The GIRLPOWER Collection is pleased to announce its inaugural GIRLPOWER Residency, a small artist residency located in a medieval hilltop property dating back to the 13th century near Bergerac in the Aquitaine region of southwestern France. The beautiful historical villages of Monpazier, Monflanquin and Villeréal are all nearby. This area was home to the legendary Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122-1204), one of the most powerful and influential figures of the Middle Ages who would eventually become the Queen of France (1137-1152), the Queen of England (1154-1189) and lead a crusade to the Holy Land.

The residency is organised and run by the GIRLPOWER Collection, a collecting partnership founded in 2012 by London-based curator Marcelle Joseph and Zurich-based lawyer Kimberly Morris to support female-identifying and non-binary artists through the acquisition of their work at the early stages of their careers. As an extension of their collection, Joseph and Morris have devised this residency to give female-identifying and non-binary artists the space and time for research and experimentation in the hills around the Lot-Garonne rivers. The thrust of the programme emanates from the desire of GIRLPOWER Collection to extend their patronage beyond the purchase of art to personal involvement with the artists themselves. The relationship between the artist-in-residence and the host is an important aspect of this programme.

Our mission at the GIRLPOWER Residency is to provide these early-career artists with an opportunity to slow down and centre their focus on their practice without the stress of deadlines and life in a big city. We invite artists to immerse themselves in the history and culture of the area that dates back to the Knights of Templar and to take in the breathtaking views around the property.

Outcomes for the GIRLPOWER Residency are anticipated to vary depending on each artist’s practice and inspiration. Artists may produce a body of work to be exhibited, become involved in the local community by giving a presentation, talk or open studio event, or simply choose to use the residency as a time to focus on and investigate their own practice, absorbing and reflecting upon their experience and researching source material for future work.

The opportunity is aimed at artists established in a dedicated practice for whom a hiatus from the daily demands on their time and energies can make a difference in their creative productivity. Located in the rural countryside, the GIRLPOWER Residency invites artists to engage in a quieter and more isolated environment that will ideally launch a new development in their practice.

Once a year, each edition of the residency accommodates up to three artists for the month of May, with housing, an open studio space, a stipend and a materials budget. Partners and children of the selected artists are welcome as long as they can share the provided accommodation.

Marcelle Joseph and Kimberly Morris lead the selection process. While artists are expected to use their time productively, a finished work of art at the end of the residency is not expected. However, we ask each artist to leave a trace behind as a memento of their time on the GIRLPOWER Residency.

If you would like to apply for the GIRLPOWER Residency, we are looking for interested artists to come to Pech Gris for the month of May 2023. Please reply to this email campaign with your name, email address, CV, images of three artworks and an artist statement (no more than 250 words) on or before 23 December 2022. Shortlisted artists will be interviewed in January and final decisions announced in early February.

More info on the direct link.