This is a call for visual artists to apply for a five week virtual artist residency, resulting in solo installations which will transform unconventional film venues throughout the town of Columbia, MO, USA in a celebration of artists, films, music for the True/False Film Fest 2025.
We are looking for emerging and mid-career artists and encourage applications from artists who may identify as underrepresented in the traditional art world (BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled, and parents/caregivers).
The virtual residency will provide our visual artists a platform for cultural exchange, networking, and creative exploration, allowing artists to connect and collaborate regardless of geographical constraints, culminating in an in-person exhibition of their art installations during the 2025 T/F Film Fest.
We welcome questions at any and all points during the application process; please feel free to contact us at [email protected]
THE RESIDENCY
Selected artists will meet online for a weekly two hour group session (Thursdays, 6-8PM CST) starting in November 2024. These sessions will focus on developing community and connection, adding to your knowledge about the current art world, and supporting the delivery of your art installation for True/False. Artists will also meet with our Art Curator, Production, Operations, and Tech Teams. We will have professional artists and curators join our weekly sessions to speak to you about the art world and art opportunities.
The residency ends with the exhibition/installation of proposed art installations at True/False on Feb. 27- March 2, 2025.
Accepted artists are not required to attend True/False in person.
The goals of the residency:
- Community and connection with the other residents, True/False Art Curation Team, and professional guest artists.
- Providing information and opportunities to meet Curators and other professional Artists during the weekly meetings.
- Final Exhibition of completed proposed Art Installations at the Fest.
What we offer our residents:
- Weekly online sessions which include an artist speaker, professional practice tips, information specifically about T/F Film Fest, and additional individual meetings as part of the virtual Artist Residency.
- Exhibition/Art Installation for the duration of the Fest (Feb. 27- March 2)
- $1000 Artist Stipend for each Art Installation.
- Additional shipping/travel and/or material costs up to $500. Costs beyond $500 will be covered by the artist.
- Artist Pass to the Festival if you are attending (in person attendance during the Fest is not mandatory for the installation or residency).
- Local Press and spotlight on our website and social media.
Expectation of our residents:
- Attendance is required at each weekly virtual group meeting and one to two additional independent meetings with the Curation and Production Team (you must have access to a computer and ability to take part in weekly zoom meetings).
- Active participation during group discussions and individual meetings.
- Completion of Art Installation (ready for install and delivered) by February 21, 2025; installation will occur no later than Thursday, February 27, 2025 (install dates will depend on location) and deinstall will occur on March 3, 2025.
SUBMISSIONS AND PROPOSAL MATERIALS
Proposals must include:
Completed online application including resume, artist statement, contact information, artist website, art installation proposal, and social media links.
Art Installation proposal includes a proposal outline, images, and estimated installation/deinstallation needs for your Art Installation to be exhibited at the 2025 T/F Film Fest.
Incomplete proposals will not be accepted.
Artists must arrange for the shipping and delivery of their work to and from the Fest. We have a highly skilled art curatorial team to install and deinstall the installations in the various venues. We encourage artwork that is shippable and can be installed by our T/F team.
True/False is looking for dynamic, original large-scale installations, projections, and performance work that have the flexibility to be modified to work in a variety of locations and unconventional venues, such as lobbies, hallways, balconies, outdoor alleyways, and street enclosures. True/False art installations are temporary (the Fest is 4 days; art installations are rarely up for longer than 6 days) and site-specific. There are a variety of sites available. Some are interior, some exterior; some sites require that the art be suspended, others allow for art to be placed or secured to the ground, and some have the potential to combine both. Most locations have access to power. We have limited options for more traditional gallery work and video installations. All of the art installations we exhibit are located in spaces that large groups of people move through or spend time in; this knowledge should inform your construction plans and design. All artwork is open to the public and in high traffic areas. As True/False takes every measure to secure and care for the work, some work may be damaged due to the weather and public interference with the work.
To view a pdf of some of our potential sites, head here.
Our spaces do change every year. All of the spaces we inhabit are either public spaces or are privately owned by organizations or individuals other than the Fest, and in some situations this may require additional information, permissions, or considerations. Once your proposal is accepted for the first round, we will interview you to determine (and prepare) any additional information, permissions, or considerations needed to install your piece. Your piece may be accepted for a different or new venue than you originally intended. To view past work created for T/F, please see our Instagram feed (@truefalseart) which showcases a variety of pieces both in progress and installed and visit our archives.
Feel free to submit multiple proposals. We will accept proposals from anywhere in the world. We have provided a sample proposal.
2025 THEME
In 2025, the art & design theme for True/False is ALL THE TIME
We measure our lives in duration – seconds, minutes, hours – and whether we like it or not, the hands of the clock keep marching forwards. This year’s theme reflects our fascination with the framework of our existence – time. Time can feel circular, following motions and rhythms to remind us of the eternal recurrence – what has come before will come again. From ecological imprints to the inheritance of habits, we are constantly reminded that although we are in the present, the past is always with us. The Fest itself is a fleeting moment in the calendar and encourages us to embrace the ephemeral experience of coming together and make the most of every passing second.
Prompts
- Remembrance of Things Past
- Climate change countdown
- Cyclical nature of time – night and day, seasons changing, routines
- “four minutes and 33 seconds”
- The Earth as an archive
- Duration / Endurance
- The Picture of Dorian Gray
- Chronos or Kairos
- Rituals to mark the passing of time
- Inheritance / Intergenerational
- Ephemerality, temporary, fleeting
- How to live in the moment
- Theory of relativity – a unified entity of space and time
- History repeats itself
- Shadows (for example, sundials)
- Pivotal moments
- A daily record – diaries, journals, calendars.
TIMING AND DEADLINES
For True/False 2025, the Open Call for our Artist Residency opens June, 6 2024.
All Proposals are due no later than midnight September 1, 2024. We welcome early submissions.
Our Art committee will review the work and notify artists who have succeeded in getting into getting to the first round by September 22, 2024.
Round one individual meetings with artists will be held from September 25, 2024 – October 19, 2024.
Applicants will be notified of final acceptance by October 20, 2024.
Virtual Residency Dates: November & early December (on Thursday evenings from 6-8PM CST)
November 7, 2024
November 14, 2024
November 29, 2024 (Friday)
December 5, 2024
December 12, 2024
Install/ Exhibition/Deinstallation: The Fest will be held February 27 – March 3, 2025.
All accepted work will need to be completed (ready for install and delivered) by February 21, 2025; installation will occur no later than Thursday, February 27, 2025 (install dates will depend on location) and deinstall will occur on March 3, 2025.