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Artists in Residence
Artists in Residence at USDAN summer camp on Long Island
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Artists in Residence

"When young people have the opportunity to engage in another artist’s practice, they don’t become that artist — they become themselves."  

- Lily Binns, author and producer

Despite the many films, images, and stories designed *for* young people, due to the constraints of age and access, precious little art and culture is genuinely created *with* young people. What would an artistic landscape informed by the real experiences of young people look like?

Founded in 2017, after a year of research into peer initiatives, Usdan’s Artist in Residence program takes the unique aim of uplifting the creativity, concerns, and experiences of youth in contemporary art making. 

Through the program, we invite highly-regarded artists — working in a variety of disciplines — to Usdan for residencies that typically span multiple years. During each residency, Artists in Residence immerse themselves in Usdan’s big community of students, faculty, administrators, production staff, and artists, young and old. Artists in Residence spend an initial year conducting creative research inspired by the Usdan landscape and community, followed by two years of direct art-making with Usdan students, who are engaged as equal collaborators in the development of new work. The process is overseen by trusted Usdan faculty and administrators, who collaborate with Artists in Residence to design authentic structures for student involvement.

We have found the exchange is enormously beneficial to both our students, whose own artistry flourishes through collaboration with professional practitioners, and to our Artists in Residence, who enjoy rejuvenating access to Usdan’s unique community, natural environment, and institutional resources, while becoming role models and inspirations for future generations.

We ultimately hope that the collaborative works created through our Artist in Residence program are shown outside of Usdan in professional arts settings. In this way, we are working to center and honor the voices of young people - while they are still young people. For adults, this offers the chance to see the future a little faster. Usdan's Artists in Residence are:

 

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If you or someone you know would like to participate in the Artist in Residence program, please email director@usdan.org.