Boston AIR 2.0 Call - RFQ
City of Boston Artist Residency
Release: Tuesday June 21, 2016
Deadline: Sunday July 24, 2016
The , Boston Centers for Youth & Families (BCYF), and the Mayor’s Office of New Urban Mechanics invite artists to apply to Boston AIR to become one of ten artists-in-residence at the City of Boston. This second year of Boston AIR expands the size of the artist cohort, increases the length of the residencies, and grounds each residency at Boston Centers for Youth & Families, through their community centers and core, citywide initiatives, such as the BCYF Streetworker Program, youth summer programs, and leadership development for young women.
Through Boston AIR, artists are supported as agents of reflection, collaboration, and activism, whether through process-oriented practice, direct community engagement, or as leaders of systemwide change projects at BCYF and other City agencies. Ten artists will be invited to study and expand their own civic and social practice, alongside a parallel cohort from ten BCYF community centers and other City employees who will explore methods to incorporate artistic social practice into government and community work. Both the artist and City cohorts will share examples of their work, attend master workshops and lectures by guest artists, and have opportunities to exchange ideas and co-design proposals.
Each artist will be awarded a $22,500 stipend for a nine-month-long residency to develop and test ways that creative approaches can meaningfully impact the work of the public sector and society at large. Each artist will be paired with one of ten designated BCYF community centers and provided a studio space at that center.
The mission of Boston Centers for Youth & Families is to enhance the quality of life of Boston’s residents by partnering with various organizations to offer a wide range of comprehensive programs and activities according to neighborhood needs and interests. BCYF’s ACES programming framework (arts, civic engagement, education, and sports and fitness) is designed to provide access to these programs at every BCYF center. Through Boston AIR, BCYF hopes to expand their arts and civic engagement programs.
The City of Boston cohort includes representatives from BCYF, and may also include representatives from the following departments:Commission on Affairs of the Elderly, Mayor's Office for Immigrant Advancement, Mayor's Commission for Persons with Disabilities,Department of Neighborhood Development, Boston Transportation Department, Public Works Department, the Mayor’s Office of Recovery Services, the Boston Police Department, Boston Public Schools, the , and the Mayor’s Office.
ELIGIBILITY
Artists working in all media are encouraged to apply; however, seasoned artists with organizational experience and firsthand knowledge of cultures and communities in Boston are preferred. Selected artists should be prepared to attend ten workshops over the course of the residency. At the first meeting in October, artists are expected to give a six-minute presentation on their practice. Selected artists will also be invited to attend and participate in lectures and events throughout the year and must present at two scheduled public forums at minimum.
PROJECT VISION
Mayor Martin J. Walsh envisions this project, concurrent with the release of the City’s cultural plan, Boston Creates, as an opportunity to support Boston artists and integrate artists into the development and implementation of government practices and policies. Last fall, Mayor Walsh launched the City’s first artist-in-residence program. Ten artists and twelve City departments participated in a series of workshops in collaboration with Massachusetts College of Art and Design over the course of the fall. From that cohort,