New City Arts Initiative • Charlottesville, Virginia

When we think of summer, we think of reading-- in a chair/on the beach/near the pool/on your porch. Though reading alone is a very pleasant venture, literary endeavors are always better when there's a bit of accountability to accompany the almost-finished book on your bedside table.

Say no more; New City Arts is here for you.

We're reading Moonwalking with Einstein: The Art and Science of Remembering Everything by Joshua Foer in June, Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter in July, and two short stories by Jorge Luis Borges in August.

All discussions are held on the third Tuesday of the month at Court Square Tavern at 7 PM and are open to the public. Newcomers are always welcome. For more information about each month's discussion, visit the New City Arts event calendar.

New City Arts and The Haven are seeking applicants for two studio spaces on the second floor of The Haven (112 West Market St., Charlottesville, VA) for a 10-month residency, beginning September 2013.

The New City Arts Initiative is a collaborative non-profit fostering engagement with the arts in the greater Charlottesville area. As a collaborative initiative, New City Arts works through partnerships to establish a creative network with relationships, thoughtfulness, and artistic practice at its core.

The Haven is a day shelter for the homeless and those in need in downtown Charlottesville. In addition to providing showers, laundry, computer access, storage, and a healthy meal for guests every day, The Haven offers connections to social service providers on-site and in the community. Guests may benefit from access to overnight shelter, financial literacy, legal services and substance abuse outreach.

Together, The Haven and New City Arts have turned the second floor of The Haven into two studio spaces in order to provide affordable working space for artists and integrate creative programming into the resources available to Haven guests during the day.

This residency builds social capital in many ways; bridges are developed between the arts and the social service community, relationships develop between individuals who might not otherwise connect, and the conditions of homelessness and poverty directly and indirectly inform creative expression and thoughtful examination of the world.

The 2013 – 2014 residencies run from September 2013 – June 2014.



 

Studio Space

Each studio space is a quarter of an approximately 400 square foot, open workspace room. Water access is located on this floor. Windows on every wall provide wonderful, natural light during the day. The studios are located on the downtown mall in Charlottesville, VA.

The attached photos were taken by Andrea Hubbell. 

Shared Space

The studio space occupies half of this open room, while the other half is the office of City Schoolyard Garden. As this is a shared workspace, artists and officemates will agree to shared workspace norms determined by all individuals using the room for their work.

There are two conference rooms available to all building residents that are also open to studio artists seeking to host working groups, critique groups, etc.

Programming Exchange

Both resident artists will be required to develop a flexible arts program, focused on developing the artistic endeavors of Haven guests in the day shelter. For the first 2 months of the residency, artists will be expected to volunteer a minimum of 2 hours in the day shelter as regular volunteers (serving breakfast, working at the front desk, etc.) before arts programming begins. This 2 month expectation allows artists to build relationships with Haven guests before asking them to participate in artistic programming.

Expectations and Qualifications 

Artists who demonstrate artistic excellence, an interest in studio production, and experience with community organizing are encouraged to apply. We expect artists to spend a minimum of 4 hours a week with guests and at least 6 in the studio.

Open Studio

Throughout the course of the year, both artists will be expected to host multiple open studio visits (2-4) for community members interested in their work and the residency program.

Haven Art Auction

Both artists are expected to assist with the annual Haven Art Auction by contributing a piece of work to the auction and assisting with installation of the auction exhibit.

Other

This residency is a joint program between New City Arts and The Haven. To the extent that participation in other programming (The Haven’s Patch Garden and Kay’s Kitchen, New City Arts exhibits and discussion groups, etc.) offered through each organization benefits the artists involved, the artist would be welcome to participate. For a full list of program offerings, visit individual organization websites (The Haven and New City Arts).

Some Questions You Might Have

1. Why two artists, rather than just one?

From 2011-2012, New City Arts and The Haven coordinated a pilot residency program with Charlottesville-based artist, Patrick Costello. One of the most significant benefits from this pilot year was the community that formed between Haven staff, guests, volunteers, and the artist. Aside from a studio, this place provides people who feel like co-workers for artists who often work alone.

We value this co-working environment and believe that a two-studio approach in a bigger space helps each artist feel like they are colleagues.

2. Why is there only a 10 hour minimum commitment?

Since this program does not (yet) include a stipend, we recognize that applicants will need additional income to support themselves. Though there is currently no stipend, each artist will receive competitive downtown studio space at no cost.

We will work with individual artists to determine the best possible schedule for their involvement with us.

3.  …. Other questions? Just ask (email Maureen)!

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Application Instructions

Please submit:

1. A “Letter of Intent” that describes your interest in this program.

2. 5-10 images of work made in the last 2 years. **Important: before submitting, please inquire how to best submit these images. If you have an artist website, our answer will differ from those without an artist website.

3. A resume

4. An artist statement

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A full application should be emailed to Maureen Lovett -- artsdirector [at] newcityarts.org -- by midnight on June 8. If you’d rather mail in an application, send to The Haven c/o Maureen Lovett, 112 West Market St., Charlottesville, VA 22902.

Following a brief interview process for top applicants and a committee decision, each artist will begin the residency program on Monday, September 2.

At our Forum fundraising dinner in March, we had two featured poets reflect on our 2014 Forum theme, "Art, Food, and Humanity." We wanted to share their poems with you.

If you are inclined to give towards the 2014 Forum, please consider making a donation to New City Arts!

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PREACHING IN THE BACKYARD AFTER DINNER

 

Evening is coming on, listen: the high lonesome

of the cicadas, those slow woeful notes of a

dove expanding and contracting over and over.

 

I love the heat. It’s time I was honest about that

and about the sweat squatting behind my knees

that I love in this the only fullness of time

 

worth its salt, and the back patio that awaits

like a conversation I ease right into after dinner,

food drunk. It all feels like what I think

 

dying should feel like, when there’s enough

wine in me to believe, well, undressing

is a fine, fine idea just about now. Friends, do

 
                                ~
 

witness the sun settling in under my bare feet,

the earth as it ripens as the apple of God’s eye.

Yes, that’s the sound of your incarnate heart

 

washing your walls with blood. Here I am, Lord,

I’m preaching again and the weeping cherry

becomes my spreading tent of revival. Evening’s

 

come on, folks: the cicadas’ plea, the dove’s

sweet lamentation, handed-off to the crickets

and the tree frogs expanding and contracting,

 

expanding and contracting—over and over—

over and over—over and over. Listen at that

would you. If you hear the voice of the Lord

 

tonight, do not harden your hearts.

 

- Stephen Hitchcock

 

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Portrait

 

You didn't know you were there, hanging

on a wall in a small gallery, Food on canvas,

 

4' x 6'. You don't know this artist –– she'd taken

your photo far off in the distance, silently slipped

 

away. At home, she opened you

like a can and now you see it: last year's grief

 

on your cheek, its weathered sheen done

in humble kidney beans; black licorice twists of

 

your unabated but fading hair. With tweezers

she placed each white tic tac in the tired crack

 

your lips make, pink sprinkles lightly sifted

over those two thin rims of familiar and quiet insatiability.

 

You hadn't noticed the creases of your eyelids holding

old fears until it was revealed in dry cereal; she even

 

found the divorce in your brow, the lonely

in elbow-macaroni-bends of your tender earlobe. 

 

There's a long day's dose of ibuprofen tucked

in the cleft of your chin, as if she knew you needed it.

 

You're wonderful, unobscured, and you're hung.

 

- Lisa A. Ryan

In the second of our series for this New City Arts Preview Week for our New City Arts Banquet on Friday, we are happy to help you navigate the "what to wear" question. You likely can't go wrong, but just in case, here are some of our ideas.

(Disclaimer: for this post, we tried to navigate Pinterest. We found a lot of nicely dressed people taking themselves really seriously, but we also found some colorful things. From all of our finds, we've chosen a few outfits as "inspiration" for you -- banquet attendee -- for Friday's dinner.)

The dress code is festive or business. If you're coming straight from the workplace, your suit will make for lovely attire. When we say festive, we mean colorfully fancy but not quite cocktail. Fancy-ish skirts are lovely. Ties are optional. Cardigans and pullover sweaters make any dinner party all the more cozy, so go for it. Some of you might even ironically wear a tuxedo, and we would welcome you with open arms.

We are an arts organization, so we always love a splash of color. Just make sure to wear something you love.

(You can't wear the wrong outfit; we promise).

 

 

This Friday's New City Arts Banquet would literally be impossible to host on our own. As goes most of our events, this dinner is a collaborative effort. In the first of our series for this New City Arts Preview Week, we want to introduce you to some of our favorite people in town. (This list doesn't include our raffle participants. We're saving a separate entry just for them).

Old Metropolitan Hall, Charlottesville's newest downtown event venue, is kindly hosting us. A Pimento Catering has graciously come up with an amazing menu that you're going to love. Additional financial support is provided by Virginia National Bank and UVA McIntire Department of Art. Robinson Imagery is documenting this fabulous evening for us, so that we can always remember our soon-to-be-awesome time together.

Albemarle Baking Company is baking all of our bread. Hannah Barefoot is making our wonderful desserts, which will be supplemented by gluten-free options baked by Donna Lovett. Our cocktail hour (cheers!) is brought to you by Beer Run and Nest Realty. We're getting all of our plates and glasses and such from Festive Fare. Sugar Magnolias is helping with all of our greenery. The Kindred Collective (Mallory, Lexi, and Caitlyn) is styling the event, so that you're seated in style. Brandon Wooten of Creed Design is putting together a collection of images and things to show you all what New City Arts has been up to recently. Amanda Uhl is handwriting your place cards, so that your name looks fancy when you arrive.

We'll have Elise Blake on violin during our cocktail hour. Guion Pratt (of Nettles) and Claire Hitchins will perform a song "Bonnie Prince Billy" style in between courses. Also in between courses, some of our favorite Charlottesville poets-- Stephen Hitchcock and Lisa Ryan-- will read original poetry having to do with the evening's theme (art and food). And we'll end our evening with some of the best bluegrass in Virginia-- The Dirtbag Darlin's, a trio that includes our friend, Lee Johnson.

We'll also have a wonderful host of volunteers checking you in, selling raffle tickets, even serving you dinner.

For all of this, all we can say is THANK YOU. If you happen to meet one of these lovely people who have given something of themselves to make this the best dinner party ever, consider saying a sincere "thank you"... and maybe even giving a friendly wink... to make their evening all the better.