North Adams – Last year, Luiza Folegatti was an artist in residence at The Studios at MASS MoCA, where she was working on a photography project documenting immigrant families. Folegatti, a native of Brazil, had recently moved to the area, and the residency program was offering welcome time and space for her creative practice. As the Executive Assistant at the Berkshire Immigrant Center, Folegatti is well-versed in the experiences of immigrants on a personal, creative, and professional level.
At the same time as Folegatti’s residency, the staff of The Studios were in conversation about how they could best support immigrant and refugee artists. The Studios, whose residency program is helmed by Carolina Porras Monroy, reached out to Folegatti for her help building a new residency. The resulting program, dubbed the Iris Residency, is a collaboration between the Berkshire Immigrant Center, along with The Studios at MASS MoCA.
The Iris Residency is designed specifically for foreign-born artists and artists who identify as first and second generation Americans. Through the combined efforts and resources of The Studios at MASS MoCA and The Berkshire Immigrant Center, this program gives a unique opportunity to an underserved group of artists. In the pilot year of this program, two selected applicants will spend February 2023 at The Studios at MASS MoCA.
In designing this program, Follegatti and Porras Monroy set out to meet applicants where they are at. Information for applicants is available not only in English, but also in Spanish, and Portuguese. The application is simple and straightforward, requiring only a sample of work and a letter describing the applicant’s artistic interests and hopes for the residency. The organizers are excited about artistic work that is broader than what might be traditionally seen in museums. For example, Follegatti said that the art of creating or replicating traditional clothing would be welcome in this residency.
“Artists residencies totally changed my life,” said Porras Monroy. “I’m definitely a firm believer that there’s an artist residency for all different kinds of creatives.”
The Residency is accompanied by a robust set of benefits, including a living and food/materials stipend totaling $1,200, a private studio space, housing for one person, and a daily communal meal. In addition, residents will have one year of access to Assets for Artists Business Webinars (in English and occasionally in Spanish), three months of MASS MoCA member benefits, and optional one-on-one mentorship.
Unique to the Iris Residency, artists will also have the opportunity to access all of the resources of The Berkshire Immigrant Center throughout their residency. The Berkshire Immigrant Center (BIC) provides legal services, English classes, and citizenship classes to immigrants throughout the region. BIC offers services that range from education on legal rights to information on enrolling children in school. As participants in the Iris Residency, artists will have the option to consult with the BIC to meet their unique needs.
The deadline to apply for the residency is Thursday, September 15, and there is no application fee. The organizers emphasize that they are open to all sorts of project proposals, and artists need not have a fully outlined plan or a concrete project idea.
“If people are contemplating ‘hmm, should I do this?’ Then they definitely should apply,” said Porras Monroy. And, those interested should “encourage people in their community to think about it too.”
