Sponsored by Target Corporation, SVdP’s new residency program offers selected artists the opportunity to access materials in SVdP’s warehouse facility and an equipped art studio. Artists will create pieces from unusable donated goods, which will then be displayed at exhibits and later sold at SVdP thrift stores throughout Alameda County.

Introduction
The St Vincent de Paul Artist in Residence (“AIR”) program provides qualified artists working in any medium with unlimited access to materials in the Society of St. Vincent de Paul of Alameda County’s (“SVdP”) Main Warehouse Facility and use of an equipped art studio. In return, the artists make art from reclaimed waste and talk to tour groups and train SVdP Functional Found Art staff on replication of new products. The Artists also contribute a few of their pieces to the organizations permanent collection, which is exhibited in a variety of venues. Some of the larger sculptures are installed in cultural facilities throughout the East Bay.

We are modeling the SVdP AIR after the AIR Program at SF Recycling & Disposal, Inc. (a subsidiary of Norcal Waste Systems, Inc.) The SFR&D program is a unique education program that inspires people to conserve natural resources. By providing San Francisco artists with the opportunity to work at the dump, SFR&D has developed an innovative program for the benefit of both the environment and the arts. The program’s outreach activities target the general public, school children, and the San Francisco arts community, while the SVdP AIR program targets the East Bay community.

Artists are chosen biannually by an advisory board made up of environmental and art professionals. The program does not provide housing and expects artists to reside with a 60 minute driving distance of the organization. SVdP hopes to keep the program focused in the East Bay by targeting the East Bay art community. Applications are not accepted from artists outside the Bay Area.

ARTIST SELECTION

Selection Process
Applications for the Summer 2008, are available on our website and are due by May 16th. We do not accept late applications.

To apply, artists should return the actual application form (contact information, references), resume, four photos and a proposal. We do not accept any extra materials such as videos, CDs or writing samples, but the artist may indicate in their cover letter that these materials are available, and sometimes we will ask for them later.

The director and staff review applications and eliminate any artists that are not local, have not followed application requirements, or are not professional artists. We summarize resumes and proposals, then these summaries at the committee meeting.

Applications received by May 16th, 2008 will be reviewed first by SVdP staff. We will select 10 artists to be interviewed by the Selection Sub-Committee. These interviews will be held during the fourth week of May. At this meeting, the Artist in Residence will be selected.