Bunker Projects Announces Open Call for Residency
Residency Overview
Our mission is to provide the resources and supportive environment emerging artists need to self-direct their artistic growth. Bunker Projects provides an immersive space for living, working, and exhibition alongside intimate cultural programming. By blending production, exhibition, and art interpretation, our programs center the work made by artists from diverse backgrounds in Pittsburgh. Bunker Projects was founded in 2012 by three young women artists eager to continue their community and art practice outside of an university environment. Now located in the heart of the Penn Ave Arts Corridor in Garfield, our organization has since grown into an artist residency, experimental gallery, and online publication.
APPLICATION OPEN PERIOD: APPLY HERE
April 17th - May 1st, 2023
TIMELINE
Available dates start October 1st, 2023 and include months between October 2023-May 2024. Residency duration is flexible depending on the needs of the artist but we have found 6 weeks as a good default. Recent average residency periods have ranged from 4-8 weeks.
PROGRAM FEE
Bunker residencies are free of charge.
APPLICATION FEE
$30 USD (to be paid upon submission of this form)
OVERVIEW
Our mission is to provide the resources and supportive environment to contemporary artists to self-direct their artistic growth. Bunker Projects provides a unique residency experience to local Pittsburghers as well as visiting artists from across the country. By blending studio production, public exhibition, and art publication, our programs are guided by the mission to support artists and bring vibrant exhibitions to our growing community. Our staff works with residents to identify their unique goals and areas of focus while in residence at Bunker. We are motivated to support artists in their studio production, to pursue new skills and connect with peers in Pittsburgh and our expansive creative network.
Bunker Projects was founded in 2012 by three young women artists eager to continue their community and art practice outside of a university environment. Now ten years later, our home base at 5106 Penn Ave in Garfield has grown into a non profit artist residency, experimental gallery, and The Bunker Review.
Who Should Apply?
Visual contemporary or multidisciplinary artists (artists who use a range of materials and medi, and are considerate of how these materials can work together)
Candidates who show readiness and self-motivation in their art practice
Are committed to cultivating a positive / productive residency experience
Are engaged or curious about the Pittsburgh creative community
Are enthusiastic about discussing their art practice and being present in our Bunker community
LOCAL VS. VISITING
Bunker welcomes both local Pittsburgh-based artists and visiting artists into our program! Visiting artists are hosted on-site as guests in our live/work facility and are assigned a studio and bedroom while using the shared domestic spaces with the other residents and Bunker team. Local artists participate as studio residents and receive studio space for their scheduled residency period. As a bonus locals are invited to stay for a staycation residency which is a long weekend where they are invited to stay over at Bunker Projects for a few days in the spirit of the traditional live/work residency format. We have found that this is a nice way to experience our program for those who have a home-base in the city.
Local Residency: 6 weeks
Visiting Artists: 4-8 weeks
PROGRAM GOALS
Bunker Projects’ residency program is focused on artist’s self-directed practice and pursuing the goals they set for themselves while in dialogue with our unique environment. Our goal is to offer a unique environment that supports accountability and motivation to participating artists. The residency program is customizable and set up to reflect each artist’s journey sheet which is the main tool used by our team to understand and support resident artists during the program. Another goal of Bunker’s residency is to be present at our community events like First Friday openings, social gatherings and seasonal fundraisers.
JOURNEY SHEET
Bunker Projects is committed to helping artists reach new stages in their practices and careers. In that spirit, accepted artists will be asked to complete a journey sheet before their residency. Bunker staff will meet with residents at the beginning of their residency to go over their goals and needs, in order to figure out how Bunker Projects can best provide individualized assistance and programming for each residents’ personal growth
STUDIO COMMITMENT:
Community and interpersonal connection is a huge resource in the lives and careers of artists, and residencies provide a unique space to cultivate those connections. We have seen many authentic connections and opportunities bloom organically in our space. In order to benefit fully from the Bunker Projects community, artists are asked to be present and involved with the communal and social spaces that take place here. For this reason we are requiring regular studio hours and a call to action for regular attendance at and participation in Bunker exhibitions and events. There is also a very practical motivation for committed studio hours, which is space utilization; we want to make sure the space that we are providing is being used well and does not sit empty.
BUNKER FACILITY
Bunker Projects is located in a 1915 walk-up apartment building on the second and third floors. At this time the facility is not ADA accessible. The space is a mixed use space with living, studio and exhibition space all present in one unit. Shared living spaces include kitchen and bathroom, two gallery rooms and two semi-private studios on the second floor. The third floor hosts two lockable bedrooms. Bunker is a unique space that welcomes public openings and gallery hours 2-3 times a week. There is typically an influx of energy that residents should expect meaning there are busy days and there are quiet days. We are located in an art and small business district in the Garfield neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Our area is very walkable with an Aldi grocery two blocks away and several big box stores including Home Depot and Target about .5 miles down the avenue.