Call for artists from MN for Anderson Center’s new First Step Public Artist Residency Program

February 15, 2021 application deadline for a May 2021 residency 

The Anderson Center for Interdisciplinary Studies in Red Wing, Minnesota invites public artists, cultural producers, or social practitioners living and working within the state of Minnesota to apply to the organization’s new First Step Public Artist Residency. This program is an opportunity for one Minnesota artist to deepen their practice in storytelling, cultural arts organizing, and collaborative community engagement while serving as a catalyst for social action & relationship building in rural Red Wing, MN. Applications to participate in the 4-week residency in May 2021 are due at 11:59 p.m. CST on Monday, February 15, 2021.

Acknowledging that an intentional process and cooperative approach are the foundation, or first step, of transformational public art & placemaking projects, this program aims to help shape a “community-first” method to public art so that community members feel more connected to one another across difference, and to Red Wing as a place, in our changing environment. Thanks to support from the Minnesota State Arts Board, the selected artist will receive a $4,500 artist stipend, a $2,000 budget for production & engagement, documentation support, a travel honorarium, lodging & studio space, groceries, and chef-prepared dinners.

Based at the Anderson Center’s historic Tower View campus, a venerable research-and-development lab for the arts rooted in an expansive natural setting, and taking place within Red Wing, a vibrant rural community along the Mississippi River, the First Step Public Artist Residency Program is an ideal fit for a Minnesota artist whose practice demonstrates exceptional cultural competency, an emphasis on process, and the ability build authentic long-term relationships.

The Anderson Center’s goal is for connections made between the participating Minnesota artist and community members, key stakeholders, creatives, neighbors, civic leaders, City officials, and others within Red Wing to outlast the duration of the residency period. The organization believes this engagement-driven residency program has the potential to serve as the first step in a longer-term process, led by the artist and the community, of creating meaningful and impactful public art & placemaking projects.

The application deadline for the Anderson Center’s 2021 First Step Public Artist Residency Program is 11:59 p.m. CST on Monday, February 15, 2021. Complete program guidelines are available at andersoncenter.org. Eligible artists must submit their application online via theandersoncenter.submittable.com.

Jury review will take place in late February and early March. Applicants will be notified by March 4 at the latest as to the status of their application. A phone interview process with finalists will take place in late March following a second round of jury review. Selected artist residents, wait-list and runners-up will be notified by April 5, 2021.

Contact Development Director & Residency Coordinator Adam Wiltgen for more information: 651-388-2009 x4 or adam@andersoncenter.org.

This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a Creative Support for Organizations grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.