Call for Applications 2024 Season

[POUR LIRE L’APPEL EN FRANCAIS, CLIQUEZ ICI]

Through the concept of exploratory residencies, Villa Albertine invites participants to explore a territory and to meet key local actors in order to nourish an original artistic or intellectual reflection which could not be developed otherwise. Such residencies are not intended to be conducted behind closed doors but to act as probing field work that inspires and forges new bonds. The project can either be a new proposal conceived for Villa Albertine or research the resident has been conducting before they arrive in the US. In both cases, the raison d’être of the project is its relation to the place where it is located. Meetings and visits should contribute to the work carried out. The exploratory residency should also inspire exchanges and relationships for the future and help refine an approach and deepen reflection. 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.

Profile and project requirements 

Villa Albertine is looking for creators, researchers, and culture professionals with an original research project they wish to pursue in the field of arts and ideas that requires an immersive stay in the United States. The project should relate to the challenges of the territory to be explored and should initiate active dialogue with local actors.

The professional disciplines considered include–but are certainly not limited to–the following: visual arts, architecture, design, arts and crafts, performing arts, street arts, music of all genres, cinema, television series, literature, non-fiction, graphic novels, children’s books, social sciences and humanities, museology, cultural heritage, art history, digital creation (immersive experiences, video games and other forms related to new technologies from metaverse to blockchain, NFT), podcasts, and culinary arts. Multi-disciplinary projects are also welcomed. 

Villa Albertine favors individual applications. Residencies in groups of two or three are accepted only when the research project justifies this exception.

The call is not exclusive to French or French-speaking people but open to any creator, researcher or cultural professional who meets the selection criteria mentioned below, including that of being backed by a French partner.

10 branches to support residences anchored in a territory

This map is available by clicking here.

Applicants are invited to propose a residency anchored in a city in the United States. They can choose one of the ten cities where the Villa has a permanent office (Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, New Orleans, San Francisco and Washington DC) or another city. This other city necessarily depends on one of the 10 branches of the Villa, according to the map above (for example, if you wish to do a residency in Seattle, your stay will depend on the Villa Albertine in San Francisco). 

Applicants may also propose a roving residency, which is a multi-step residency in different regions or cities of the United States. It should be noted, however, that a very limited number of itinerancy projects will be selected.

Villa Albertine focuses in certain cities on specific themes, such as the environment in Miami, space exploration in Houston and Marfa, the renewal of cultural institutions in Washington DC, etc. The applicant can choose to explore these themes in the cities considered or other themes that are relevant to their chosen location. Click here to see short presentations of each of these ten cities. 

Support from Villa Albertine

Villa Albertine provides personalized support for each resident, as well as a multitude of possible places of residency. 

Such support mainly comes from an 80-person team spread over ten cities, and systematic partnering with French and US institutions and organizations so that the resident is immersed in an ecosystem conducive to meetings, discoveries, and explorations. A schedule of meetups, visits, and events will be produced for each resident, in accordance with their project and needs. Each of Villa Albertine’s branches will support them by sharing its expert knowledge of the local artistic and cultural scene and its network of partners. 

Villa Albertine will also support the resident in their analysis of material and logistical requirements for the project to be realized. We will organize the resident’s arrival and stay and will cover related travel costs and living expenses. This includes: 

• Residency allowance covering everyday expenses (meals, local transport, etc.). As a guide, this allowance amounts to $100 per diem in New York City; 
• International and domestic travel costs; 
• Accommodation; 
• Car rental (in sprawling cities or if the nature of the project requires a car); 
• Health, public liability, and repatriation insurance.  

Villa Albertine cannot commit to covering expenses other than the aforementioned costs and living expenses. If the applicant identifies specific needs (technical material, workspace, etc.), they should present solutions to demonstrate the project’s viability (partnerships, extra financial support, etc.) 

Villa Albertine’s framework is organized to support individual residences (not including family members or other close relatives who would not be part of the project). In the case where this accompaniment would be necessary (parent with dependent child(ren)), such a situation could be considered in the organization of the residence by making adapted housing available.

French partnership

Each applicant is asked to have their residency project backed by a French partner. Depending on the case, this backing can take one of three forms: 

• Conception of the residency project: assistance in writing the residency presentation, finding resources and contacts that could help the applicant, etc.  
• Promotion of the residency: communication on social media, content creation about the residency (articles, podcasts, videos, etc.) 
• Post-residency follow-up: phase in France spent presenting the work carried out in the United States (conference, meet-up with professionals, etc.), help in developing an artistic or intellectual project.

These partners are not asked to contribute financially to the residency. 

For candidates who are not eligible for French social security benefits and for non-French applicants who live in countries that are not part of the US Visa Waiver Program, the French partner must sign an agreement with Villa Albertine to ensure that administration regarding the residency is properly managed and that the procedures required for the candidate to enter the US have been followed.

Any public or private entity under French law, based in France, may be a partner. 

Applicants who are creators cannot use an organization they manage or created as support for their application. They should have the backing of a distinct partner. 

Applicants who are researchers or culture professionals may use their employing institution as their partner.

In addition to the main French partner, applicants may also use other French partners and US entities that could help develop the project (networking, provision of a workspace, etc.) as support for their application. 

Selection criteria

Regarding eligibility requirements, applicants should justify that they: 

• Have professional experience in their field of artistic or intellectual creation, proven through a CV or dossier (less than ten pages long) that presents their career and their work; 
• Speak English well, proven by sending a short presentation video of your career and your project in 3 minutes maximum (no editing is expected, but a simple video shot in front of the camera, the candidate should not read a text);
• Have the backing of a French partner associated with the residency project, which can be any public or private French entity (a cultural institution, an organization, a publishing house, a firm in a creative and cultural industry, etc.) and should let Villa Albertine know about their interest in supporting the applicant in a letter addressed to Villa Albertine’s director.

The candidate must be at least 21 years old before the planned date of departure for their residency.

The selection criteria are as follows:

• Quality of the applicant’s career: the applicant carries out their artistic or intellectual practice professionally, they are recognized by their peers, their project for Villa Albertine is a logical continuation of their research interests;
• Quality of the project: the project is clearly articulated and the artistic, cultural, and intellectual axes it develops are relevant;
• Relevance of the project in relation to the region concerned: the project is strongly tied to local dynamics and challenges and requires the applicant to travel to the United States;
• Feasibility of the project: Villa Albertine reserves the right to not host projects it cannot properly support.

The candidate should be able to adapt to any regional restrictions where they plan on spending their residency. For example, it is strongly recommended that they have a driver’s license if they plan to work in sprawling cities, such as Los Angeles or San Francisco.

Application process

Applications should be submitted by February 1, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. French time (UTC+1), by completing the following form on the dedicated platform:  

https://bit.ly/en-villaalbertine2024

It is strongly recommended not to wait until this date, in order to avoid possible congestion of the platform.

An applicant may only submit one application per season.

Applications can be revised at any time before the closing date of the call for applications. Once sent, the application cannot be edited anymore.

For applications that justify the participation of several people, only one application must be submitted. Each participant must present themselves in the same form.

Since the applications are examined by French- or English-speaking experts, the candidate must answer the questions on the form that require writing in English.

The candidate is invited to mention the territory and the duration desired for residency (one, two or three months). The Villa reserves the right to propose a shorter residence period than that initially desired by the candidate, or even an adapted itinerary to make the project feasible.  

Any incomplete or noncompliant application will be deemed inadmissible. Any intentionally false declaration will automatically void the application.

Applications will be examined in three phases: first, by experts in the concerned field; second, by a local jury that will assess the project’s relevance to their city concerned; and third, in a final selection phase overseen by a panel of judges. This panel shall be chaired by the Director of Villa Albertine and will bring together qualified French and US experts.

The panel of judges is sovereign; it does not have to justify its decisions to applicants. 

The successful applicants will be announced at the end of May 2023. 

FAQ

Are residents paid? 

Villa Albertine operates under the aegis of the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs. These will be adjusted in accordance with the cost of living in the city concerned (e.g. $100 per diem in New York City, amounting to $3,000 per month), accommodation being already covered. 

May I carry out a project in a city or territory that is not among the ten cities where Villa Albertine is based? 

Yes, you may. Please state on the form the city or cities you have in mind. 

Are there quotas per city or residency type? 

Villa Albertine’s hosting capacity mainly depends on the teams it has in the US, which are spread out over ten cities and coordinated from New York. In this regard, it can host six to eight residents in New York, three or five anchored in the nine other cities, and six to eight roving residencies. 

Your choice of city (or cities for roving residencies) should be stated with a specific justification. 

You can consult the jury’s report which includes statistics on the projects submitted in the first call. New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago were the most requested cities. 

May I come with one or more people? 

Only the individual who has applied may come to the residence, except for applications submitted by duos or trios when the artistic or intellectual work justifies it. If the arrival of a family member or caregiver is necessary, the Villa Albertine will reserve suitable accommodation.

Can I apply if I already live in the US? 

If a French partner backs your application and you meet other criteria of eligibility, you may apply. You should justify how Villa Albertine’s support would help you immerse yourself in agiven region of the country where you already live.

Can I do the residence in several stays? 

Villa Albertine proposes residences on a single stay, however, if it were necessary for an imperative reason (family, health), Villa Albertine will consider the possibility of a residence in two stays.

I would like to go to several cities that depend on the same branch of Villa Albertine (e.g. Los Angeles and Las Vegas). Is this considered a roving residency? 

Yes, as long as the residency does not take place in a fixed location, it is considered to be itinerant. 

How many people applied last year? How many did you select? 

To find all the information about last year’s call for applications, the selection process and the statistics, please refer to the online jury report via this link. 

Can a structure of the French cultural network based outside France (e.g. Alliance française, Institut français) be my partner? 

No, the French partner organization must be based in France. 

Other questions?

Please contact candidatures@villa-albertine.org

Click below to download the call for applications and the list of questions on the application platform:

Call for applications: SEASON 2024_CALL FOR APPLICATIONS_ENG.pdf

Application form: CALL2024_FORM_ENG.pdf

The Villa Albertine organized a presentation of the call (in French). See the replay on our Facebook page: https://fb.watch/h4PZdkmzUU/