INTERNATIONAL YURT ART RESIDENCY PROGRAM (IYARP)
About & Mission
The “International Yurt Art Residency Program” (IYARP) is founded by Mongolian American artist Eriko Tsogo in collaboration with the Drala Mountain Center, open to USA and international artists. IYARP is designed to nurture artists and the creative process. The residency seeks to offer two artists a fully funded one-month residency experience set in rural Colorado and the Mongolian countryside. IYARP is open to all 2D, 3D, digital, cross-disciplinary, experimental, film, video and literary disciplines. IYARP is fiscally sponsored by the New York Foundation of the Arts.
Two artists will be selected for residence each year. One US artists will get a chance to travel to the Mongolian steppes and one Mongolian artist will get a chance to travel to rural Colorado to experience the experiential dwelling of both an open land and a closed art studio inside a fully renovated traditional Mongolian yurt art studio to pursue their creative practice. IYARP utilizes the physical container of an authentic Mongolian yurt and the rural environmental setting of natural land and open-air space as root inspiration for spatial visualization of the relations between man, nature, and culture.
A key component of IYARP is community engagement and the artist’s ability and openness to share their creative process with the community. Artist are asked to do one virtual artist talk and conduct an open studio at Drala Mountain Center during their residency period. Artists are encouraged to submit residency proposals around issues related to climate change, sustainable housing, public education, cultural exchange, policy driven research, relation to the built and natural world, and the transitioning relationship of the city to exurban peripheries. At the end of residency, artists will have an opportunity to host an open studio on site at Drala Mountain Center as well as partake in a virtual group exhibition online.
IYARP aims to disrupt the status quo in order to create communal meaning and cultural integrity among indigenous and migrant cultural groups. Through the gifts of focused time, space, and resources – IYARP believes in promoting artistic and cross-cultural exchange to help inspire empathy, understanding, creative capital, social policy and cross-cultural enrichment between the East and West.
Supporting Artists During Covid
IYARP will resume post pandemic for the 2022–2023 season. Due to international travel restrictions in Mongolia, in 2022 IYARP will stay regional in Colorado. One local Colorado artist will be awarded a fully funded one-month rural residency experience at the Shambhala Mountain Center.
Traditionally IYARP offers two artists (one from Colorado, one from Mongolia), a fully subsidized one-month cross-cultural residency exchange experience awarded twice a year.
Residency Theme
Every year IYARP announces a social justice theme. Applicants are invited to implement creative solutions to the theme in attune to their practice. Artists are selected based on the merit and strength of their proposals in relation to the residency theme.
2022 Call for Application and Residency Timeframe
IYARP open call for applications will go live in mid June 2022. One Colorado artists will complete a one-month residency at the Drala Mountain Center between September 7 to September 28, 2022 (22 days).
The selected artist will travel to rural Colorado and experience the experiential dwelling of both an open-land and a closed-art-studio inside the Mongolian yurt to pursue their creative practice. IYARP utilizes the physical container of a Mongolian yurt and the rural environmental setting of natural land and open air space as root inspiration for spatial and outdoor visualization of the relations between man, nature and cultural exchange.
Artist Benefit
IYARP benefits the artist by offering them fully subsidized studio space, time, resources, developmental and marketing support. Selected artists will get residency and development support from the IYARP staff. A key component of IYARP residency is community engagement and the artist’s ability and openness to share their creative process with the community.
IYARP aims to disrupt the status quo in order to create communal meaning and cultural integrity among indigenous and migrant cultural groups. IYARP mission is to help bridge artistic and cross-cultural artist exchange, encourage artistic and cultural enrichment through inclusivity while promoting critical discourse, advocacy and creative capital on art, culture, social justice, and environmental sustainability issues on a cross-cultural diaspora.
Artist Selection Criteria and Jurying Process
IYARP is open to all 2D, 3D, digital, cross-disciplinary, experimental, film, video and literary disciplines. The final artist selection process is juried and highly competitive.
In its regional year, the IYARP jury team will consists of Colorado based panel of curators, arts administrators, donors and artists based on top-scoring applications in accordance with our criteria. The committee will consider a diversity of lived experiences. Selection criteria is based on the merit of the artist’s portfolio and strength of their residency proposal in context to the annual social justice theme.
Mid Residency Review: Artists will share their work-in-progress with the IYARP staff during a mid residency review. Reviews are helpful opportunities to discuss progress or issues with completing projects.
EDI Commitment
The International Yurt Art Residency Program rejects bigotry of any sort, and promotes inclusive dialogue regarding social, political, cultural and economic issues affecting not only artists but all people. IYARP values the contributions of all artists, reflecting the true diversity of the contemporary art field and encourages proposals that highlight women, artists of color, and under-represented practitioners.
Support IYARP and Donate Today
IYARP is the first unique artist in residence program bridging Colorado and Mongolia. Your contribution will help make history and enrich Colorado’s cultural tapestry. IYARP artists benefit the public by sharing their creative process with the community through artist talks, community workshops, and open studios. Your donation is 100% tax deductible. Help make IYARP possible for one Colorado artists in 2022 by making a donation today. All proceeds will directly benefit the program’s general operating expenses in providing a fully-subsidized residency experience for two Colorado artists in 2022. Please support IYARP by sharing the program with your respective networks.
In-Kind Donation
We are able to accept in-kind support as well. Please email iyarp.mon@gmail.com for more information.
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