The Residency Experience

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“ACA provides an exciting, unique, and invaluable atmosphere for discussion and reflection among talented artists across many disciplines – blurring their boundaries and reminding us all what our expressive impulses have in common.” Jenny Johnson, Composer - Associate Artist, May 2005

“ACA provided me, in just three short weeks, creative fuel for years. This has been the most important source of inspiration in my entire artistic career.” Gabriel Martinez, Visual Artist - Associate Artist, May 2003

A residency at Atlantic Center allows artists to devote complete time and attention to their art in a community of like-minded artists. Atlantic Center for the Arts provides workspace and technical support to create without interruption. The award-winning Leeper Studio Complex provides residents with resources such as a painting studio, sculpture studio, Macintosh digital imaging studio, dance studio, music/recording studio, black box theater and library.

Associate Artists are informed of their acceptance into the program approximately five weeks prior to the residency. The Master Artist selects the Associates based on criteria they have established. Upon acceptance, the Associates receive a detailed packet of information about Atlantic Center, the residency schedule, and the city of New Smyrna Beach.

The residency begins with an informal supper to introduce the artists to Atlantic Center, to one another, and to discuss the potential format for the residency. Artists will be given a tour of the grounds and the shared studio spaces. Private accommodations are provided for each artist. Associate Artists are provided with a room with a full-size bed, private bathroom with shower, small refrigerator, and desk space. Master Artists each have their own cottage that also includes a full kitchen and sitting area. Three meals a day are provided by Atlantic Center's chef weekdays during the week to all artists in the Commons; special dietary needs are accommodated. The entire facility is handicap-accessible and handicap-accessible rooms are available.

During their stay, Associates spend approximately 2 hours per day, Monday through Friday, working with the Master Artist and their group in meetings, workshops, casual conversations and occasional recreational activities. Associates are free to spend the remainder of their time while not with the Master Artist pursuing their own projects. Studios are communal and shared, are open to all artists 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Computers and printers in the library are accessible, and have Internet access.

Interaction and collaboration with artists in other disciplines is encouraged but not required. In the evenings during the first week of the residency, Associates have the opportunity to briefly present their work to the entire group. This familiarizes the other artists with your work, and opens doors to collaboration among or between disciplines if you choose.

There are two events to which the public is invited to meet the artists and hear about their work. An opening reception, held the first week of the residency in the gallery, is a time for our trustees and patrons to chat informally with you; you will be asked to briefly introduce yourself during a short program. INsideOUT, held the evening prior to the last day of the residency in the black box theater, is an opportunity for you to present in 3 to 5 minutes work you have accomplished while in residency. Although participation is optional, it is here that the artists can share with the community the tangible results of their time spent at Atlantic Center.

Although the main focus of the artists' time is on their work, the small city of New Smyrna Beach (five miles from Atlantic Center) offers an interesting reprieve from the secluded woods of Atlantic Center. The city is included in John Villani's book, 100 Best Small Art Towns in America: Where to Discover Creative Communities, Fresh Air and Affordable Living. A quiet seaside retreat located at the mouth of the Ponce de Leon Inlet, which serves as the gateway to the historic and picturesque Indian River-Intracoastal Waterway, the city is bounded at the south by the 57,000-acre Canaveral National Seashore and at the north by Smyrna Dunes Park. New Smyrna Beach is a refuge to many wildlife species listed as endangered.

After the residency, many Associates continue to maintain close ties with one another.