Call to Artists: Collage & Folklore Residency: Knoxville

During the Folklore & Collage Residencies, artists identify stories from communities and make art which activates these stories. Prior to arrival in Knoxville, artists will meet once virtually to meet one another and to discuss how to select the folklore on which they will focus during the residency. 

In Knoxville, the residency will unfold over the course of a week. Each day the group will meet from 10AM to 5PM at the Knoxville Museum of Art for presentations and collage making. We will hear from guest artists and local artists and folklore specialists and faculty will make presentations about place in art and strategies for incorporating folklore into one’s practice. On the afternoon of Sunday, 19 March, artists will explore the exhibition, “Mythical Landscapes: Secrets of the Vale“, and consider how the artists used collage to interpret the folklore of Sanquhar, Scotland. On the morning of Monday, 20 March, artists will visit the East Tennessee Historical Society to explore the region’s history with an eye to the folklore of communities in the region. Designed for collage artists, professional development sessions focus on artist practice: topics include Collage Theory; Sourcing Materials, Copyright, Appropriation; Developing Materials; Collaboration; and Collage in Presentation. Throughout each day, ongoing collage making will take place. 

During the residency, residents will make artwork (a collage or series of collages) which will be shown in exhibition at MERZ Gallery in Sanquhar, Scotland in September 2023 as part of the Celebration of Folklore. Artists will also be invited to present their work at a panel at Kolaj Fest New Orleans in June 2023. After the residency, artists will be invited to submit 3-5 collages and a statement for inclusion in a book about folklore that will be published by Kolaj Institute in 2024.