LAS VEGAS (December 2018) – The Neon Museum announces a call for entries for its 2019 National Artist Residency. Now in its fourth year, the Neon Museum National Residency offers a U.S.-based contemporary artist or group of artists the opportunity to explore and interpret the Neon Museum’s historic collection within a broader cultural context nationwide. During the winning candidate’s tenure in Las Vegas, the local community will have multiple opportunities to engage with the artist and their work. The residency was made possible through grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.
“The residency opportunity follows the successful collaboration the museum enjoyed with artist and experiential designer Craig Winslow earlier this year,” explained Rob McCoy, president and chief executive officer, Neon Museum. “Winslow incorporated his eye-popping, video-mapping technology to reanimate 40 nonoperational signs in the light-and-sound spectacle, ‘Brilliant!’ which is now presented nightly for our visitors in the North Gallery. We encourage other artists to consider how contemporary artistry and technology might be used to enhance our collection as well as the public’s appreciation of its nuances.”
The successful entrant will be selected based on demonstrated artistic excellence, quality and clarity of the proposal, quality and benefit of the proposed public program and demonstrated ability to complete the project within the allotted schedule. Upon completion of the residency, the museum requests the artist contribute a mutually agreed-upon artwork to the museum’s collection.
The residency spans eight weeks, with some flexibility between June 1 and Aug. 31, 2019. For the successful candidate, the Neon Museum will provide:
- $3,000 stipend plus a modest budget for materials, if required.
- $800 travel allowance.
- Living accommodations for eight weeks in downtown Las Vegas.
- A 1,000-square-foot studio space inside the museum’s 10,000-square-foot Ne10 Studio; this space is climate-controlled (essential during Las Vegas summers) and has a ceiling height of 19 feet.
- Access to the museum’s sign collection and archives, marketing and publicity support, photographic documentation and staffing to assisting with administering the public portion of the program.