E | MERGE Interdisciplinary Arts Exchange

February 3 - 13, 2011

E | MERGE encourages cross-disciplinary collaboration by forging new creative relationships. Skill sharing, collaboration, shared resources, and experimentation between forms will bridge known and unknown territories.

E|MERGE 2011: INVITATION TO APPLY
APPLICATION DEADLINE EXTENDED: Sept 15, 2010

Dear ARTIST,

You are invited to apply for the second annual E|MERGE Interdisciplinary Artist Residency. E|MERGE encourages cross-disciplinary collaboration toward forging new creative relationships, skill sharing, collaboration, and shared resources that bridge known and unknown territories.

Last year's residency spawned a large number of continued creative relationships resulting in a healthy handful of projects. At the residency itself projects ranged from the heavenly vocal tones of an unexpected musical quartet; a dance-theater project that premiered the following month in New York City; large scale group improvisations and happenings; a film; a site-specific dance/music/poetry/theater performance for one viewer at a time in a remote cabin in the woods; a photo shoot and participatory installation in a kitchen; a video installation in a library loft; an interactive dance (in the snow & lights) /vocal installation (in the studio), connecting the inside/outside worlds… and more.

After this thoroughly inspiring and highly successful first year we have decided to experiment with a number of different collaborative models for the 2011 residency. Details regarding different application options are in the application.

What Earthdance can offer you:

• Working/ Performance spaces
• Including 2 large and beautiful dance studios with sprung maple floors and radiant heating.
• A smaller upstairs studio space; a number of cabin's and other spaces ideal for installations; video/sound editing locations, and unconventional performance spaces.
• The great outdoors: more than 125 acres of (snow-covered) meadow and forest for art-making or respite.
• Highly-skilled peer group for inspiration and collaboration.
• An optional pre-residency web-based creative ricochet. This format creates a familiarity and a shared source pool for collaboration.
• Do you need dancers/actors/models for your work? We will help coordinate a call for local artists for you.
• Structured lab time for feedback and experimentation
• A weekend of workshops and labs led by you and your artist peers
• 3 vegetarian meals / day
• A wood-stove sauna nestled in the woods

What Earthdance expects of the artists:

• There will be a workshop/ lab weekend open to the general public the first weekend of the E | MERGE residency. Some residency artists will be invited to teach or co-teach one 2-3 hr. workshop. This workshop can be working with any material the artist is interested in, already working on, researching, or just wants to investigate in this context. Our hope is that artists will take advantage of this time for creative research, engaging the public directly with your current exploration and curiosity.
• Participation fee: $175 for the 10-day residency, to assist with administration, food, & housing expenses. We encourage artists to solicit private sponsors, and will happily offer any letters or other supplemental materials to support your fundraising efforts.
• Travel costs to and from Earthdance, are not paid by Earthdance, so selected artists will need to budget accordingly.
• A public presentation of a work-in-progress, at the culmination of the residency.

If you feel that this situation is a good match for you and your work at this time, AND you are available February 3-13, 2011 to participate,

Please fill out the application, and submit it by September 1, 2010, to: krista@earthdance.net

or

Earthdance, 252 Prospect St., Plainfield, MA 01070

We will then consider you within the pool of applicants, as we create the team of artists/ companies who will attend.

You will be notified of the results by October 1, 2010.

Thank you in advance for your time, and we look forward to hearing from you! If you're unable to accept our invitation to apply, please check out our ongoing Artist Residency Program, and other ways to be here at EARTHDANCE ( http://earthdance.net/waystobe ) in the future.

Sincerely,

the E | MERGE curatorial team

Karen Bernard
Melinda Buckwalter
Daniel Bear Davis
Krista DeNio