Ashé Cultural Arts Center is excited to serve as a 2022-2023 Cultural Hub for the Artists At Work (AAW) initiative in partnership with THE OFFICE performing arts + film and The Mississippi Center for Cultural Production (Sipp Culture).

Through the partnership with the Artists At Work Initiative, Ashé requests proposals for two community-focused lead artists to engage in targeted social impact projects from Spring 2022 - Spring 2023 in New Orleans, La. The chosen artists will receive a salary and medical benefits for the life of the residency as well as a modest project budget to complete their work.

Selected artists will be employed by THE OFFICE performing art + film for the 12-month term, working in partnership with a local Social Impact Initiative or Community Partner to help bring focus to issues that are relevant and responsive to the needs of the community, and attending monthly Professional Development workshops and Artist Work Shares.

Artists At Work (AAW) is a workforce resilience program designed to support the rebuilding of healthy communities through artistic civic engagement. Conceived as a public/private partnership, the program will provide a salary, plus full health benefits and professional development resources directly to participating artists; provide financial support to participating local cultural organizations; and connect both to the work of local social impact initiatives in areas such as antiracism, justice reform, sustainability, and equitable development, health, economy, homelessness and housing, child welfare, and immigration. It is designed to impact the whole ecosystem of a community. 

Please submit the following: 

  • Cover Letter stating why you are interested

    • Please include idea, timeline, budget, and plan for community participation 

  • Artist Statement

    • Tell us who you are, what you do as an artist, and why this residency is exciting to you.

    • Your statement may be submitted in writing or in an audio or video recording.

  • Portfolio/Work Samples

    • Please include at least three examples of past creative work 

  • References

    • Three Professional and/or Personal References from the people you have collaborated with that help us understand what it's like to work with you on creative projects.

  • Artist Resume (appreciated but not required)

Candidates must be: 

  • In-need of full-time employment (not a tenured teacher/artist) 

  • Have, or are interested in developing, a social practice 

  • Eligible to work in the United States as a salaried employee on payroll with THE OFFICE performing arts + film 

Deadline for submissions: February 7, 2022
Public Announcement of Selected Artists: March 4, 2022

Please email submissions to air@ashenola.org. 
Incomplete applications will not be considered.

For more information about this project, please visit www.artists-at-work.org.

The implementation of Artists At Work in the Mississippi Delta region is made possible by the generous support of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation who provided a $3M grant to expand AAW nationally, launching programs in Los Angeles County (2021), the Mississippi Delta region (2022), and the Borderlands region (2023).