(The Toronto Zine Library can send you a copy of the application form if you are interested)
Roberts Street Social Centre
RESIDENCY APPLICATION – 2009
The residency program runs seasonally at The Roberts Street Social Centre, from June to September each year. Residencies are two weeks long, and residents are provided with space, equipment and support for their project as well as living space in a garden shed in the backyard of the Centre. We encourage projects that relate to the mandate of the Roberts Street Social Centre, in any medium.
Mission Statement:
The Roberts Street Social Centre is a space for people to come together to share skills, knowledge, and resources. It is a collection of projects dedicated to providing free or affordable access to independent and alternative media, art, and education. We support critical, creative projects and inspire social change with DIY (do it yourself), non-hierarchical, and consensus-based approaches. We aim to be active in our communities by collaborating with other groups and projects. We strive to be inclusive, aware of barriers and discrimination, and welcoming to all ages.
We house:
• the Ink Storm Screenprinting Collective studio
• the Anchor Archive Zine Library
• the “Crow’s Nest†space for events, workshops, and meetings
• an artist and zinemaking residency
• kitchen and bathroom facilities
• a yard with firepit and garden
Residency Program:
Residencies are two weeks long, and the residency program runs from June to September. Locals are welcome to apply, but priority will be given to out-of-town applicants.
Residents are housed in the shed, an actual garden shed in the backyard. Accommodation in the shed is simple and rustic – there is a bunk bed, several shelves and hooks, adaptable workspace, and an extension cord provides electricity. A kitchen and bathroom are available inside the Social Centre house. Life in the shed could also be described as urban camping. The rest of the yard has a vegetable and flower garden, a fire pit, and benches. We offer you the use of a bicycle while you’re here. Billeting may also be an option.
We are interested in proposals for projects that embody the same sort of do-it-yourself spirit as the Social Centre, and that contribute in some way to the community and/or the space. Projects should be executed or completed during the two-week residency, so please try to keep your project fairly simple! Two weeks is not much time. You don’t need to have a finished product but we do ask that you share your work with us in some way, such as a public event – a reading, release, launch, art show, performance, workshop, whatever – either at the Centre or a more appropriate venue. We will help you plan and promote this event. We are interested in any sorts of proposals – not necessarily zine-based (although that is certainly welcome). We offer you support and help executing your project, and access to supplies that we have here.
The Roberts Street Social Centre, located at 5684 Roberts Street, is a small Maritime-style house with a bathroom and kitchen for you to use. The Anchor Archive Zine Library occupies the front room of the house and is open twice weekly to the public. We have thousands of zines and books, for browsing and lending to members. We have an old and slow iMac computer with internet (and wireless access), scanner, printer as well as zine making tools like typewriters, stationary supplies, Letraset, clip art, etc. The back room is a collectively-run screenprinting studio (Ink Storm), which is available for you to use as well and has open hours twice a week the same time as the zine library. There is a light table to burn screens using photo-emulsion, silkscreens for printing on fabric and paper that you can use, and other supplies.
Halifax is a small city on the east coast of Canada, about twelve hours drive from either Boston or Montreal. The Roberts Street Social Centre is located just off Agricola Street in the North End. There is a small and welcoming community of activists, artists, musicians and neighbourhood people to meet. Other great resources available locally include the Atlantic Filmmakers Cooperative, Centre for Art Tapes, the eyelevel gallery, the Khyber ICA, Halifax Coalition Against Poverty, Bike Again Co-operative, the Halifax North Public Library, and the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design. We love collaborating with other local groups, and can help make connections and suggest contacts that would apply to your project.
Due to the very public nature of the Roberts Street Social Centre, and the very rustic nature of the shed, we realize this residency program is not for everyone. Residents must be prepared to work in a busy, social environment with little privacy, be comfortable with dust, the occasional spider web and be fairly self-sufficient with meals and housekeeping. If you have any questions or concerns, or would like to explore the possibility of billeting, please feel free to get in touch with us before the application deadline.
The deadline for applications is February 15 2009.
We will let you know by the beginning of March.
Thank you!