Kolaj Institute's Artist Development Program is a collection of three core workshops for self-motivated artists, at any stage in their career, who want to develop and expand their collage-based artist practice and work towards professional goals, particularly in the areas of exhibitions and publishing.
At Kolaj Institute, our philosophy is that if we bring artists together, explore ideas and concepts, share knowledge, we can stretch and develop as artists. When we bring that knowledge and skill into our communities, we raise the standing of collage and contribute to the civic discourse. To that end, we offer three core artist development workshops that are designed to support artists gain a deeper understanding of their art practice and to develop their practice so that they can achieve their professional and artistic goals.
Note: You do not have to commit to all three workshops. Use this form if you are interested in Collage in Practice, Curating Collage, and/or Collage Publishing.
Read the full program details here: https://kolajinstitute.org/artist-development/
PoetryXCollage Open Submission
PoetryXCollage is a printed journal of artwork and writing that operates at the intersection of poetry and collage. We are interested in found poetry, blackout poetry, collage poems, haikus, centos, response collages, response poems, word scrambles, concrete poetry, scatter collage poems, and other poems and artwork that inhabit this world.
Each issue presents six movements of work by artists and curators. Page spreads are meant to be free zones of thinking where the contributor has chosen all elements of the layout: font, image place, composition, etc.
Artists and writers interested in submitting should prepare 3-5 page spreads for consideration. Page spreads must conform to exact specifications and include a general artist narrative and a short page spread narrative. We strongly suggest reviewing a copy of PoetryXCollage prior to submitting. We also recommend downloading the PoetryXCollage Specs Doc pdf and reviewing its contents. You can download this Transparent PNG Template to make sure your submission is the correct size and accounts for the bleed and gutter.
Learn more about the PoetryXCollage project on Kolaj Institute's website HERE.
Questions? Send an email.
Virtual Artist Residency: Castles as Buildings, Metaphors & Systems of Power
A month-long, virtual/online collage artist residency in November
Early Deadline to Apply: Thursday, 21 October 2024
Final Deadline to Apply: Monday, 4 November 2024
As part of a year-long investigation of castles as buildings, metaphors, and systems of power, Kolaj Institute will host a month-long virtual artist residency focused on castles and the space they occupy in our contemporary imagination. The residency will build on the work done by artists in Collage Artist Residency: Scotland and New Orleans where artists explored feudal castle systems, manor houses, and plantations as buildings, metaphors, and systems of power.
The idea of castles dates back to the medieval period. Conventionally defined as fortified homes for seats of power, over time the idea of castles has evolved dramatically. Rich in mythology and folklore, castles appear in the 20th and 21st century as palatial estates renowned for their aristocracy and romance, centers of theme parks of the imagination. The idea that a "man's house is his castle" is one of the oldest principles in Anglo-American jurisprudence. The reality of castles is much more complex: Not homes, but villages where complex systems of power dictated rules and etiquette. As models of human organization, castle-like systems can be found in early colonial Americas and plantation culture where the romance of Lord of the Manor and Master of the House falls quickly against the realities of slavery, patriarchy, and class division. In 21st century late-stage capitalism, we see the castle system reproduced in the C-Suites of the corporate class.
In this virtual residency, we will examine 20th century romantic notions of castles in popular media and theme parks. Artists will make artwork that expresses ideas that connect history and folklore to contemporary manifestations of power.
Artists will learn how to develop contemporary art projects and adapt their artist practice to pick up the unfinished work of history and make art that contributes to the civic discourse. Through interactive sessions, artists will explore their process and practice; present a slideshow of their work; receive supportive, critical, curatorial feedback about their ideas; and discuss contemporary issues. The residency will speak to issues of appropriation, copyright, and fair use and explore how the artist’s choice and understanding of material shapes the narrative of the artwork. Additional topics will include understanding one's own artist practice and using history in one's work; collage in theory; what contemporary means and how contemporary art projects operate in the ecosystem of art; how to build context for one's artwork; and making exhibition proposals. Artists will complete the residency with a new perspective on their art practice.
After the Residency, artists will be invited to propose artwork for inclusion in Kolaj Institute’s Castle Project, an exhibition, book, and related programs in 2025-2026 that invite viewers to consider how the history of castles, colonies, plantations, and corporations relate to one another and shape the world we live in today.
WHO IS THIS FOR?
The Virtual Artist Residency: Castles as Buildings, Metaphors, & Systems of Power is centered on collage artists who want to develop their artist practice to include using history and cultural imagery to speak to contemporary issues. Residencies are professional development programs, intended for self-motivated artists, regardless of the stage in their career, who want to explore a topic or working method and collaborate with others. The focused goal of the residency is a proposal for artwork that may be included in a book and exhibition.
COST
The cost of the residency is $500 per artist. Kolaj Institute has a limited number of grants available to offset the cost of the residency for those in need. These grants are possible through the generous support of our donors.
RESIDENCY LOGISTICS
Dates: 24 November to 16 December 2024
SESSION DATES
Sunday, 24 November 2024, 2-4PM EST
Sunday, 2 December 2024, 2-4PM EST
Sunday, 9 December 2024, 2-4PM EST
Sunday, 16 December 2024, 2-4PM EST
The workshop will begin with an invitation to join the Slack workspace on Saturday, 23 November 2024. Introductions and Orientation will take place during our first meeting on Sunday, 24 November 2024, 2-4PM EST.
Artists are expected to attend all scheduled sessions and complete assignments.
QUESTIONS
If you have questions, send an email.
Kolaj Magazine‘s Artist Directory is a tool for organizing and cataloguing artists who work in the medium of collage. Its audience includes the general public as well as independent curators, art venues, and writers.
What Is the Kolaj Magazine Artist Directory?
Kolaj Magazine Artist Directory is a membership-based directory and advertising program. The editorial staff of Kolaj Magazine uses the Artist Directory to select artists to feature in the publication and to select artists for various curatorial projects and the Artist Directory exists as a public resource for those interested in collage as a medium and is designed to put interested parties in direct contact with artists. Members of the Artist Directory are permitted and encouraged to refer to their Listing when responding to Calls to Artists as a way of facilitating their response. The Kolaj Magazine Artist Directory is the primary online gateway of the Kolaj Institute Artist Archive and is used to organize online information about artist members. We offer members an option for an Artist Advertisement in the printed magazine.
Sign-Up Options
OPTION 1: ONLINE ONLY
The cost of a 12-month membership to the online Kolaj Magazine Artist Directory is $20.00.
OPTION 2: ONLINE & PRINT EDITION
The print edition of Kolaj Magazine features a directory of collage artists. (see example here) Listings are paid advertisements that feature an image as well as the name; city, state, & country; and website or email of the artist. The listings appear in a box that is 3.7 inches wide and 3 inches tall. After you select and send the images to be featured, Kolaj staff will prepare the listing and send you a digital proof if requested. The cost is $50 per issue (or four issues for $150) and includes a 12-month membership to the online directory.
Sign-Up Process
The registration process will ask you for:
Artist Bio
Artist Statement
3-5 images & captions
Collage Books is Kolaj Magazine’s tool for organizing, documenting, and cataloguing books in which collage plays an important role. Our audience includes readers and collectors of collage books as well as curators, art venues, and writers.
We seek submissions of collage-related titles. We take a broad view of collage books and include trade editions, art criticism, coffee table books, ‘zines, artist books, catalogues, literary endeavours that feature collage.
We accept submissions from traditional publishers, small presses, and individual artists and writers.
Inclusion in the directory is at the discretion of the publisher. If you are interested in advertising in the “Collage Books” section of the print magazine, send us an email for details.
Take a look at some of the Directory pages before submitting so you can see how they are laid out and what information is needed for submission.
Sign-Up Process
The registration process will ask you for:
Title and author information
Publisher information
Book Details
An announcement or press release
3-5 images & captions
Review Copy
If you wish to submit a review copy, you can mail the book to:
CANADA
Kolaj Magazine
c/o Maison Kasini
PO Box 247 Station C
Montreal, Quebec H2L 4K1
UNITED STATES
Kolaj Magazine
c/o Kasini House
PO Box 1025
Burlington, VT 05402
Collage communities are collectives, meet-ups, ongoing collaborative projects, and groups whose focus and mission involves collage as a medium or genre in some way.
The International Directory of Collage Communities is a survey of artist groups who are coming together around collage. The directory exists online as a searchable website. Kolaj Institute publishes a printed directory that features and highlights communities every two years.
By documenting and mapping these communities, Kolaj Institute works to develop a picture of the collage movement: how collage artists are working together, how they are diffusing collage, and what challenges they face mobilizing an art community.
Kolaj Institute invites active collage communities to submit to the directory. The editorial staff of Kolaj Magazine uses the Directory to select communities to feature in the publication and for various curatorial projects.
The primary purpose of database is be a resource to people seeking information about Vermont contemporary art. Its audience includes the general public as well as independent curators, art venues, and writers.
Art presenters use the Artist Database to select artwork for their venues. Artists may also use the database to market, promote, and sell their work.
Kasini House uses the database to select artists for various projects such as artist portfolios in the Vermont Art Guide. Kasini House also uses the database to select artists for Kasini House Art Cards.
Kasini House promotes the Artist Database as a resource to independent curators and writers looking for artists for various projects, particularly those people interested in writing about and curating exhibitions of Vermont contemporary art.
The cost of a 12-month membership to the online Vermont Art Guide Artist Database is $20.00.
SIGN-UP PROCESS
The registration process will ask you for:
Artist Bio
Artist Statement
3-5 images & captions
Kasini House routinely promotes exhibitions in Kolaj Magazine and on its website. The purpose of this tool is to facilitate the submission of exhibition announcements.
Please note, this is optional. You are welcome to submit exhibition announcements and press releases via email.
Email Kolaj Magazine
In order to promote your exhibition, we will need at least one image of artwork in the exhibition and a caption of the artwork. Do not send posters, images of the exhibition postcard, or images with watermarks.
Materials will be reviewed by magazine staff. Please note, submission does not guarantee that we will promote or review an exhibition. You will be contacted for further information, if necessary.
Collage in Motion is a project of Kolaj Institute that explores collage and the moving image, a broad, loosely defined category that includes animations, film cut-ups, collage film, stop-motion, animated GIFs, documentaries about collage artists, and other forms of media in which collage--as medium or genre--is present. We see our role as not one of defining "collage in motion" but as one of asking what "collage in motion" can be. The project manifests as articles in Kolaj Magazine, an online directory, workshops, residencies, and screenings. Artists with practice of Collage in Motion are encouraged to submit to the online directory.
Kolaj Institute's Collage in Motion Directory is a tool for organizing and cataloguing artists who work in the medium of motion collage. Kolaj Institute uses the Directory to curate the Collage in Motion screening that takes place at Kolaj Fest New Orleans. The Directory's audience includes the general public as well as independent curators, art venues, and writers.
The mission of the Directory is to create more visibility, community, and historical understanding of the medium, and to create a future traveling program of screenings and opportunities. We hope to inspire more still image collage artists to explore motion in their work and that we find each other in an increasingly digital world.
Before submitting, take a moment to view a few examples from the Directory so that you can see how your information will be translated to the page.
Queer Women's Artist Lab: New Orleans
Monday, 18 November to Friday, 22 November 2024
Early Deadline to Apply: Thursday, 26 September 2024.
Final Deadline to Apply: Thursday, 10 October 2024.
Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis until space is filled. Artists are encouraged to apply well before the deadline.
Queer Women's Artist Lab: New Orleans will take as its premise that 21st century queer women’s identity is the culmination of decades of construction and ask: What does it mean to be a queer woman in the 21st century? How do we understand and celebrate the diversity of our queer women considering gender identity and expression? What does it mean to “come out” in a world that promises acceptance? What does it mean to “come out later in life”? How does our relationship to “the closet” change as we evolve? What does it mean to be queer youth today? How do we evolve, grow, develop, mature in a world where we are misunderstood, fetishized, marginalized, invisible, threatening, and lack role models? How do we care for ourselves, physically and mentally, when we face great health disparities and lack access to healthcare? What about our female friendship, love partnerships, or community? Are apps a place where we can connect, find friendship or love? What does community mean as a queer woman, solo, single, or in a relationship? Most of our bars are gone and yet we continue to create places to gather. How do we build and sustain a community? What is the future of queer women’s space? How do we support young queer women carving new spaces for themselves? How do we ensure an inclusive community? How do we support our trans, non-binary and queer men siblings? What about the families we create? How do we grow old? How do we remember who came before us? How do we pass knowledge to future generations of queer women? What does feminism mean to us? What about activism? Covid-19 was not our first pandemic. How do we unpack the trauma of seeing how much the world can respond when they care about who is affected? How do we stand in solidarity with those who live in societies that criminalize homosexuality? How do we decolonize queer identity and create space that welcomes and celebrates queer women of color? What is our place in a late-stage capitalism that treats us as labor and assets? How do we understand our place in the world? How do we want to be seen? How do we make ourselves understood? How can artists help us make sense of all of this? This is not an exhaustive list.
The goal of the Queer Women's Artist Lab: New Orleans is to equip artists with tools and strategies for picking up the unfinished work of history and speak to contemporary civic discourse around social, economic, and environmental issues. Through interactive sessions in the Lab and panel discussions, artists will explore their process and practice; present a slideshow of their work; receive supportive, critical, curatorial feedback about their ideas; and discuss contemporary issues.
The lab is open to any artist, regardless of how they identify, who wants to make contemporary artwork that speaks to the experience of Queer Women. We think of “Queer Women” as an amorphous state of being, one that is self-determined and inclusive of a broad range of human experiences. In this sense, we do not seek to define Queer Women rather we seek to question, What does it mean to be a queer woman today?
During the lab, artists will make collage to explore artist practice, process, and meaning making. Artists will explore the queer geography and history of New Orleans and consider how similar geographies and histories from their home communities may inform their proposal. Artists will complete the Lab with a project proposal for a contemporary art project and a sample work that will be considered for an exhibition that will take place in 2025 or 2026.
The Queer Women's Artist Lab: New Orleans is part of Kolaj Institute's larger exploration of 21st Century queer identities which will culminate in an exhibition and book in 2025 and 2026.
What Is an Artist Lab?
Artist Labs are an intensive series of workshops and discussions designed to foster the integration of history and contemporary art into an artist’s practice. Produced in concert with Art Meets History, Labs include specific discussions about the medium of collage including the challenge of creating large work and issues of appropriation, copyright, and fair use and explore how the artist’s choice and understanding of material shapes the narrative of the artwork. After the Lab, artists will leave with a network of peer support; an idea for a project; and the task of turning that idea into a project proposal and a sample work.
Who is this for?
Queer Women's Artist Lab is in-person and centered on collage artists who want to develop their artist practice to include using history and historic sites to speak to contemporary issues pertinent to queer identity. Artist Labs are professional development programs, intended for self-motivated artists, regardless of the stage in their career, who want to explore a topic or working method and collaborate with others. The focused goal of the Lab is a proposal for artwork that may be included in a book and exhibition.
COST
The cost of the Artist Lab is $750 per artist.
Activities such as tours and museum visits are included in the fee. Artists are responsible for their own travel to New Orleans, accommodations, and meals. A limited number of partial grants is available to offset the fees and to ease barriers to participation. Financial Aid is limited and possible through the support of donors to Kolaj Institute.