AMP: Artists' Meeting Place and Resource Collective

from Franklin Furnace

SSB AWAY CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
ABIQUIU, NEW MEXICO and TUSCANY, ITALY

SSB AWAY provides crucial time and space for artists to step away from career demands and public scrutiny. To play with and explore emerging, unfamiliar, messy or mysterious aspects of their practices and open to new ideas, processes, theories, dreams, and artistic experiments. Retreat residences offer artists the agency to leave their habitual surroundings—to rest and inhabit a nourishing space of creative sanctuary where solitude, access to nature, and multivalent privacy abound. SSB offers residencies in Abiquiu, New Mexico and Podere Malabiccia, Tuscany, Italy.

The residencies are entirely self-directed. The resident must be self-sufficient and comfortable with solitude. Materials about the region will be provided in advance. However, it is up to each individual to structure their time, shop and prepare meals, and make arrangements for transportation and activities beyond the retreat location. Airfare and car rental are not included. You may only apply for one specific residency. Due to Covid-19 travel restrictions and for the safety of residents and hosts, dates are subject to change. Currently residents in the US are not able to travel to Italy but may apply with this proviso.

PLAZA BLANCA | ABIQUIU | NEW MEXICO

TWO RESIDENCIES
June 6–20, 2021
July 18–August 1, 2021

In a rugged desert environment in Northern New Mexico, SSB AWAY offers a two-week residency at Plaza Blanca (“the white place”), memorialized in countless paintings by Georgia O’Keeffe. The mesa is a space of deep solitude, silence, and emptiness—offering artists an ideal location to retreat, rest, recreate, and dream in the midst of pristine enchanted landscapes. Petroglyphs and pictograms abound, testament to a continuum of millennial history. The Genízaro village of Abiquiu (where Georgia O’Keeffe’s home is located), Ghost Ranch, Abiquiu Lake, and nine northern pueblos are nearby.

On a remote mesa with spectacular views, the two-story casita on several acres of land includes a fully equipped kitchen and dining table, small light-filled living room with sofa and chairs, wood burning stove, desk, large second-story bedroom, full bath, and patio with outdoor seating. Extensive natural light and pristine natural environments abound.

Please note that Plaza Blanca is at a high elevation (6,000+ feet) and may not be suitable for everyone. Applicants should take into account the retreat’s unique circumstances and historic location. The casita is surrounded by vast open space, but its small size offers limited indoor workspace.

Eligibility: Writers, visual artists, composers, musicians, performance artists, architects, designers, curators, and art workers of any kind—as well as activists, thought leaders, spiritual teachers, and others working to foster mutual respect and understanding. Preference will be given to mid-career artists and those seasoned in their chosen field. Students are not eligible.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: January 15, 2021
ANNOUNCEMENT DATE: March 1, 2021
To Apply

PODERE MALABICCIA | TUSCANY, ITALY
TWO RESIDENCIES
May 15–June 15, 2021
October 15–November 15, 2021

On a 40-acre working olive oil farm just outside the tiny hamlet of Petroio, Some Serious Business and artist Carey Maxon offer artists a tranquil sanctuary: a small stone cottage set in the heart of the sensory delights of Tuscan country life. From this charming cottage artists have the opportunity for creative exploration in any direction.

Tuscany’s iconic Val d’Orcia is a landscape of inspiration and wonderment. Unforgettable rolling hills; exceptional vistas, churches and towns; Piero della Francesca frescoes; romantic labyrinths of stone walls and walking paths; and deep, soulful culinary traditions make it an extraordinary destination. Petroio’s charming main road spirals up to an ancient hilltop town where 200 residents continue the vital and timeless traditions of rural Italian village life. It is here that the villagers invented the classic artistic design and technology of the archetypical terra cotta pot. The farm is 20 minutes north of Pienza—a jewel of Renaissance architecture and a UNESCO Heritage site.

Applicants should take into account the retreat’s unique circumstances and historic location. Due to the limited size of the casina, applicants should also keep in mind that while the cottage is surrounded by a garden and 40-acre farm, this residency offers little indoor workspace.

Eligibility: Writers and Composers. Preference will be given to mid-career artists and those seasoned in their field.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: January 15, 2021
ANNOUNCEMENT DATE: March 1, 2021
To Apply

For further information, email info@someseriousbusiness.org