Free BIPOC Artist & Writers Residency in Central Mexico
The 360 XOCHI QUETZAL Artist and Writer’s Residency Program is located on Lake Chapala, the largest lake in Mexico, where the perfect year-round climate and stunning lake and mountain views have long established the region as an international artist mecca. Residents will be inspired by the natural beauty, history and culture of this special part of central Mexico. Chapala is located 25 minutes from Guadalajara International Airport and 45 minutes from Guadalajara, one of the largest cities in Mexico boasting abundant cultural resources: museums, galleries, theatre and artist supplies. Xochi Quetzal is the Aztec goddess of creativity and fertility and protector of artisans. She is sure to inspire you during your stay!
MISSION: Our aim is to support artists, writers and musicians who would benefit from having uninterrupted time to devote to their creativity. By providing free housing and five gourmet meals a week, we hope that our residents can make artistic progress without the stress and distractions of daily life.
CRITERIA: National and international BIPOC visual artists, photographers, writers, playwrights, poets, new media makers, story-tellers, musicians and performers over the age of 23 are welcome to apply for the competitive BIPOC residency. We base our selections on applicants who demonstrate creative innovation, submit a well-conceived residency project, indicate that this residency will make a significant personal impact and provide evidence of the self-reliance required for a residency in the developing world. Children, partners and pets are not permitted.
JURORS:
Sunya Folayan, Juror for BIPOC Visual Artists and Performers
a former 360 Xochi Quetzal resident artist, who like so many artists, fell in love with Chapala where she now makes her home. Sunya’s art practice uses indigo craft and ritual as metaphor for reclaiming cultural practices from the African diaspora for resistance, rest and restoration. Sunya is also a lifelong student of West African dance and percussion and she plays the instruments of the Jembe orchestra. Sunya identifies as a Black and Indigenous artist. In addition to heading up the residency jury, she will also create special programming for the BIPOC Residency. https://sunyafolayan.com/
Sunya’s vision for the residency:
“I see our new BIPOC residency as a refuge and opportunity to redress systemic racism by offering a tender place to lay down our burdens, reconnect with ourselves and our creativity in order to renew our sense of agency and purpose.”
TBA, Juror for BIPOC Writers
Please check back for more information.
RESIDENCY DATES:
Winter BIPOC Residency: February 18 – March 20, 2023. If you win and these dates don’t work for you we will figure out how to accommodate your schedule. Future residencies will be announced to our mailing list. To add your name, please click on the box at the top of our webpage: www.360xochiquetzal.com You may also write to us in either English or Spanish at 360xochiquetzal@gmail.com
WINTER DEADLINE AND NOTIFICATION: The deadline for the Winter 2023 BIPOC Residency is Midnight Mountain Time on Sunday December 4, 2022. Applicants will be notified no later than January 3, 2023.
ONE-MONTH BIPOC RESIDENCY APPLICATION FEE AND DISCOUNT: The application fee for the competitive one-month BIPOC Residency is $40.00.
APPLICATION GUIDELINES: You must submit your application through the CAFE website: https://artist.callforentry.org/festivals_unique_info.php?ID=10747 Applications without work samples will not be considered (3 images for Visual Artists, 1 video/audio for Musicians/Performers, 5-page double-spaced writing sample for Writers, 10-page double-spaced sample for Playwrights, 5-page single-spaced sample for Poets). Please familiarize yourself with CAFE which is a great website with many other artist listings and opportunities. We have provided you some of the application questions that may require require some thought ahead to aid you in filling out the application. They can be found HERE. Please Note: We do not accept email entries.
BIPOC RESIDENCY AWARD: The winner of the competitive BIPOC residency will receive a free live/work space for one-month in the Carriage House at the historic Hotel Villa QQ in downtown Chapala. The winner will also get a $250 stipend to apply towards travel expenses. Your residency also includes free wi-fi, all utilities, weekly maid service and a 25-page Residency Guidebook.
COSTS: You are responsible for your travel to and from Mexico. You will be flying to Guadalajara International Airport (GDL). It is easy and safe to take an airport taxi which will cost $440 pesos to Chapala Centro. Download driving directions from our Facebook Page: 360 Xochi Quetzal (join us too!). You will also need to pay for your local transportation, entertainment and some additional food. International calls can be made on WhatsApp, which we advise downloading onto your phone BEFORE you arrive. Food is inexpensive in Mexico, typically costing about $50/week USD. Eating out is quite affordable with meals costing $5 – 15 USD. We also have Traitte, the equivalent to Uber Eats.
STUDIO SPACE: Our spaces are geared towards writers and visual artists. Work tables and easels are available for visual artists, desks and free wi-fi for writers. The Mirador Suite and Carriage House can accommodate a couple or collaborative group.
SELF-DIRECTED RESIDENCY PROGRAM: If our competitive BIPOC residency dates or criteria do not work for you, or if you do not win this year, consider renting one of our live/work spaces for 1 – 3 months. You do not have to apply through CAFE, just check our website for descriptions and pictures of the spaces and available dates https://360xochiquetzal.com/qq-and-xq-joining-forces/ This is a perfect opportunity to finish a manuscript, prepare for a show, collect your thoughts, plan your next body of work. Read of some of the interviews with creatives who have come to Chapala for a personal residency. There is a live chat on our website and Tyler will be able to help you with with reservations during business hours 11am – 7pm in the Central Time Zone.. We take reservations on a first come first serve basis and we are usually booking 6 months in advance. Plan ahead if you want to come in the winter!
WHAT IS CHAPALA LIKE? In a word, charming. This is a small town with a population of 25,000. You will hear horses trotting along the cobblestone boulevard in the morning on their way to the stables. Cowboys ride by using their cell phones. Birdsong accompanies you throughout the day. In the winter, thousands of white pelicans entertain us on the lake. Trees blaze with psychedelic color year round. The mountains turn green during our 5-month rainy season (June – Oct). Vendors pass by during the day hawking fresh strawberries, bottled water, and ice cream. Read more about Chapala on our website: https://360xochiquetzal.com/the-magic-of-lake-chapala/
FUN: All live/work spaces are walking distance to a park with a running track, pool, tennis courts and walking trails. You are also minutes from the malecon, a park-like promenade that runs along the lake for a mile. The lake is surrounded by hundreds of mountains and you will enjoy spectacular sunsets almost every night. The weather is sunny 300 days a year with average daytime temperatures in the 70s. Other nearby activities include hiking, dancing, bird-watching and thermal springs.
COMMUNITY: Chapala and nearby Ajijic have dozens of cafes, galleries, cultural centers, art openings, and hundreds of artists to connect or study with. Everything you need is within walking distance and bus service is frequent and inexpensive. This is a safe place to live and work and the Villa QQ Hotel grounds are locked and secure.
MISC: Although speaking a little Spanish will make your time here more culturally integrated, you do not need to speak the language to get what you need. You are just a 5 minute walk from many stores, restaurants and buses.
HOUSE RULES: Pets are not permitted at the Villa QQ Hotel (there are other options at the many bed and breakfast hotels nearby). Smoking, drugs and firearms are expressly prohibited.
NON-DISCRIMINATION: 360 Xochi Quetzal encourages applications from artists of all backgrounds and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, national origin, religion, creed, sex, sexual identity, HIV status, marital status, disability, or veteran status. The new BIPOC Residency is designed especially for BIPOC creatives.
Please join our mailing list at the top of our webpage: www.360xochiquetzal.com
For more information, write to us at 360xochiquetzal@gmail.com
Join/Like us on our Facebook Group Page: 360 Xochi Quetzal
Follow us on Twitter and Instagram: @360XochiQuetzal