CHANNEL ISLANDS & PUGLIA ARTIST RESIDENCY OPEN CALL

CHANNEL ISLANDS & PUGLIA ARTIST RESIDENCY OPEN CALL 

Guernsey Arts, ArtHouse Jersey and Puglia Culture have joined together to offer six artists the chance to participate in an exciting cultural exchange and artist residency programme. Supported by the Government of Jersey, the Government of Guernsey (through the Channel Islands Brussels Office - CIBO), Guernsey Arts and the Puglia Culture Consortium, this project will result in the creation and presentation of new artistic work to be presented in each jurisdiction. Three artists will be selected from the Channel Islands and three artists from Puglia whose work focuses on poetry/storytelling, music or dance (although it is also open to artists working across other artforms such as visual arts or sculpture). Together they will visit each other’s regions and have the unique opportunity to work alongside each other to develop a co-created project. 

ARTISTIC CREATION & CULTURAL CO-OPERATION 

Channel Islands cooperation with Puglia began in 2024 as the Channel Islands Brussels Office and the Brussels representative office of the region of Puglia worked together to host a panel on sustainable economic development in the 2024 European Week of the Regions and Cities in Brussels organised by the European Committee of the Regions. The Channel Islands and Puglia are now taking a step forward by working together to develop opportunities for cultural exchange. Both regions share a rich ancient and archaeological history, unique coastal and island topography, the presence of diverse and minority languages,  and a shared connection to medieval Norman heritage. These contexts will be a starting point for the artistic residencies and artwork created through the project. 

ABOUT THE ORGANISATIONS: 

Puglia Culture is one of the main public cultural institutions of the Puglia region, organising and facilitating cultural festivals, events and artistic exchanges across the Puglia region. 

Guernsey Arts is the key umbrella organisation for the arts in Guernsey. It supports the development of all art forms through grants programmes and project support, as well as managing the Greenhouse and George Crossan galleries in St Peter Port. 

ArtHouse Jersey is the leading multidisciplinary arts development organisation in Jersey with a year round programme of events, exhibitions and opportunities for artists and local audiences. 

Together the three organisations are working together to provide an opportunity for artists to develop and expand their work through working across different contexts and languages as well as presenting their work to audiences internationally. 

RESIDENCY DATES & SCHEDULE:

The project will take place across the following schedule: 

RESIDENCY 1 (June 2025) - 3 artists from Puglia visit Jersey (Channel Islands) for a 14 day residency, including meeting and exchange days with 3 artists from Channel Islands

RESIDENCY 2 (August 2025) - 3 artists from Channel Islands visit Tremiti (Puglia) for a 14 day artist residency and exchange days with 3 artists from Puglia. This second residency will include a first presentation of work by the participating artists at the Tremiti Festival, organised by Puglia Culture. 

RESIDENCY 3 (November/December 2025) - 3 artists from Puglia and 3 artists from the Channel Islands work together for a 10 day residency focused on presentation of their co-created work to local audiences in Jersey and Guernsey, hosted by ArtHouse Jersey and Guernsey Arts. 

The selected artists will be expected to work together to create a shared presentation which will be presented both in the Tremiti Islands, Puglia (August 2025) and in the Channel Islands (November/December 2025). 

A small bi-lingual or multi-lingual catalogue, featuring work created from the residencies or with reflections (e.g., through images, text) from the participating artists on their experiences during the residencies, will also be produced and distributed as a result of the project. 

CONDITIONS

This is a paid opportunity. Travel, accommodation and subsistence will be provided during the residencies where artists are travelling outside of their home country. An artist fee will also be provided to cover time worked across each residency period. 

OPEN CALL - HOW TO APPLY 

Artists are invited to prepare a proposal to apply for this opportunity. Applications will be considered by Guernsey Arts, ArtHouse Jersey and Puglia Culture. In total up to 6 artists will be selected (two from Jersey, one from Guernsey and three from Puglia region). 

Proposals are encouraged from artists working in the following media: 

• Literature / storytelling / poetry
• Music
• Dance, movement or physical performance

Although the panel also welcomes applicants who can demonstrate a strong connection or idea for the project working across other artforms, eg, visual arts, photography, sculpture or image-based work. 

Applications should include: 

• A statement describing the artists interest in participating in the project
• Portfolio / examples of previous work (please send as PDF or weblinks)

The deadline to receive applications is 23.59, Sunday 9 February 2025

Applications will be welcomed from artists of all levels and ability. Artists must be available for the entirety of the scheduled residencies. Note, when the residency is in their ‘home’ jurisdiction, the required availability will be for a shorter time frame to enable meetings and development time with the visiting residency artists. 

Fluency in Italian or English is not required, but the participating artists will need to demonstrate a willingness to fully embrace the cultural exchange opportunities presented by the project, which may at times involve working across language barriers. 

We particularly welcome applications from artist(s) that are less well represented in cultural projects, for example artists or creatives with diverse lived experiences including those from different ethnic groups or disabled artists. If you face any challenges in applying for this opportunity, reasonable adjustments can be made. 

FURTHER INFORMATION 

To discuss the opportunity further, please contact Russ Fossey (russ@arts.gg), Head of Arts Development, Guernsey Arts, or if you are based in Jersey, Amy Baker (amy@arts.je), Programme Coordinator at Arthouse Jersey . If you are based in Puglia, please contact Lino Manosperta (lino.manosperta@pugliaculture.it), Projects Office Manager at Puglia Culture.

All applications should be sent to Russ Fossey at Russ@arts.gg by the closing date of 23.59, Sunday 9 February 2025.