The Visiting Artists Program brings internationally acclaimed artists to engage with MIT’s creative community in ways that are mutually enlightening for the artists and faculty, students, and research staff at the Institute. The program welcomes nominations from MIT departments, labs and centers, but does not accept self-nominations from individual artists.
Tomas Saraceno is Inaugural Visiting Artist in Newly Established Center for Art, Science & Technology.
(Press release, 9/05/12)
Application Guidelines
The deadline for 2014-15 proposals is March 29, 2013
Send to: Leila Kinney and Meg Rotzel
Cross-disciplinary collaborations among departments, significant contact with students and a public presentation are essential components of the program. The Visiting Artists Program provides funds to bring artists to MIT for short exploratory visits or for longer periods during the academic year. Exploratory visits are encouraged to seed projects and familiarize artists with the Institute and potential collaborators. The program is not designed for academic appointments or long-term residencies.
The International Scholars Office determines visa requirements for non-US citizens and requires an additional 3 months of lead-time after the Committee approves an application and before the residency can be scheduled. Contact the Producer of Artists in Residence for further information about international applications. Applicants are encouraged to develop multiple funding sources.
Applications must be submitted by a MIT faculty member or head of a sponsoring unit. Head(s) of sponsoring units must sign off on applications before submission to familiarize them with potential logistical, staff and facility commitments. Calls for proposals are considered twice a year by the Visiting Artists Committee, appointed by Philip Khoury, Associate Provost, and chaired by Leila Kinney, Executive Director of Arts Initiatives. Sponsoring units collaborate with Meg Rotzel, Producer of Artists in Residence and Public Programs, to create visits that take advantage of MIT’s distinctive culture of creativity, experimentation and research.
2012-2013 Visiting Artists Committee
• John Durant, Director, MIT Museum
• Renée Green, Director, Program in Art, Culture and Technology (ACT)
• Paul Ha, Director, List Visual Arts Center
• Stefan Helmreich, Elting E. Morison Professor of Anthropology
• Leila W. Kinney, Executive Director of Arts Initiatives, Chair
• Meg Rotzel, Producer of Artists in Residence and Public Programs, Office of the Arts
• Jay Scheib, Associate Professor of Theater Arts
• Niko Vicario, PhD candidate, History, Theory and Criticism of Architecture and Art
• Meejin Yoon, Associate Professor of Architecture
• Evan Ziporyn, Kenan Sahin Distinguished Professor of Music
Budget
Support up to $30,000 may be allocated, depending upon the artist, the duration of the visit and the elements of the residency. Departments and units are encouraged to augment budgets with other funds. Final budgets and programs will be finalized in consultation with the Executive Director of Arts Initiatives and the Producer of Artists in Residence, and in collaboration with sponsoring units.
Funds may be used towards
• Honorarium
• Travel
• Housing
• Per diem
• Materials for research and production
• Funds for student involvement (workshops, events)
• Receptions and meals for the MIT community
Proposals
All projects will be reviewed by taking into consideration the goals of the sponsoring units and the profiles of individual artists or groups. We encourage proposals to address the following aspects of the residency:
• How will a residency benefit the artist?
• How likely is it that true collaborations will result from these residencies?
• How will fields of inquiry be advanced by the residency?
• How will students benefit from the residency?
• Which meetings will take place with key MIT community members?
• What kind of public event (lecture, performance, workshop, screening, etc) will be presented?
Proposals must include the following information
• Artist(s) name(s), contact information, nationality, visa status and agent (if applicable)
• Unit sponsor name and contact information
• Signature of approval by heads of unit(s)
• Desired date and length of visit
• Biography, CV, and URLs that document artwork relevant to the proposal
• URLs of artist and specific projects
• Preliminary schedule
• Budget including in-kind and other funding sources
Applicants are asked to notify unit heads and consult with Meg Rotzel prior to submission to assure familiarity with the program. Initial endorsement of a proposal by the Visiting Artists Committee does not guarantee funding. Residencies are not approved until all schedules, programs and budgets are finalized with the Visiting Artists Program and a Letter of Agreement with the Visiting Artist is signed.
Please email proposals by March 29, 2013 to: Leila Kinney lwkinney[at]mit.edu and Meg Rotzel, mrotzel[at]mit.edu