Coleccion Patricia Phelps de Cisneros and ICI announce 2012 curatorial travel award
www.coleccioncisneros.org
www.curatorsintl.org
The Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Travel Award for Central America and the Caribbean will annually support a contemporary art curator based anywhere in the world who wishes to travel to conduct research about art and cultural activities in Central America and the Caribbean. Intending to generate new collaborations with artists, curators, museums, cultural centers, and/or collections in the region, the Travel Award will support curatorial residencies, studio visits and archival research.
The first award will be given in honor of curator Virginia Pérez-Ratton (1950-2010) who was internationally renowned for her work with contemporary artists in Central America and the Caribbean, as well as her dedication to ensuring their practices be recognized beyond the region. Author of many influential publications and essays, and curator of numerous exhibitions and projects around the world, Pérez-Ratton was the founder of the art space, library, and foundation TEOR/éTica, and the director of the Museo de Arte y Diseño Contemporáneo de Costa Rica.
The travel period can be anywhere between 3 weeks to 3 months, and take place between March and September 2012. The grant will cover costs of up to $10,000. Independent curators and those with institutional affiliations may apply. Applications from established and emerging curators (3+ years professional experience) will be considered. The Award will support travel to either one or multiple locations in Central America and the Caribbean.
Travel can be requested to the following countries:
• Central America: Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama
• Caribbean: The Antilles, The Bahamas, Colombia (Caribbean region), and Turks and Caicos Islands.
A jury of professionals who live in, or have extensive knowledge of the region, will select the successful applicant. In addition, from the short-list of candidates, a curator will be invited for a 2 to 4 week residency at TEOR/éTica. This opportunity is designed to introduce curators to the contemporary art scene of Costa Rica through studio visits, meeting arts professionals and visiting exhibitions. Airfare, accommodations and a travel stipend will be provided by TEOR/éTica, which will also organize a public program where the curator will present their past or current projects.
As a resource complementing the Travel Award, ICI is building an online platform that provides information about the institutions, archives, collections, and cultural activities in the region, and will include accounts from the Travel Award Grantees.
For further information, visit ICI’s website or contact Chelsea Haines at chelsea@curatorsintl.org.
About the Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros
The Colección Patricia Phelps de Cisneros (CPPC) works to increase understanding and awareness of Latin America’s contributions to the history of art and ideas, and to support innovation, education, creativity, and research in the field of Latin American art. Through grants and partnerships, the CPPC also supports the professional development of Latin American artists, curators and scholars. Recent initiatives include, among others, a sponsorship to create a Curatorial Fellowship at dOCUMENTA (13) in Kassel, Germany; a partnership with Hunter College (New York) to create the Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Professor of Latin American Art; and an alliance with the Bard Graduate Center (New York) to organize the Cisneros Seminar in the Material Cultures of the Ibero-American World.
About Independent Curators International
Independent Curators International (ICI) connects emerging and established curators, artists, and institutions to forge international networks and generate new forms of collaboration through the production of exhibitions, events, publications, and curatorial training. Headquartered in New York, the organization provides public access to the people and practices that are key to current developments in curating and exhibition-making, inspiring fresh ways of seeing and contextualizing contemporary art. Since it was established in 1975, ICI has worked with over 1000 curators and 3,700 artists from 47 countries worldwide.
About TEOR/éTica
Located in San José, Costa Rica, TEOR/éTica is a non-profit, independent, private project dedicated to the investigation and promotion of contemporary art practices from Central America and the Caribbean. TEOR/éTica’s endeavors can be grouped into four major categories: exhibition production, at both national and international levels; the promotion, documentation and support of regional artists; a strong editorial project (40 bilingual publications); and the organization of conferences and symposia. Throughout its existence, TEOR/éTica has created an international cultural network and has gained recognition for generating new ways of thought. Virginia Pérez-Ratton (1950–2010), a Costa Rican curator and investigator, founded the project in 1999. After a brief hiatus, TEOR/éTica will resume its activities in February 2012.
