations. Applicants should consider how they will communicate with the students and staff about their practice to offer students and staff authentic arts learning experiences.

This residency is intended to advance the careers of practicing artists, to prepare students as professional artists, and to strengthen awareness of the significance of applied arts.

Resident artists are expected to develop a body of work while at NCA and to be extensively involved in the education of NCA students and the NCA community. Residents must be established or emerging artists of exceptional talent who exhibit strong artistic, educational and communication skills. Specific involvement during the residency beyond each artist’s own work might include guest lecturing in a master class, giving public lectures, mentoring students, participating in college activities, and working on artist community in large.

This residency is specifically structured to expand upon the conservatory environment and collaborative atmosphere that is the cornerstone of the National College of Art’s educational experience, providing students with the opportunity to observe an artist at work and to engage in dialogue with the artist in both the studio and classroom. Through public lectures, workshops, and exhibition, the Artist-in-Residence program expands on NCA’s mission to act as a public resource center for the exchange and exploration of ideas relative to our cultural and social environment.

The National College of Arts offers a six-week artists residency to NCA Alumnae in each academic semester. The residency supports ex-students providing the time and space to reconnect with the college environment, interacting with students, faculty and staff.

Fostering creative and artistic excellence, the six-week long residency offers mid-career artists a break from their scheduled lives to focus on their work. The residency provides an opportunity for artists to undertake professional development by focusing on aspects of their practice while immersed in an educational environment. It offers opportunities to learn and share while also providing pathways for graduates to connect their practice to young people and for artists to inspire, re-connect or introduce teachers to new ideas and approaches. It offers students, staff and the college community exposure to professional contemporary artists and their work. The focus of the Alumnus residency is on demonstrating to students and staffs the artist's creative processes and practice rather than working on a specific project outcome for the college or teaching students directly.

With the aim of advancing the arts throughout NCA curricula, we are particularly interested in supporting those alumni who haven’t been able to alter their practice after their graduation from the college. The residency will provide a chance to relocate their practice and inspire them with contemporary art practices through current trends among students, staff, and faculty to progress their work in new directions. The alumni must have graduate at least four years prior to the time they apply for the residency. Alumni working in any mediums may apply. A stipend will be given to Alumni-in-residence. However living may or may not be available for this residency.

Eligibility
Application type: Open application
Collaboration: Must apply and be accepted individually
Geography: Open to National and International artists/scholars

Deadlines for applications are twice a year

15 January (for residencies in the first half of the following year)
15 July (for residencies in the second half of the following year)

There are also other possibilities outside of these standard times. When making your application please identify two times that would be suitable to your needs. To maximize interaction with academic programs, residency dates will align with the academic calendar.

The Artist-in-Residence is expected to carry out their practice while at the The National College of Arts (Lahore), present one public forum, contribute in an informal way to the undergraduate and post-graduate program and contribute to student discussion groups as requested.

NCA will provide residents

1. A stipend.
2. Complimentary housing, including utilities, for the duration of the residency
3. Access to NCA workshops and Studios
4. Use of the College Library and general amenities
5. As available and subject to venue and teaching requirements an exhibition/performance/survey in the Zahoor-ul-Aklaq Gallery or on campus spaces
6. Residents have their work featured in Quarterly NCA Newsletter

Studio: Residents have access to communal college studio facilities with ample space sharing - ceramics, wood shop, printmaking studio, darkroom, computer/print lab, drawing studios and lecture theater – all depending on location availability.

Living: NCA maintains two separate, one-bedroom fully furnished apartments with basic appliances, an internet connection. The residence is within the college hostel vicinity (2kms from the college campus, which is close to the old city). Note that the apartment has one bedroom, and the arrangement is normally for one Artists-in-Residence at a time. But the program is for artists accepted into the program, and does not include family members or guests, except by prior written agreement.

Food etc: The residency does not cover the cost of food, air travel and ground transport related to the resident arriving and departing Lahore, Pakistan. However college gives stipend on monthly basis which easily covers local transportation, food and some art supplies.

Location: The college is central to the many cultural and social destinations of old city Lahore. It is located on the mall road in a cultural and historical neighborhood. The Lahore Museum is next to the campus and its walking distance to famous Anarkali bazar.

Additional Expectations / Opportunities

Residents make art while they are here, but they also make connections, with students, with faculty and staff, and with artists they meet while their time in Lahore. We are a community committed to the pursuit of art with all that entails: invigorating challenges, bursts of creativity, the occasional dry spell, the rewards of camaraderie, and the pleasure of time to work. Residents contribute immeasurably to the College. We offer them a space, the incentive to work and a place in our community. We are also open towards the idea of offering our resident artist teaching courses in forthcoming semesters.

Applications: Applications are welcome from professional artists and scholars any time during the year. Normally, the residency is booked up to six months in advance (see deadlines above). We are especially interested in arts practitioners from all fields whose practice relates to ideas surrounding local community, particularly students, place and change.

Artists wishing to make an application should send by electronic means a 300 word proposal for their residency, that describe your plan for your time at the NCA. An A4 CV, Artist statement and as appropriate digital images of of recent work (2-4 MB jpeg, 300 dpi); or video file of performance material; or five A4 single sided samples of written material for theorists and academics.

Repercussion:

1. Artists must not be currently enrolled in any academic program
2. Artist must agree to give a public presentation during their residency.
3. Artists must devote at least on hour a day to any theory course, studio Practice, discussing students process on one on one basis or within a group.
4. Artists will donate one piece to National College at the end of the residency.

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