“Getting away from all other duties for three weeks had a big, positive impact on my creative practice. I now understand the power of residencies in particular, and will redouble my efforts to participate in similar programming every summer going forwards.”
Taylor Hokanson (Hot Iron Artist 2019)
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2020 HOT METAL ARTIST RESIDENCY PROGRAM
Our 2020 Hot Metal Artist application period is closed. Check back in late 2020 for 2021 application details!
Each year, Franconia Sculpture Park invites artists from around the world to participate in the Hot Metal Artist Residency Program. Since 1996, over 209 artists have had the opportunity to strengthen their professional network as well as their portfolio and metal casting skills in a unique setting. There are a number of different ways artists can participate, depending on qualifications and experience. Selected artists will create a new artwork during the residency.
Hot Metal Season also doubles as a community education program. For the first three weeks, Hot Metal Artist Interns will lead tours of the Cast Iron Exhibition and teach family-oriented Relief Mold-Making workshops.
The season concludes with two public iron pours: the Annual Hot Metal Pour, the Midwest’s largest hot metal pour event, and Franconia’s Artist Pour, in which resident artists complete their own works.
RESIDENCY OVERVIEW
LOCATION: Shafer, MN; 50 minutes northeast of Minneapolis/St. Paul in the St. Croix River Valley region
WHAT IS PROVIDED:
All Hot Metal Artists and Artist Interns will receive an allotment of up to 2,000 lbs. of sand for mold making, 300 lbs. of iron, access to the shared studio space and foundry equipment, as well as room and board (with the exception of local Artist Interns who live off-site).
Note: In the past, members of the Hot Metal team camped on-site. This year we will have all residents indoors for the duration of their stay. Hot Metal artists must be willing to share space and participate in the communal atmosphere of the Artist Residency at Franconia Sculpture Park.
ELIGIBILITY:
- Applicants must be active and practicing artists, evident in resume or CV
- Artists must be 21 years of age or older during the time of residency
- Artists must be U.S. residents and/or applicants who have a valid work visa
- Artists who have participated in the past are encouraged to apply; however, they are subject to a more rigorous review and must clearly explain how another residency at Franconia will impact them
DESIRED QUALIFICATIONS:
- Quality studio work as made evident by portfolio images and experience listed on CV
- Teaching experience
- Ability to learn new processes quickly, work as a team, and take direction
- Experience with the cast iron process is not required
APPLICATION PROCESS:
Application Requirements: cover sheet, letter of intent, project proposal with sketches, artist statement, work samples with image description list, current cv, optional statement of financial need.
Application fee: $20. The application fee will subsidize artists who demonstrate financial need through written letter describing their need and by providing a copy of the previous year’s reported gross salary income.
DEADLINE: April 1, 2020, 11:59pm (CST)
SELECTION PROCESS
A panel of jurors will select Hot Metal Artists. Applications will be judged on the quality of the work examples, feasibility and strength of the proposed project, and the potential to make the most of their time in the residency. Experience with the cast iron process is preferred but not required.
2020 Panelists:
Allison Baker earned her MFA in Sculpture from the Rhode Island School of Design, a BFA in Sculpture and BA in Gender Studies from Indiana University. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor of Sculpture and Studio Art at Hamline University.
Kay Dartt has 15 years of metal casting experience that she uses to help artists advance a critical dialogue about the material and process of iron within the contemporary art field. She holds a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering as well as an MFA in sculpture and is the 3D Fabrication Manager at Shepherd University.
Yun Gee Park is the owner of Yun Gee Park Gallery and Sculpture Gardens in Tucson, focusing on contemporary fine art and craft. She has a BFA from the Rhode Island School of Design and an MA from Purdue University.
Samantha Leopold-Sullivan creates visceral creatures in dialogue with industrial spaces, deepening self-understanding and reflection within the viewer. She holds an MFA in Sculpture/Dimensional Studies from Alfred University and has work installed at Franconia Sculpture Park, Sculpture Trails Outdoor Museum, and Salem Art Works.
Daniel Shieh is an artist from Taiwan. He received his BFA from Washington University and recently completed an MDes degree in Art, Design, and the Public Domain at Harvard Graduate School of Design. He creates interactive artworks that encourage participants to view each other in a different perspective.
HOT METAL TEAM ROLES
HOT METAL ARTISTS
Franconia is looking for a team of up to five professional artists to participate in a three-week residency, with the main focus of creating work. Artists will be selected based on their professional experience, portfolio and proposal.
DURATION: July 30, 2020- August 20, 2020
HOT METAL ARTISTS’ RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Creating a work of art
- Breaking iron and coke in preparation for both iron pours
- Assisting in both pours
- Participating as an integral part of the Hot Metal team as directed by the Hot Metal Co-Directors
- Participation in the communal atmosphere of the artist residency at FSP; i.e. cooking and cleaning as assigned by FSP staff.
FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS:
The cost of the residency is $600. This fee covers the cost of sand, iron and the use of the outdoor studio space, as well as room and board for three weeks. There is an additional $250 security deposit, which is due upon acceptance and refundable at the end of the residency.
Artists selected in the program will receive their $20 application fee as a credit toward the deposit or the residency fee.
HOT METAL ARTIST INTERNS
Franconia is looking for a team of up to three professional emerging artists to participate in a four-week residency focus on creating new work and assisting with the Hot Metal season’s educational programs.
DURATION: July 23, 2020 – August 20, 2020
HOT METAL ARTIST INTERNS’ RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Creating a work of art
- Breaking iron and coke in preparation for both iron pours
- Assisting in both iron pours
- Assisting in the Community Relief Mold-Making workshops: Leading and teaching workshops; managing relief mold sales and storage; ensuring each mold is being taken care of professionally prior to the pour; leading tours of the Franconia Sculpture Park Cast Iron Exhibition; preparing the relief molds to be cast the day of the Annual Hot Metal Pour
- Participating as an integral part of the Hot Metal team as directed by the Hot Metal Co-Directors
- Participation in the communal atmosphere of the artist residency at FSP; i.e. cooking and cleaning as assigned by FSP staff
FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS:The $600 program fee is waived for Hot Metal Artist Interns by means of a work exchange. Artist Interns work to support the Hot Metal season’s educational programs, and as needed Franconia’s public events, for an average of five hours per day, six days per week. There is a $250 security deposit, which is due upon acceptance and refundable at the end of the residency.
Artists selected in the program will receive their $20 application fee as a credit toward the deposit.
NEW! LOCAL HOT METAL ARTIST INTERNS
Franconia is looking for a team of up to five professional and local emerging artists to participate in a four-week work exchange focused on creating new work and assisting with the Hot Metal season’s educational programs. These artists will not live onsite, rather, they will commute from their own homes. These artists will be expected to fulfill an allotted number of hours of service each week. In exchange they will be able to use the studio space to make new work.
LOCAL HOT METAL ARTIST INTERN RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Creating a work of art
- Breaking iron and coke in preparation for both iron pours
- Assisting in both pours
- Assisting in the Community Relief Mold-Making workshops: Leading and teaching workshops; managing relief mold sales and storage; ensuring each mold is being taken care of professionally prior to the pour; leading tours of the Franconia Sculpture Park Cast Iron Exhibition; preparing the relief molds to be cast the day of the Annual Hot Metal Pour
- Participating as an integral part of the Hot Metal team as directed by the Hot Metal Co-Directors
FINANCIAL REQUIREMENTS:The program fee is waived for Local Hot Metal Artist Interns by means of a work exchange and travel costs. All Artist Interns work to support the Hot Metal season’s educational programs and the two pours. Local Hot Metal Artist Interns will be responsible for costs associated with travel. If selected the $20 application fee will be refunded.
Click the button above for a more detailed description of this opportunity and how to apply.
Please review thoroughly prior to application.
Application materials must be received by 11:59PM CST on April 1, 2020.
Incomplete or late applications will not be reviewed. You will receive an automatic confirmation at the time of submission. Applicants will be notified in April regarding the status of their application.
Contact Info
Phone: 651.257.6668
Email: info@franconia.org
Location
Hours
Park grounds are open 365 days a year from dawn to dusk.
Office Winter Hours: 9am-5pm Monday-Friday (Dec 1 – Mar 1)