The Chautauqua School of Art is hosting 28 two-week resident artists this season, a first for the program. The artists will host open studios at 2 p.m. today, followed by an opening reception for an exhibition showcasing their work. The exhibition runs through Friday.
Chautauqua Visual Art’s two-week residency is wrapping up with a final exhibition on view today in the Arts Quad. The 28 artists-in-residence in the program, new this year, will showcase a selection of work they have created during their time at the Institution, marking the end of this season’s
residency program.
For Erika b Hess, the Sydelle Sonkin and Herb Siegel Artistic Director of Chautauqua Visual Arts, it’s an exciting opportunity to share the work of the group of residents with the broader Chautauqua community.
An oil on canvas piece by two-week resident artist Kate Salke.
The exhibition showcases work from each of the 28 artists participating in the residency program, and is curated by Hess, visiting gallerist Sally Morgan Lehman and Susan and John Turben Director of CVA Galleries Judy Barie.
Hess said most of those participating in the short-term residency are artists with established careers, so there is less emphasis on faculty and education in this program than in the traditional six-week CVA residency. For these artists, the residency is more focused on providing a creative space. The output, she said, has been amazing.
“Everybody hit the ground running,” she said. “They have been creating; they have been pushing themselves.”
Hess said many residents are using the program to make progress on a series of work or extended projects which will eventually be shown in different settings.
“Everybody has a direction that they’re moving (in), so it’s nice for them to have this freedom where they can just work and also be inspired by what Chautauqua has to offer,” Hess explained.
An oil on linen piece by Yura Adams.
The Arts Quad will host open studios at 2 p.m. today, followed by a reception for the exhibition from 3 to 5 p.m. The exhibition, which Hess described as being similar to a “pop-up” exhibition, will be de-installed Friday.
Earlier this season, CVA hosted a similar exhibition to celebrate the conclusion of the traditional six-week residency program in which the residents — many of whom are emerging and early-career artists — displayed the work they created during the program. This exhibition will follow a similar model and will be composed largely of mid-career artists who have an established practice.
After the pause on programming during the 2023 season, the two-week residency was established to complement the six-week residency in order to afford more accommodating opportunities to artists from different backgrounds. The two-week artist residency program is designed for artists who have established a career and artistic practice but may lack the flexibility to attend a long-term residency due to obligations like jobs, family and other commitments.
