Call for Applications Design & Crafts

In partnership with WantedDesign and with the support of the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation, Villa Albertine is seeking two professional creators from the French creative scene, one will be from the craft sector, and the other from the design sector, to come to New York for a two-month exploration residency in 2024. The residency will allow them to discover the New York creative scene and make meaningful new contacts.

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Profile and project requirements

Villa Albertine is intended for designers who have an original research project that requires an immersion in the United States and that can be complemented by a prospecting process for new business opportunities.

These exploratory residencies are not meant to be completed behind closed doors but should serve as field investigations that inspire and create connections. The intented project can be based on a new proposal, specifically conceived for Villa Albertine, or on pre-existing research to be further developed. In either case, the link of the project to the territory is crucial. Although the residency involves presenting something, in any form, its outcome does not need to be centered on the production of a specific work or format, as a production residency would.

The residency provides the selected artisan and designer with access to key industry organizations and professionals in New York and the United States. The project proposed by the applicants must encourage an active dialogue with these local actors.

The candidate must be a craftsman or a designer, whether French or of another nationality, and whose activity is mainly produced in France.

The general call for applications covers the whole territory of the United States and is open to artisans and designers. If you are interested in conducting a project in a city outside of New York, we invite you to apply to the 2024 general call (https://villa-albertine.org/professionals/appel-candidatures-saison-2024). 

Territory and timeframe 

This residency program is anchored in Industry City: a complex of former industrial buildings that have been converted into hundreds of production studios and stores for creators, makers, and designers. In the heart of Brooklyn, Industry City has become a vibrant creative district, focused on the innovation economy, including support for engineering, design, manufacturing, and production.   

The residency is also part of the Industry City + WantedDesign International Residency program.  

The residency will be for a period of 2 months, over one of three periods: February-April 2024, May-July 2024 or October-December 2024. 

Support of Villa Albertine 

Villa Albertine provides customized support, tailored to the expectations and profile of each resident.  

This accompaniment is provided by WantedDesign which allows the resident to be fully immersed into an ecosystem that fosters encounters and discoveries. A program of meetings, visits and events will be established for each resident, according to their project and needs.   

Villa Albertine will support the resident in their analysis of material and logistical needs required for the realization of their project. Resident`s arrival and stay will be organized by Villa Albertine. Villa Albertine will also provide residents with support by sharing their expert knowledge of the local artistic and cultural scene and network of partners.

Material support of the residency 

Villa Albertine covers the travel and living expenses related to the residency, according to the following terms:    

– A residency allowance of $100 per day to cover daily expenses (meals, local transportation, etc.);  

– A shared workspace in the heart of Industry City, in direct contact with the WantedDesign team;   

– International travel to and from the site;  

– Accommodation;  

– Health, liability, and repatriation insurance. 

Villa Albertine will not commit to cover any expenses other than the travel and accommodation expenses mentioned above.   

The call is open to individual applications only. Duo or trio applications are only accepted in the general call for applications of Villa Albertine.  

Villa Albertine’s framework can only consider residencies for the resident only (no additional family members or relatives). In case accompaniment were necessary (notably parents with dependent children), such a situation would be considered in the organization of the residence (adapted housing and help in finding other solutions for care).

French partner 

Each candidate is required to associate with a French partner, based in France. Depending on the case, this support can take three forms:

• Design of the residency project: help in writing the residency project, identification of resources and contacts that could help the applicant, etc.;
• Promotion of the residency: communication on social networks, production of content about the residency (articles, podcasts, videos, etc.);
• Creation of a post-residency component: presentation in France of the work created or conducted in the United States (conference, meeting with professionals, etc.), assistance in the development of the artistic or intellectual project.

Partners are not required to contribute financially to the residency.

Any public or private organization, under French law and located in France, may be a partner. The applicant cannot base his project solely on an organization that he directs or that he has created. They must have the support of a separate partner.

The applicant may also rely on other French partners, as well as on American organizations likely to help in the development of the project (connections, allocation of a workspace, etc.).

Selection criteria 

The jury will choose between the applications according to following criteria:  

• The quality of the candidate’s career: the candidate’s artistic or intellectual practice is professional, he or she is recognized by his or her peers, and his or her project for the Villa is a logical continuation of his or her research projects;      
• The professionalization of the candidate: the candidate must be sufficiently advanced in his/her practice as an artisan or designer to wish to deepen his/her practice and seek new outlets for his/her production.
• The quality of the project: the project is clear and the artistic, cultural and intellectual axes it develops are relevant and in line with the ecosystem surrounding the residency;  
• The candidate has a particular interest in the United States, in general, and New York specifically, the starting point of the residency project.   

The applicant must be over 21 years of age before the planned departure date of the residency.   

The candidate must be a craftsman or a designer, whether French or of another nationality, and whose activity is mainly produced in France.

A candidate may submit only one application per season to the Crafts and Design call.

Any incomplete or non-compliant application will be declared inadmissible. Any false declaration will automatically lead to the nullity of the application.   

How to apply 

Applications must be completed before February 1, 2023, at the following link: https://bit.ly/metiersartsdesign 

The applicant will provide the following elements:  

• A presentation file of the applicant’s background and work (less than 10 pages) describing their professional practice in the fields of craft and design (Max 10 Mb);
• A short video in English presenting the candidate’s career path and project (video already produced and available online or recorded for the occasion; the candidate should, in 3 minutes maximum, simply introduce themselves and say a few words about their project – no editing is expected, but a simple video shot in front of the camera where the candidate is clearly visible). This video will show that the applicant is fluent in English;
• A letter addressed to the Director of Villa Albertine from a French partner associated with the project, express their interest in partnering with or supporting the candidate. This letter should state how the partner will support the residency.

Calendar 

February 1, 2023, 11:59 pm (UTC+1): closing of the call for applications  

March-April 2023:   

• Pre-selection of applications by a jury made up of representatives of the Villa Albertine, WantedDesign and the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation, in charge of pre-selecting the applications sent.  
• Interview(s) of pre-selected candidates   
• Final selection made by the jury   

End of May 2023: Announcement of the results 

Presentation: Villa Albertine organized a webinar in French to present the call on December 6th – 6pm (French Time). Watch the recording here