Rauschenberg Residency
The Robert Rauschenberg Foundation (RRF) is pleased to announce the inaugural launch of the Rauschenberg Residency in Captiva, Florida.
Robert Rauschenberg's twenty-acre estate on Captiva Island, Florida, will be transformed into a creative center that welcomes artists of all disciplines from around the world to live, work, and create. The Rauschenberg Residency is inspired by Rauschenberg's early years at Black Mountain College where an artistic community brought out elements central to his legacy, collaboration and exploration, learning from and working with others to break new ground.
"The development of an artists' residency on the property where Robert Rauschenberg lived and worked for more than forty years is one of our major strategic initiatives. The pilot program will help create a model which builds on this legacy of new ideas, new work and supporting generations of new artists," said Christy MacLear, RRF executive director.
The pilot program perpetuates Rauschenberg's ability to inspire and impact artists who follow in his footsteps, enabling creativity to develop out of community and interaction. Each of the more than forty-five gifted artists invited to participate in the pilot brings a distinct artistic background and focus. The interplay of their solo and shared experiences during their stay at Captiva mirrors Rauschenberg's career-long interest in collaborative creativity, and will promote the spirit of innovation and boundary-pushing for the participants. Moreover, the collective nature of an eclectic group made up of individual artists reflects similar themes and methods that intrigued Rauschenberg throughout his life, especially the mix of media, materials and techniques. The experience will be symbolic of his belief that art has the power to bring about change, whether on a global or philanthropic level, and even within the artistic community itself.
The pilot residencies will run from November 2012 through June 2013 in four-week blocks, with post-residency follow ups to assess how the experience impacted the participants' work and artistic process.
The selection process for the Rauschenberg Residency for fall 2013 – summer 2014 will be by nomination only. Nominators representing geographic and cultural diversity will anonymously identify more than sixty-plus artists and creative individuals from a variety of disciplines, backgrounds, and career levels to participate in seven residencies. Please check back for updates.
Mission
The Rauschenberg Residency, an interdisciplinary artists' residency program, based on Robert Rauschenberg's belief that "Art can change the world," nurtures and facilitates experimentation, collaboration and innovation.
Vision
Based on Rauschenberg's experience at Black Mountain College and his belief in taking art across international borders to affect positive social change, the Rauschenberg Residency will focus on bringing together artists and scholars of exceptional talent and promise to make art, experiment, exchange ideas, and advance mutual understanding. Sited on the grounds of Rauschenberg's former home and studio in Captiva, Florida, the residency will maintain a commitment to the preservation of the land and its history, and to the stewardship of the natural environment.
