We are accepting applications until December 31st 2024!

Download the Request for Qualifications to apply below. 

Are you passionate about art and water?

Join us for an exciting opportunity to be part of the MRG Urban Waters Partnership Artist-in-Residence Program, a collaboration between EPA, the Urban Waters Partnership, and the National Endowment for the Arts. We plan to offer a 12 to 18 month stipend beginning in early 2025, providing the selectd artist (or artists) a unique platform within the community to showcase their talents and highlight our urban waterways through art.

Artist in Residence Program Overview

The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Artist in Residence (AIR) pilot initiative to address critical water quality challenges was developed in response to President Biden’s Executive Order (EO) on Arts and Humanities (EO 14084 Promoting the Arts, the Humanities, and Museum and Library Services, October 5, 2022). The EO is designed to spur investment and alignment of arts and culture across the federal government, make art more accessible and understandable to people from underserved communities, elevate new voices through the arts and humanities, and expand opportunities for artists and scholars. Ultimately, through the AIR pilot, the EPA intends to support selected National Estuary Program (NEP) and Urban Waters Federal Partnership locations in their efforts to demonstrate how arts and culture can help inform efforts to work more effectively with communities, build understanding of water quality and other environmental concerns, build stronger connections between communities and natural resources, and better meet communities’ unique needs.

The EPA AIR pilot, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), will support a broad range of local artists and culture bearers in six geographic areas within National Estuary Programs (NEP) and Urban Waters Federal Partnership (UWFP) locations. These locations include:

1. The Passaic River and Bronx and Harlem Rivers Urban Waters Federal Partnerships: New York-New Jersey Harbor and Estuary Program
2. The San Juan Bay Estuary Partnership
3. The Greater Philadelphia Area/Delaware River Watershed Urban Waters Federal Partnership: Partnership for the Delaware Estuary
4. The Green-Duwamish Watershed Urban Waters Federal Partnership: Puget Sound Partnership
5. The Middle Rio Grande/Albuquerque Urban Waters Federal Partnership
6. Massachusetts Bays National Estuary Partnership/Mystic River Watershed

MRG Artist in Residence Program

The Middle Rio Grande River Artist in Residence program will consist of an investigatory phase, during which the artist will be embedded in Ciudad’s organization to get to know our work, our watershed, and our communities. During the investigatory phase, the artist will propose a creative project based on their experience. Once accepted, the artist will have up to fifteen months to implement the creative project. Throughout the residency, artists are expected to participate in and generate community engagement activities.

During the implementation phase, the artist will be responsible for producing the artwork and carrying out the community engagement plan with support from Ciudad and regular check-ins with the project team.

At this time, Ciudad expects that the artist’s creative project aligns with one or more of our project improvement areas and could be permanent, temporary, or ephemeral in nature.

The Middle Rio Grande River watershed is one of the most diverse watersheds in New Mexico. We encourage applicants of all backgrounds - representative of our rich diversity - to apply.

Do you want to apply?

Ciudad SWCD has issued their formal soliciation, Request for Qualificiations (RFQ), so that interested individuals or teams of artist can apply!  Please follow the directions outlined in the RFQ PDF at the top of this page. 

If you have any questions, please contact sabrina@ciudadswcd.org