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/
Kolaj Institute Solo Residencies
Dates: One or Two-Week Residencies with dates mutually agreed with Kolaj Institute
DEADLINE: Wednesday, 31 December 2025 for dates in 2026
The mission of Kolaj Institute is to support artists, curators, and writers who seek to study, document, and disseminate ideas that deepen our understanding of collage as a medium, a genre, a community, and a 21st century movement. We operate a number of initiatives meant to bring together community, investigate critical issues, and raise collage’s standing in the art world.
Kolaj Institute’s solo residencies in New Orleans are designed to provide artists, curators, and writers with dedicated time and space to work on a project.
Projects may include things like:
- Completing a series of collage artworks
- Using the archive and collections to researching collage
- Exploring and making art about New Orleans as a place
- Working on a book project
- Creating a collection of collage poetry
- Making a stop motion collage film
- Preparing art for an exhibition
- Developing one’s practice to work on a larger scale
- Or taking a moment to review, organize, and document one’s art practice.
We are open to your ideas. We are looking for artists with an articulated goal for their time in New Orleans. That goal need not to be explicitly related to New Orleans, though priority will be given to those artists whose projects need time in New Orleans.
ABOUT THE RESIDENCY
Residencies may be 1 or 2 weeks. Kolaj Institute provides housing and studio space. Once accepted, Kolaj Institute meets with the resident for a pre-residency assessment where we identify community partners and other resources that can support the project. We then work with the resident to design a plan for their time in New Orleans.
Residents stay in Kolaj Institute’s space at the corner of Saint Claude and Saint Roch Avenues, where they will have their own bedroom, and a shared kitchen and bathroom with shower. (Alternative off-site housing is also available.) Residents work in Kolaj Institute’s Gallery that includes access to collage making supplies and a printer. The Gallery and Resident space is located on the second floor of a building in the Marigny neighborhood. The wrap-around balcony overlooks St. Roch Market. Residents work independently to complete their plan. At the end of the residency, we meet with the artist to review their progress with them and discuss next steps.
COST
The cost of the residency is $900 US for one week (including 6 nights accommodation) or $1400 US for two weeks (including 13 nights accommodation). If the artist is traveling with a partner or companion, there is an additional fee of $400 US per week. A limited number of grants are available in order to offset the fee and reduce barriers to participation to those with a demonstrated financial need. We cannot offer financial aid to cover travel, lodging or food costs.
All travel to and from New Orleans, as well as food and lodging, are the sole responsibility of the artist.
READ THE FULL CALL TO ARTISTS
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.
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 $30.00.
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 $60 per issue (or four issues for $160) 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
[NOTE: If you ship to our Canadian address, please only use your country's postal service. We are unable to receive deliveries shipped via UPS, FedEx, DHL or Purolator.]
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.
Call to Artists: Collage the Planet: Trash as Material Virtual Artist Residency
A four-week, virtual collage artist residency
Sessions:
Four Tuesdays starting 25 November 2025, 6-8PM EST
Early Deadline to Apply: Monday, 10 November 2025
Final Deadline to Apply: Sunday, 16 November 2025
Notification: Tuesday, 18 November 2025
In October 2025, Kolaj Institute opened an inquiry into Trash as Material. We brought together six artists in New Orleans to visit The Green Project and learn about how they process unwanted building materials and waste paint. They heard from New Orleans artist Jill Stoll about her "Lost Women" series and how she makes large woven artworks using post-consumer cardboard waste. The artists made artwork that is part of the exhibition, "Trash as Material" at Kolaj Institute Gallery 25 October to 29 November 2025.
"Once a thing becomes Trash, an entire new phase of the material object's life begins, often one that demands the resources and labor of others," wrote exhibition curator and Kolaj Institute Director Ric Kasini Kadour. "A small army of people, some paid, some not, collect litter from the streets. Entire industries exist to deal with trash objects. Most of those industries exist to move trash around: It gets collected and carted off to a landfill. Sometimes the Trash is sorted and re-commodified as a raw material. A few organizations are committed to redirecting materials back into communal use."
In the post-use life of materials, what role do collage artists play? And what happens when collage artists use trash as material? Taking the premise that Trash is not simply a material, but an idea, artists will virtually assemble to explore art made with or about Trash. Themes that have already emerged through Kolaj Institute's inquiry into this subject have included Trash as Archeology; the role of labor; litter and other street Trash; food waste; the history of sanitation; picking and hoarding; class, race, and questions of social justice; Trash and place; planned obsolescence; e-waste; and how to develop relationships with sources of particular Trash material and then physically process Trash into art materials. In this residency, artists will hear about these themes; about how artists made art about them; and identify new themes.
In collage, materials are never neutral. From how they are sourced to how they are used, the material a collage is made of shapes the story and experience of the artwork. The residency will consider what making art with Trash means for an Artist's Practice and what strategies an artist can use to move their work through the art ecosystem.
Artists will hear from Seattle, Washington artist, curator and place maker Bill Gaylord, who, during his Solo Artist Residency in June 2025, explored New Orleans by becoming an urban scavenger. "A common medium in my work is using repurposed cultural detritus, plastic, paper and wood found objects reflective of a particular place and cultural identity," wrote the artist. "I was taught from an early age to conserve resources, repurpose and recycle used materials concurrently with becoming a young artist creating collages. I was head of the recycling committee in High School where I started creating art with trash. Later in life as an architect and artist I educated myself in the epidemic of non-recyclable plastic trash and the gyres of garbage collecting in all of earth’s oceans. I made it a mission to create wearable art out of trash and educate the public as well as raise money for non-profit organizations through trash fashion as well as in my studio practice collage artwork. Found objects and trash, both two and three dimensional, I find to be inspiring materials to use in my art no matter what medium or scale." Gaylord will speak about his artist practice and the role of Trash in his artmaking.
Ric Kasini Kadour will present an international, historic survey of artists that used trash in their work, from German Dadaist Kurt Schwitters to Brazilian artist Vik Muniz to Ghanaian artist Serge Attukwei Clottey, and speak about how materials are never neutral in collage. Kadour will also present an overview of Kolaj Institute's Trash as Materials project and share examples of how other artists have made work that spoke to the subject. As the project curator, Kadour will guide artists through a process of building context for their artwork that supports its diffusion and ultimately its engagement with viewers.
Using Michael Thompson's Rubbish Theory: The Creation and Destruction of Value (2017 edition) as a key point of reference, artists will be invited to identify the type of Trash they wish to use as material and then work with the collective knowledge of the group to make a plan to source and process that material and ultimately turn it into an artwork or installation. Artists will also develop a context for the artwork that includes the source of the Trash and what stories or ideas inform the viewers experience of the artwork. Group discussions will center on how to develop a contemporary art project and how to bring that artwork to a community.
OUTCOME
The goal of this residency is to support collage artists as they adapt their artist practice to speak to the complexities of environmental issues and contribute to a broader dialogue on sustainability and ecological consciousness. During the residency, artists will consider how elements of their practice (research & play, process, making, finishing, diffusion, and impact & engagement) can be adapted.
At the end of the residency, artists will be invited to submit artwork to the exhibition that will take place at Kolaj Institute Gallery in New Orleans in late 2026 and to a book about Trash as Material that will be published in 2027. Other opportunities to diffuse the artwork include articles in Kolaj Magazine or participating in a Kolaj LIVE Online program, or being on panel at Kolaj Fest New Orleans, 10-14 June 2026.
WHO IS THIS FOR?
This Trash as Material Artist Residency takes place in virtual space and is centered on collage artists who want to develop their artist practice. Residencies are intended for self-motivated artists, regardless of the stage in their career, who have a practice of (or want to develop a practice of) making artwork that speaks to environmental issues in their communities.
COST
The cost of the residency is $500 USD. Kolaj Institute has a limited number of grants of up to $250 available to offset the cost of the workshop for those in demonstrated need. These grants are possible through the generous support of our donors.
RESIDENCY LOGISTICS
Dates: 25 November-16 December 2025
SESSION DATES
Tuesday, 25 November 2025, 6-8PM EST
Tuesday, 2 December 2025, 6-8PM EST
Tuesday, 9 December 2025, 6-8PM EST
Tuesday, 16 December 2025, 6-8PM EST
The workshop will begin with an invitation to join the Slack workspace on Saturday, 22 November 2025. Introductions and Orientation will take place during our first meeting on Tuesday, 25 November 2025, 6-8PM EST.
The remaining sessions will take place on the following Tuesdays (2, 8 and 16 December).
Artists are expected to attend all scheduled sessions and complete assignments.