Five new artist residencies will be available at the Anderson Center for Interdisciplinary Studies in Redwing as part of the organization’s Deaf Artist Residency Program, thanks to a $12,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Deaf Artist Residency Program is currently the only residency program in the U.S. that’s available specifically for deaf artists. It was started in 2014 by the program’s coordinator Cynthia Weitzel. This will be the fourth residency for Deaf artists sponsored by the Anderson Center.
“The program validates Deaf artists while exposing the broader community to our work through outreach at the end of each residency,” Weitzel said in a press release. “The result is new understanding and acceptance of Deaf peoples, language, and culture.”
The long-term goal of the program is to carve out a space for the creation and promotion of deaf arts in American culture. By allowing native speakers of American Sign Language to learn and collaborate with each other in an accessible space that they may not otherwise find in a hearing-centric world, they’re able to learn about each other’s art and establish a personal and professional network.
Besides the residents being deaf, the program differs from a typical art residency. Many of the staffers, including Weitzel, are deaf as well. Hearing staff members take an Introduction to Deaf Culture course before they start work to learn more about Deaf culture. In addition to that, interpreters are hired to help with communication in the program.
Applications are currently open for the 2020 June program and are due by February 15. Many types of artist are able to apply, including visual artists, scholars, poets, ASL poets, fiction and nonfiction writers, filmmakers, and performance artists. Artists are able to apply for a two week or one month program, and will be notified of acceptance in early April.
This year, the NEA donated over $1 million to different organizations around the Twin Cities. Over half of the organizations that were given funding received between $10-$15,000.
“The arts are at the heart of our communities, connecting people through shared experiences and artistic expression,” arts endowment chairman Mary Anne Carter said in a press release. “The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support projects like Anderson Center’s Deaf Artist Residency Program.”