Call to Artists: Folklore & Collage Virtual Residency 2025

About the Open Call

Folklore & Collage Residency is a four-week program designed to support artists who want to develop a practice that includes folklore in their artmaking. In four virtual meetings over four weeks and through ongoing, online discussion, we will explore folklore as an idea, its role in culture, and influence on art. During the Residency, artists will identify stories from communities and make art which activates these stories. Artists will examine the work done previously by artists in Kolaj Institute’s Folklore Collage Society Project to develop a series of strategies for making collage that is in conversation with folklore relevant to their own community. The residency will present a working theory of folklore; what it is; how it functions in communities; and the role artists can play in activating, transmitting, and celebrating folklore in communities as a form of cultural expression and a strategy for community resilience. Artists will learn how to identify and document folklore; make art in response to that folklore; build a context for the folklore; and develop strategies for getting that artwork to communities and into the larger ecosystem of Art.

What is Offered

The artwork made during the residency will be considered for publication in Kolaj Institute’s Folklore Collage Society, a printed journal. Artwork will also be considered for an exhibition at Kolaj Institute Gallery in New Orleans that will take place 31 January to 11 April 2026. Kolaj Institute has a limited number of grants of up to $250 available to offset the cost of the workshop for those in demonstrated need.

Requirements

This virtual residency is centered on collage artists who want to develop their artist practice. Residencies are intended for self-motivated artists, regardless of the stage in their career, who want to develop their practice by exploring a topic or working method and collaborating with others to produce a final product. Applicants should also want to develop a practice of working with folklore to create and present art that embeds itself in non-traditional spaces and speaks to a general community about contemporary issues. Open to any artist over the age of 21 from anywhere in the world. We look for artists who have a developed sense of practice (even if it is an emerging one) and those who have a strong connection to a community. Artists are expected to attend all scheduled sessions, engage with guest speakers, complete readings, and use the time during the residency to make artwork. People of color, indigenous people, and members of queer communities are encouraged to apply.

How to Apply

Submit your application HERE: https://kasini.submittable.com/submit/341189/call-to-artists-folklore-collage-virtual-residency-2025. The submission process asks applicants for: Contact information, Artist Bio (50-250 words), Statement of Artist Practice (50-300 words), 5-7 images of artwork, What you hope to gain from the experience, and questions about your work and needs. Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis until space is filled. Artists are encouraged to apply well before the deadline. Responses may not be sent out until two weeks after the deadline.