LIFEFORMS artist in residence program

The College of Biological Sciences (CBS) at the University of Minnesota strives to ensure the knowledge discovered by their scientists reaches people in many ways; whether in classes, through research articles, or engaging with the wider world about how science impacts peoples’ daily lives, daily. CBS’ involvement in this program is driven by their desire to find new and creative ways to ask and answer questions about biology and to inspire all people with the wonders of discovery. Artists benefit from access to the people and physical locations of two CBS units. 

• Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve is a 5600 acre scientific field station located in East Bethel, MN that hosts a vibrant scientific community and hundreds of long-term ecological experiments and landscapes (both experimental/manipulative and observational). The Reserve also engages in substantial community engagement and local education opportunities. Artists are encouraged to be inspired by the research and landscapes of the Reserve, and to take advantage of opportunities for overnight stays onsite.
• The CBS Conservatory and Botanical Collection is located on the St. Paul campus of the U of M and maintains a diverse collection of living plants from around the world. Their staff care for more than 2,000 species spanning everything from trees to herbs, succulents to aquatics, and the incredible rare to the invasive. Their collection serves university courses, researchers, and the surrounding community, and is a resource to artists in the program as well.
   

The Bakken Museum, located on the West shore of Bde Maka Ska in Minneapolis, inspires a passion for innovation by exploring the potential for science, technology, and the humanities to make the world a better place.  Their mission is to connect people to science and discovery in creative ways. The Bakken Museum sees the Lifeforms partners as a way to tap into our vast collection of artifacts, books, the Museum grounds, and exhibits to reflect a response artistically. A snapshot of collection items can be found on The Bakken’s website. Artists will have access to the Museum and its curators and collections, a dedicated workshop onsite, and a multi-month display opportunity.

We are looking for an Artist in Residence who will demonstrate their creative ideas and commitment to exploring the intersection of art and science. We seek those who are passionate about the broad topics we study (plants, ecosystems, biodiversity, climate change, etc), who are committed to engaging directly with scientists, who have ideas that take advantage of something unique about our sites, and who have a deliverable will fit into the exhibit space. For this first year of the partnership, we are seeking artists whose work can be hung on walls for the six-month exhibition, rather than performers or those who need substantial 3-dimensional display space. The artist will need to work with The Bakken to design the display for both the opening and the duration of the showing. This program has a relatively short timeline (February or March start; early November installation), and the artist will need to work within those constraints to deliver their final piece(s) on time. Solo artists are encouraged to apply, but pairs or collectives are also welcome provided they are willing to work collaboratively on a program and share the honorarium. 
 

• Access to Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve, an active ecological research station, and the diverse habitats, biomes, and experiments it contains
• Access to the CBS Conservatory and Botanical Collection, a working and teaching collection with plant specimens from around the world
• Access to The Bakken Museum's collections, museum, and display space
• A workspace at The Bakken Museum
• A private one-bedroom house at Cedar Creek for overnight stays, if desired
• Opportunities to interact with researchers, curators, staff, and students working at the partner facilities, including formal and informal meetings, opportunities to observe and/or participate in fieldwork, horticulture, collections information, etc.
• Space to promote the project on partners' website and social media platforms
• A $3000 honorarium to offset materials and transportation costs, to be paid in three installments during the residency

Groups or collectives of more than one artist are welcome to apply but if selected would need to share the honorarium.

• Be over 18 years old
• Interact with partner facility scientists, curators, and staff
• Incorporate both art and science in their final work
• Provide program staff with updates at least every two months
• Complete their project in time for the opening event at The Bakken
• Work with The Bakken staff to ensure accurate label verbiage, marketing materials, etc

At Cedar Creek specifically, we require that Artists in Residence adhere to the policies set out for our research community. This includes showing respect all site and facility rules and regulations, staying on internal roads, carrying a use permit, and checking in before each visit. A residency does not give you unlimited access to the reserve. No overnight stays are required, and you do not need to physically be "in residence" at the reserve - we do encourage you to stay overnight at least once, though! 

Artists in Residence will need to provide their own transportation, food, art supplies, and other materials. Although we are only able to provide a small stipend for our Artists, many past participants have been successful at obtaining external funding for their projects through the MN State Arts Board, the Swedish Council of America, local non-profits, and other sources. We are, of course, happy to provide official letters of support or information about the residency as part of funding applications.

All submitted applications will undergo a two-part jury review process. During the first stage, jury members will rank each application according to an internal rubric, which will be shared with applicants during the proposal process. The highest-ranking applications from each of the jurors will be moved onto the second stage. In this stage, the jury will gather to discuss each of the remaining applications and make their final selections. The jury will contain staff from the CBS Conservatory, Cedar Creek, and The Bakken Museum.