Pragiedruliai invites interdisciplinary artists from Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway to apply for the residency program. The program offers a grant of EUR 5,490, studio space, and the opportunity to create and live in Panevėžys for 1-2 months (August 2023 - September 2023), initiate new projects, continue existing ones, and become part of a newly emerging cultural center.

IDEA

MAKE US MAKE SENSE - the name of the first Pragiedruliai residence program. This topic is an invitation to rethink, to take a critical look at frequently heard words: community, creativity, sustainability. After being spoken and heard many times, they began to look meaningless, lost their color, and became formless.

MAKE US MAKE SENSE - a request to search for new meanings, and depth, raise questions, reconsider the use of words. Do we believe in the words community, creativity, sustainability, because they are written in the vocabulary of the project? Does it touch on the social, progress, ecological aspect? What alternatives to these terms can we look for? What can be false, strange, crooked, extended, or transcended in them?

The works presented during the residency are a response, a comment to this invitation.

PRAGIEDRULIAI

Pragiedruliai - a creativity center established in Skaistakalnis park in the center of Panevėžys city. There are art, design, applied theater, audio-video and alternative photography studios, an exhibition space, and a forest garden open to city residents.

The center consists of a 1920-built homestead by the poet Juozas Čerkesas-Besparnis and the newly implemented architectural project. The history of the homestead is authentic. When the poet lived, the intellectuals of that time gathered here - writers, lawyers, pedagogues, and other intelligentsia. During the Soviet era, after the homestead owner died, this place was nationalized and then abandoned. After several years of reconstruction, the red-brick building is full of coziness, inviting you to experiment and share ideas.

The Skaistakalnis park surroundings were formed in pagan times, from where the name of the park originates. The word "skaistus" is associated with the word "holy" and denotes the sacred significance of the area. This is one of the oldest city parks in Panevėžys. Two rivers flow in its territory, and avenues of old trees grow.

Pragiedruliai is a new project surrounded by an industrial city and nature. It is important for us that residents understand and appreciate the fragility of the forming process. At the same time, residents would help to ground and become facilitators of creating an authentic relationship with the environment.

ABOUT THE RESIDENCE

The resident will be provided with a 23 sq. m. studio and will have all the necessary equipment for a living. This space is dedicated to residents' research, creating processes, and life. It is also possible to use all the studios and equipment in Pragiedruliai. The resident will be assisted by the curator of residences.

The resident will be able to share his creative practices and the results conveyed during the residency through an open workshop, artist talk, or exhibition. The resident is also invited to participate in the preparation of creative workshops and other activities of Pragiedruliai.
The project is implemented with the funds of the financial mechanism of the European Economic Area. The resident will be given a grant of EUR 5,490, travel expenses will be covered (up to EUR 240), and workspace will be provided.

Applications can also be submitted by families, but additional living conditions will have to be discussed individually.

When applying, please present the project you plan to work on during the residency. The project does not have to be new. You can work on existing projects, but their contribution should respond to the overall theme of the program. When submitting an application, indicate whether you plan to create a new work or work with an existing one, and what tools and conditions are required.

DURATION OF RESIDENCE

Residencies can last from 1 to 2 months. Please indicate the date and duration of residency that suits you.

HOW TO APPLY

We invite all those who wish to apply to send a CV, a motivation letter, a description of the planned project (everything you think we need to know), and a portfolio by email: residency@pragiedrek.lt
Application deadline: 15 JULY 2023, 23:59 EEST.

Selected candidates will be invited to an online interview that will take place in July 2023. The interview will take place with a selection committee consisting of invited experts and members of the Pragiedruliai team. Selection results will be announced at the end of July 2023.

If you have any questions, let us know at: residency@pragiedrek.lt