2012 Call for Proposals in English

Here is the complete Call for Proposals in English:

Call for Proposals

2012 Cheng Long Wetlands International Environmental Art Project in Taiwan

“What’s for Dinner?”

Artists from all countries are invited to send a proposal for a site-specific outdoor sculpture installation to be created during a 25-day artist in residency in Cheng Long, a small rural village near the southwestern coast of Taiwan in Kouhu Township,Yunlin County. This art project is an expansion of the 2010 and 2011 Cheng Long Wetlands International Environmental Art Projects, going into the Village as well as the Wetlands. This year the selected artists will work with elementary school children and community residents to create large-scale sculpture installations focused on the theme of “What’s for Dinner?”  The artworks will reflect on environmental issues surrounding food production and emphasize organic aquaculture.  In this community the main occupation of the villagers is traditional fish farming and the production of clams, shrimp and milk fish. Fish Farmers in Cheng Long always grow these 3 together: clams are the main product; the shrimp and milk fish are like workers who help farmers to deal with algae and little tiny things in the water. The whole fish farm is like a small eco-system. Kou-Hu Township is the most important place for growing clams, shrimp, milk fish, mullet roe and eel in Taiwan. Many people in the Cheng Long area also work in oyster farming. The Forestry Bureau and the Kuan-Shu Educational Foundation are going to encourage more “Environmental Friendly” fish farming here, in order to prevent the land-subsidence and find a way that fish farmers and birds can coexist well.

The 2012 art project will help to promote awareness of how our food is produced and the importance of sustainable and organic practices in aquaculture.  Artworks will be site specific and located on, in and around existing village structures, old houses, abandoned buildings, vacant lots, underneath the roadway, beside the highway and in Cheng Long Wetlands, a wetlands nature preserve created by rising waters and land subsidence.  The artworks will be made with recycled and natural materials that are part of the daily lives of the village residents.  The artworks should be made to last for two years or more. Artists will work alongside other international artists and Taiwanese artists and with children and village residents in Cheng Long, Kouhu Township, Yunlin County, Taiwan.  

Deadline for Entries: February 8, 2012.
Artists will be notified by February 22, 2012.
Installation and Residency in Cheng Long, Kouhu Township, Taiwan: April 12 (artists arrive) – May 7, 2012 (artists depart)
Dates of the Exhibition: May 4, 2012 (opening ceremony), May 5 and 6 – Opening weekend activities with the artists.  The exhibition will stay on display through 2012, and we hope the artworks can continue to be enjoyed into the next year.

 About the Exhibition Place:

Cheng Long Village is located in Yunlin County, Kouhu Townwhip and is near the southwestern coast of Taiwan. Cheng Long Village has about 500 residents, and the Cheng Long Elementary School has about 77 children in grades 1-6 (ages 7-12). The sculpture installations will be sited in the Cheng Long Wetlands and throughout the community in public spaces such as public areas by the highway, along village streets, at village parks, and near the village temple.  Some of the artworks will be sited on private lands with the cooperation of the owners and may include such places as vacant lots, abandoned houses, empty buildings or other existing structures in the village. This area of Taiwan is economically depressed, and some of the land that was formerly used for farming is sinking and now under water and too salty for growing crops.  The Taiwan Forestry Bureau has set aside part of the sinking land to create the Cheng Long Wetlands, a wetland nature preserve that is now home to many species of birds, fish and other wildlife.  Now fish farming and the production of seafood is the main occupation of the local people. Most young people move away to find jobs in the cities leaving older people and children as the main community residents. There are no super markets, movie theaters or coffee shops, but this residency will offer artists a unique cultural experience and an opportunity to share life with a small village in rural Taiwan. For more information and some photos of the sites for the artworks, please see the blog on the at www.artproject4wetland.wordpress.com   (Also, you can check this Chinese blog http://wetlandcenter.blogspot.com/ to see many pictures related to the environmental education project conducted by Kuan-Shu Educational Foundation in ChengLong. )

If your questions are not answered by looking at the Blog, contact the curator Jane Ingram Allen at allenrebeccajanei@gmail.com

Selected Artists will receive the following:

• Artist’s fee of NT50,000 (about US$1,662.12) for creating the artwork and participating as an artist in the public programs and working with the school children and community residents.
• Round trip economy airfare from the artist’s home to Taipei (Taoyuan International Airport) and then train fare to Chiayi, Taiwan, by High Speed Rail where the artists will be picked up and brought by car to Cheng Long Village.  Taiwanese artists will receive train fare or other transportation reimbursement for their expenses to come from their home to Cheng Long.  Detailed travel instructions will be sent to selected artists, and artists must get the approval of the curator before booking tickets and keep all receipts for reimbursement when they arrive in Cheng Long.
• 25 days of accommodations in a local house with other international and Taiwanese artists. The houses will have a bedroom for each artist and a shared bathroom and kitchen for preparing meals.
• Meals provided for breakfast, lunch and dinner each day. A local cook will prepare dinner for the artists; lunch will usually be at school with the children, and breakfast food will be provided for artists to make their own breakfast.
• Local transportation around Cheng Long and to scheduled site-seeing trips with the artists and volunteers. Bicycles will be provided for the artists to use around the village.
• Volunteer help from school children and adults in the community to create the artworks. We also plan to assign at least one adult volunteer to help each artist for the entire residency period.
• Help to find local recycled materials and natural materials to make the artworks. Oyster shells are probably the most commonly available material, but reeds, bamboo, tree branches, old fishing nets, plastic bottles, lumber, metal parts and other materials may also be available. Artists should use only natural and recycled materials and processes that will not harm the environment and encourage sustainability. Please look at the website http://www.artproject4wetland.wordpress.com for more information about materials.  Artists who want to purchase materials to make their artwork must consult with the curator and get the budget approved in advance.

 Qualifications of Artists:

Artists who apply should have experience working with children and communities to create large scale site-specific outdoor sculpture installations in public settings and involve ordinary people in their thoughts and process. The artists should also have an interest in environmental issues related to food production and sustainable living. The selected artists should be able to speak English and be able to get along well with other artists, the local community and school children. The selected artists should also introduce their home culture to the students and community. We plan to select 3 international artists from different countries around the world and 2 artists from different places in Taiwan.

 Curator of the Exhibition:

Jane Ingram Allen, an American independent curator, artist and critic, living in Taiwan since 2004 when she came to Taiwan as a Fulbright Scholar artist in residence, will be the curator for this exhibition. Jane will work with the Kuan Shu Educational Foundation in Taiwan, to administer and coordinate all aspects of this project, including the selection of artists and supervising art installations and public programs. Jane has experience curating international art exhibitions and working with public art projects in communities around the world. Jane was the founding curator for the Guandu International Outdoor Sculpture Festival at Guandu Nature Park in Taipei, from 2006 – 2009, and she was the curator for the Cheng Long Wetlands International Environmental Art Project in 2010 and 2011.

 To Apply:

Send the following in English by e mail to Jane Ingram Allen by the deadline of February 8, 2012, at this address: allenrebeccajanei@gmail.com

Entries in Chinese may be sent to Ms. Chao-Mei Wang at 觀樹教育基金會 Kuan-Shu Educational Foundation ks.kk696@gmail.com

1.  Description of a proposed sculpture installation for the 2012 Cheng Long Wetlands International Environmental Art Project (limit one page), sent as an attached .doc or .pdf file.  Include dimensions and materials to be used in the proposed work.
2.  Statement about your interest and experience working with communities and children to create sculpture and installation art projects and about how your work relates to environmental issues of food and aquaculture (limit one page), sent as an attached .doc or .pdf file.
3.  Sketch or rendering of your proposed artwork for the art project (attached .jpg file of less than 1 MG)
4.  6 images of previous related works (attached .jpg files of less than 1 MG each)
5. Image list to give details about the 6 images to include title of work, date made, materials used and location of the artwork (sent as an attached .doc file or .pdf file)
6.  CV or Resume in English (attached .doc or .pdf file) that details your education and art experience, awards and exhibitions. Be sure to include your name, present address and nationality.

 Support for the 2012 Cheng Long Wetlands International Environmental Art Project

Supported by: Taiwan Forestry Bureau
Organized by: Kuan Shu Educational Foundation, Taiwan
Additional Support from: Yunlin County Government, Kouhu Township Office, Cheng Long Elementary School, Cheng Long village office