North Adelaide Artist in Residence Expression of Interest
For The Love Of North Adelaide
The City of Adelaide is seeking an early to mid-career artist or artist collective to undertake a community arts and cultural development residency in North Adelaide, with a focus on placemaking, community building, and engagement.
Arts and culture play a vital role in enriching communities by fostering creativity and social connections. Artist-in-residency projects bring artists and locals together, creating opportunities for collaboration, cultural exchange, and dialogue. These initiatives strengthen community identity, enhance public spaces, and address social issues through creative expression, ultimately contributing to the wellbeing and vitality of the community.
North Adelaide, a vibrant suburb north of Adelaide's city centre, is home to around 7,000 residents and offers a unique mix of historic charm, modern amenities, and community spirit. Its picturesque streets, lined with heritage homes, host a dynamic mix of bustling cafes, boutique shops, and renowned dining venues, creating a lively atmosphere. The suburb is steeped in cultural and historical significance, featuring iconic landmarks such as St Peter’s Cathedral, Piccadilly Cinema, the David Roche Foundation House Museum, and ten heritage pubs, showcasing its rich history.
Family-friendly places like the North Adelaide Dog Park, North Adelaide Golf Course, and the popular "helicopter playground" add to its appeal, catering to both relaxation and recreation. The community is further enriched by the North Adelaide Community Centre, garden, and Library, which serve as vital hubs for locals and visitors alike. Rich in local history, this iconic heritage-listed site began as the North Adelaide Institute in the 1880s, offering adult education and cultural enrichment through lectures, reading rooms and gatherings before evolving into the community hub it is today. The suburb is also home to exciting new changes and development with projects like 88 O'Connell Street which promise to bring new residents and retail experiences, blending heritage and progress seamlessly.
The combination of historic architecture, green spaces, and vibrant cultural landmarks makes North Adelaide a cherished neighbourhood, offering a perfect balance of leisure, culture, and lifestyle. It remains a community that celebrates both its storied past and its dynamic future, inviting all to experience its unique charm.
This Residency will ask artist(s) to engage and collaborate with our community to produce a meaningful creative outcome.
The Residency will occur over a 6-month period, culminating in outcome that could consist of an exhibition, temporary public artwork, performance(s), or presentation depending on the nature of the artist’s practice.
The Artist focus will celebrate the cultural heritage, diverse stories and community identity of North Adelaide through its residents and visitors' using community arts and cultural development values.
The North Adelaide Community Centre and Library will be the ‘home base’ for the Residency. The artist will have access to free use of the spaces for programming, creating art, performances, exhibiting and storage of materials. The Residency, however, is not restricted to activation/engagement in the Community Centre and Library and may extend into any part of North Adelaide.
- Celebrate the appreciation, love for and connection to North Adelaide precinct and the North Adelaide Community Centre and Library
- Celebrate the cultural heritage, history, stories and richness of North Adelaide and the diversity of the people living there.
- Create community connection and a sense of belonging at City of Adelaide community centres and spaces.
- Provide opportunities to explore the value of community, our shared humanity, the importance of belonging and the strengths of diversity.
- Leverage the community's strengths by gathering their ideas about the cultural activities offered at the North Adelaide Community Centre and Library, while also encouraging sharing and learning of talents, stories, knowledge, skills, and passions with others.
- Inspire the community to engage in art and culture by offering opportunities to create, observe, and participate in a collaborative environment.
The artist should use a variety of different activities that can engage the community. The artist is expected to have a regular ongoing presence throughout the course of the residency in either the community or at the NACC in negotiation with the City of Adelaide. A minimum of five impactful workshops will take place over the course of the Residency, each designed to empower the community to provide valuable insights and contributions.
Artists in Residence will be introduced to various City of Adelaide teams, including areas such as City Experience, Heritage, Sustainability, and Social Inclusion, to gain deeper insight into the richness of North Adelaide and its community. This collaboration will help inform their workshops and residency activities.
The proposed activities will be discussed and negotiated with the City of Adelaide but focused as Artist led workshops involving individual art and collaboration among community members; sharing skills and knowledge relevant to artist's practice that will explore different aspects of North Adelaide and its environment.
The workshops and the Residency should explore thematics such as:
- Environmental awareness and greening- celebrating nature and biodiversity
- Cultural heritage and identity- celebrating the history and character of North Adelaide
- Community exchange and intergenerational connections – sharing stories and knowledge.
- Public spaces and built forms - the changing face of North Adelaide.
- Community dreams and aspirations – shaping a shared future
The Residency and its activities will culminate in an artist-led collaborative/participatory community outcome that will be presented at North Adelaide Community Centre and Library spaces. The outcome may consist of an either exhibition, temporary public artwork, performance(s) or presentation.
To support the residency, $15,000. The fee to be provided to the artist will cover artist fees, workshops, materials, travel, community engagement and residency outcomes and other residency related expenses.
In addition to the financial support the City of Adelaide Council will provide logistical, facilitation, marketing and promotional support for the residency.
Apply now
Complete an online expression of interest form and attach a brief CV and an example of a recent artistic creation.
The expression of interest closes at 9:00 am on 21 October 2024.
Applicants will be notified of the outcome by the end of the November 2024.
The residency will run from January to June 2025.
For any questions, please email [email protected] or speak with Katherine Shaw or Laura Perdue.