SANTA FE – “Freedom without responsibility is not true freedom,” reads a quote from revered Buddhist monk and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh. Alongside is a quote from the artist Simone Leigh of the Venice Biennale: “To be sovereign is not to be subject to authority, to the desires or to the gaze of others, but to be the author of one’s own history. These appear on the homepage of the Santa Fe Art Institute 2024 International thematic residency, whose theme is Sovereignty. Applications for the residency are due April 9.
Jamie Blosser, Executive Director of SFAI, says Hyperallergic that the process of choosing a theme is complex. “We do a full research project every fall and talk to our alumni and residents,” she says. “We try to keep our finger on the pulse of what’s going on in the world.”
When the SFAI team considered the 2024 theme, they considered major US and global events and issues, such as the overthrow of Roe v. Wade, in addition to the role that indigenous communities around the world play in protecting the planet, and what great data does to information ownership. With all of that in mind, Sovereignty stood out. “This is a creative call to action that challenges imperial and colonial concepts of sovereignty,” Blosser explained. “Those who have claimed land and personality. There are all these different perspectives, and I’m so excited to see what the artists bring to this.
People from all continents except Antarctica have participated in this residency. In 2023, artists came from New Zealand, Africa, Mexico, Haiti and the United States. The choice of a theme that serves as a common thread is essential to the program. It gives artists from a myriad of backgrounds and practices a shared creative language, helping them form a type of collective consciousness.
“One of the most compelling things about this residency is the peer cohort,” notes Blosser. “They will carry these relationships with them for the rest of their lives, and many share their networks. So it’s also professional development. Residents of SFAI live in a semi-communal setting. They sleep in the same building and share kitchens and common areas. Some residents choose to work together on collaborative projects, passing on new skills and working with new mediums.
The theme for 2023 is Climate Change, and resident Angél Faz says being part of a peer group has helped their practice evolve. “Good work does not happen in a vacuum,” they say. “I wanted to be part of the ecosystem of people selected to be part of the cohort and expand my practice.”
Faz is a multidisciplinary artist from Dallas, Texas, whose recent work has focused on streams and rivers, particularly how they have been renamed, lost their original Indigenous titles, and been used as dumps. “I looked at Indigenous stories and worked with Indigenous communities to tell stories,” says Faz. “My work has intersected with the theme of climate change in what it means to be a water steward.”
While at SFAI, Faz focused on the Colorado River Compact, an agreement drafted in 1922 that divided the Colorado River into two basins. It created water allocations for each basin and excluded many indigenous communities from its review and framework.
Another SFAI resident is the one who referred Faz to the Colorado River Compact. “In other residences, there’s a competition or this control of information, but with this cohort, you have the possibility, in the kitchen or in the studio, to have these conversations; they happen very casually. Other artists ask about your project, and then they ask you if you’ve thought of certain things,” says Faz. “The benefit of the cohort is this natural biological petri dish of people choosing to interact and cross-pollinate.”
The ability to share ideas and be part of a diverse and inclusive community are among the criteria the SFAI team looks for when selecting candidates. They are also looking for artists whose practices blend naturally with the chosen theme. “We’re really looking at the nuances of how this thematic work is already part of their practice,” Blosser says, “or where they want to go with their practice.”
Looking ahead, Blosser is delighted to offer $500 grants to BIPOC and Indigenous applicants for the 2024 residency year. All work created during the SFAI residency belongs to the artist. “We honor creativity as a process, not as a product or a commodity,” she concludes. “We work to honor the inherent knowledge and expertise of artists and how their work is integral to shaping society.”
Applications for the 2024 edition of the Santa Fe Art Institute International thematic residency are expected on April 9.
