Alexandria, Virginia, USA. Camila Mancilla’s multifaceted artistic practice unites paper construction and video immersive installations, utilizing collage as both a conceptual and mechanical tool. Her innovative approach to collage, infused with elements of neo-medieval philosophy, psychoanalysis, and anthropology, enables her to explore the intricate relationships between cutting, wounds, and the interiority of both buildings and the human body. Mancilla’s tridimensional collages transcend the confines of traditional representation, delving into the conceptual idea of cutting as an exploratory action.

Halle (Saale), Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany. Nati Golan is an artist who believes in the power of storytelling. She loves to explore emotions through her art, from dark to self-humorous, and her style is characterized by a psychedelic and collage aesthetic that blends traditional handmade methods with digital tools. She likes to break the limitation of the physical world, using augmented reality technology. Her AR prints combine collage and animation and allow people to engage with her work in new and exciting ways.

Paul and Kathryn Kramer Waters sit opposite one another amidst a sea of colorful paper. In front of them, two collage sketchbooks lie open. Paul reaches for his short-bladed Fiskars as Kathryn lifts her purple sewing scissors. They proceed to cut, tear, punch, and glue a series of shapes, and then place just three elements. They pass the sketchbooks back and forth, adding three elements each time, building layer upon layer until they have two completed collaborative collages. Each possessing the unity of a single shared vision and the vitality of two very different artists, art neither could have made alone.

Signal Mountain, Tennessee, USA. Ron Buffington writes, “I build sculptural constructions from found material. I combine these materials in a manner reminiscent of collage, attaching or conjoining them, arranging them side-by-side on shelves, stacking them precariously on platforms. In a manner analogous to my assemblages, my collages employ a gesture of offering, the presentation of material for the viewer’s consideration. These images combine my own photography with appropriated imagery, a disjuncture I relish. Digital collage facilitates the conflation of incommensurable image worlds. The resistance offered by the fragments of a collage, their refusal to coalesce, underlines our uneasy relationship with nature, including and especially our own.”

Deadline to Apply: Sunday, 18 August 2024. A week-long, in-person residency in which artists will explore how to adapt their collage practice to game design or incorporate games and play as a theme in their artwork. Play is a critical part of being human. Play is how we try new things, discover new skills, and incorporate new ways of being. Play can also reinforce social bonds and bring us into community with others. Games are an incredible tool for storytelling, worldbuilding, and social engagement. In this residency, we will explore the history of collage and games, gaming and play as a theme for artwork, and brainstorm and workshop our ideas together. We will have dedicated time for playtesting them with each other as well as with gamers who are not artists in order to get feedback from varied sources. We will talk about collage as art assets and illustrations for games, games that use collage as a mechanic, and game diffusion models. Artists will leave the residency with a plan for finishing and distributing their games or artwork. At Kolaj Fest New Orleans 2025 residency artists will be invited to debut their games.

Final Deadline: Sunday, 28 July 2024. In five virtual meetings over five weeks and through ongoing, online discussion, we will explore the history of collage on screen and the various ways that collage makes its way to the screen and how collage artists operate in the space of moving images and sound. Unlike two-dimensional art, collage on screen is temporal art, meaning it moves through time. Because of this, viewers experience Collage on Screen not as a linear series of images but as an immersive experience. This residency asks, How do we, as collage artists, make artwork that speaks to that? Residents will make a 30 second film that will be considered for Collage on Screen at Kolaj Fest New Orleans 2025. If selected, the film will be included in Kolaj Institute’s traveling screening program. Artists may also choose to make longer works which will also be considered. Read the full Call to Artists on the website.

Early Deadline: Sunday, 14 July 2024. The goal of the Queer Men Artist Lab: New Orleans takes as its premise that 21st century queer men’s identity is the culmination of decades of construction and ask: What does it mean to be a queer man in the 21st century? and many other questions. The goal is to equip artists with tools and strategies for picking up the unfinished work of history and speak to contemporary civic discourse around social, economic, and environmental issues. Through interactive sessions in the Lab and panel discussions, artists will explore their process and practice; present a slideshow of their work; receive supportive, critical, curatorial feedback about their ideas; and discuss contemporary issues. 

Next Deadline: 31 July 2024 (for Fall 2024 dates). Residents stay in Kolaj Institute’s space in the New Orleans Healing Center, where they will have their own bedroom, and access to a shared kitchen and bathroom with shower. Residents work in Kolaj Institute’s Gallery that includes access to collage making supplies and a printer. The Gallery and Resident space is located on the second floor of a building in the Marigny neighborhood. The wrap-around balcony overlooks St. Roch Market. Residents work independently to complete their plan. At the end of the residency, we meet with the artist to review their progress with them and discuss next steps. Submissions are reviewed on an ongoing basis.