Call to Artists: Politics in Collage Residency 2022

A four-week, virtual/online residency with Kolaj Institute in November and December 2022

Deadline to apply: October 16, 2022

We are living in an explosively political time, faced with crises that are not only deepening individually but becoming increasingly intersectional in relation to each other. There is a strong history of collage art being used to tackle complex socio-political issues during some of the most difficult eras but how can it meet this moment and spark meaningful dialogues about our varied, contemporary issues? 

During the Politics in Collage residency, we will be discussing the history of political collage and important political collage artists, exploring how to curate and exhibit this crucial art form, and, most importantly, challenging ourselves to push our own artistic practice further in the creation of political collage. During the month-long residency, artists will hear from a variety of guest speakers specializing in different aspects of this form during four virtual meetings on Tuesdays from 4-6PM EST. Through ongoing online discussions and regular collage exercises in between meetings, artists will learn how to articulate complex political subjects in their work and explore how to inspire engagement with difficult socio-political topics through collage.

Artists in the residency will conceptualize and begin work on a piece exploring a political or social subject of their choosing. Although the works may not be completed by the end of the residency, they will be regularly critiqued and discussed by the group throughout. Artists will write an artist statement that documents and provides critical context for their work. The completed work and texts from the residency will result in a book published by Kolaj Institute and an exhibition, whether in-person or online, to be determined at a later date. 

G.E. Vogt will be leading the residency, shedding light on her own work as a political collage artist, as well as moderating discussions and sharing resources with artists. Professor John J Heartfield will discuss the history of his grandfather, John Heartfield, and how his work was not only a crucial part of the resistance to fascism in World War II, but continues to have a resounding impact in today’s world. Professor Wendy Parker will take the artists through a broad history of political collage, how it has engaged with and influenced different socio-political movements, and various collage artists who have played key roles in furthering this art form. Ric Kasini Kadour will speak to the importance and relevance of political art in relation to its influence on contemporary cultural and political narratives. Other guest speakers are to be determined and will be added to the curriculum as they become available.

The goal of this residency is to help collage artists who are creating social/political work, or interested in doing so, to grow and expand their practice. By the end of the residency, the participants will be able to practically apply to their own work what they have learned from lectures, discussions, and practical exercises.