///ABOUT CENTER RESIDENCIES

McColl Center for Visual Art is the leading center for the advancement of creative capacity for artists and the public.

McColl Center for Visual Art is located in Uptown Charlotte, a very short walk from the heart of the city. Charlotte is a growing, vibrant city coming into its own. In 2009-2011 a new cultural campus will open on the south end of Tryon, approximately 1 mile from the Center. This campus will include the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, The Mint Museums, and the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts + Culture (formerly the Afro-American Cultural Center).   As an urban artist-in-residence program, McColl Center for Visual Art actively participates in and contributes to the energy and vibrancy of the city. The community is welcome to visit the Center and artist/public interactions are encouraged. Goals of the Center include demystifying the creative process - which makes contemporary art more accessible and raises the perception of the value of artists to society. Through interaction with artists in their studios, the Center provides a portal from which the non-artist can gain insight into the creative process.

STUDIOS, FACILITIES AND FEES
McColl Center for Visual Art is a well-equipped 30,000 square foot facility with nine artist's studios (230-819 sq ft), and common use wood, blacksmith and sculpture, ceramic, darkroom, printmaking studios, and a media lab (click here for a list of available equipment). There is twenty-four hour access to the Center's facility, and staff support Monday through Friday during normal business hours. For Affiliate Artists (AA), there is a monthly utility/maintenance fee of $175. Stipend, materials budget, travel, housing are not included. Artists-in-Residence receive a stipend ($3,300), materials budget ($1,500), travel allowance and housing (if outside of Charlotte). The Carolinas Healthcare Artist-in-Residence (CHC AIR) receives a stipend ($4,000), materials budget ($1,500), travel allowance and housing (if outside of Charlotte). In addition, there is a separate budget for materials for the CHC project. The Art Teacher-in Residence (ATIR) receives a materials budget ($1,500) and continues to receive their salary and benefits during their residency.

DURATION OF RESIDENCY SESSIONS 
Residency sessions vary in length.

Artists-in-Residence:
2 available sessions: fall (Sept-Nov) winter (Jan-Mar) each approximately 11-12 weeks

Affiliate Artists: 
2 available sessions: 11-months (April-March), summer (April- August) 4-5 months
Selected summer and 11-month Affiliate Artists will also be required to participate in the Center’s spring event, Night of Nights. From March 25 – 30 artists will transform their studios into a themed event space of their own design (can include artists work)and then host their studio during the event on March 31. For a detailed description of Night of Nights, click here.

ELIGIBILITY
The residency program is open to emerging, mid-career and senior level. Artists may be formally trained or self-taught. Alumni may re-apply; however artists who have not yet participated in McColl Center for Visual Arts’ residency programs will be given priority. Students may apply, but may not be actively enrolled in classes during start of the residency period.  Affiliate Artist residency programs are for artists living in Charlotte within a 50 mile radius. The
Artist-in-Residence program is open to local, regional, national and international artists.

SELECTION PROCESS
Selections are made by artists, Artists-in-Residence/Affiliate Artist Alumni, curators, educators or other Arts professionals, and/or CMS or Carolinas Healthcare staff.  Artists are selected based on the quality of their work, written narrative and an interest in participating in a stimulating and creative environment. 
The schedule for the Selection panels is listed below:
Affiliate Artist: Selection: November 2009. Notification: December 2009. 
Artist-in-Residence: Selection: June 2010 Notification: August 2010.
Carolinas HealthCare Artist-in-Residence: Selection: November 2010. Notification: January 2011.
Art Teacher-in-Residence Selection April 2010. Notification: August 2010.

TRANSPORTATION
The Center owns two passenger cars, a van, and truck with flatbed and makes theses available on a first-come, first-serve basis for Center related errands and outreaches and is restricted to artists participating in the Residency program.

                                
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

McColl Center for Visual Art is an active and dynamic organization in Charlotte's cultural community. The Center is uniquely placed to provide an opportunity for artists to engage with a new and broader public and believes that this can be a meaningful professional experience for the artist and a transforming experience for the public.

STUDIO TIME
At a minimum, Artists are expected to work in their studios Monday- Friday11am-4pm.

EXHIBITIONS
Both Affiliate Artists and Artists-in-Residence participate in 1-2 exhibitions during their residency sessions.

OPEN DOOR POLICY
The Center is open and free to the public Tuesday through Saturday 11am to 4pm. During this time the Center welcomes the general public to view its exhibitions and visit artists' studios. The Center has an "Open Door" policy whereby the public is welcome into an artist's studio if their door is open. The Center encourages the artists to invite the public into their studio unless they are at a place in their work where they cannot be distracted. On average the Center attracts approximately 30 visitors per week and another 25 visitors on Open Studio Saturdays (see below). On some evenings, the Center may host a private reception for donors and/or sponsors. Artists are frequently invited (but not required) to attend these events and, if amenable, to have their studios open.  In addition, an artist can expect an average of 3 education tours, individual tours and/or cultivation programs a week. These programs may or may not directly involve every artist.

OPEN STUDIO SATURDAYS
During Open Studio Saturdays, artists are required to be in their studios and have their doors open.  It is the most convenient opportunity for the public to meet the artists and learn about their work. Three to four Open Studio Saturdays are scheduled per residency period. For more information about the Open Door Policy or Open Studio Saturdays, please contact Ce Scott, Director of Residencies and Exhibitions at cscott@mccollcenter.org

OUTREACHES
McColl Center for Visual Art's core values include a belief that artists add immeasurable value to community and can help shape community. The Center sees its outreach program as a way to extend its reach into the community thereby extending its mission and core values beyond the Center itself. The Art Teacher-in Residence and Carolinas HealthCare Artist-in-Residence do not have an outreach requirement. Each Artist-in-Residence and Affiliate Artist provides 1-3 artist/Center-developed outreaches. The type and scope of these outreaches are mutually designed and agreed upon by the artist and the Center's Director of Education and Outreach. Typical outreaches consist of community projects, lectures, demonstrations, or other special programming. Community partners may include Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, UNC Charlotte, Carolinas Healthcare, Right Moves for Youth, Winthrop University, Davidson University, The Mint Museums, Urban Ministries, Hope Junction and The Light Factory. To learn more about the Outreach Program, e-mail Devlin McNeil, Director of Education and Outreach at dmcneil@mccollcenter.org