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Creative Arts Residencies at the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center
Creative Arts Residencies Application Checklist | Application Deadlines
We believe in the power and results of investing in and unleashing human capacity. The Rockefeller Bellagio Center brings together people of diverse expertise and cultures in a neutral and thought-provoking environment to promote international understanding that allows innovation and creativity to flourish.
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Bellagio creative arts residencies – for composers, novelists, playwrights, poets, video/filmmakers and visual artists – provide time for disciplined work, individual reflection, and collegial engagement, uninterrupted by the usual professional and personal demands. The Center typically offers one-month stays for no more than 3-5 creative artists at a time. Artists of significant achievement, from any country, are welcome to apply.
Residency cohorts include artists, writers, non-governmental organization practitioners, policymakers, scholars and scientists from around the world. Meals and informal presentations of work provide an opportunity for residents to engage with each other. During special dinners, residents also have the chance to interact with the participants of international conferences that are hosted in various buildings on the Center’s property. The combination of private time for work and reflection and informal gatherings is an important part of life at the Center.
Spouses/life partners may accompany the resident, or may apply for a concurrent residency.
The Center also offers collaborative residencies for two to four persons working on the same project.
Residencies are typically four-weeks, however, shorter periods may be available. Applicants will need to submit a statement describing why an alternate length of time is requested.
Selection Process and Criteria
The Foundation seeks applicants who are able to demonstrate a history of significant achievement in their respective artistic disciplines. Individuals from developing countries and young artists with significant accomplishments -- exhibitions, publications, performances -- are particularly encouraged to apply.
Decisions are based on:
- the quality of the proposed project,
- the ability of the applicant to articulate the project’s purpose and goals,
- the professional qualifications and achievements of the applicant, and
- the suitability and value of the Center for the proposed activity.
The Center aims to host an international mix, therefore consideration may also be given to nationality and/or geography.
Additionally, the committee takes into consideration the personal qualities that are likely to make a candidate a contributing member of an international, interdisciplinary community — curiosity, breadth of interests, ability to honor other viewpoints and sensitivity to other cultures.
Applications are reviewed by peer panels and then presented to the senior program leadership of the Rockefeller Foundation, which makes the final selection.
Residents are housed in two main buildings and each resident is given a private room with bath and a study/studio, either adjoining the bedroom or on the grounds. High-speed Internet access is available free of charge in all bedrooms and most studies. There is a small library that includes basic reference books and online research tools; the works of many former residents and those resulting from Bellagio meetings are also available.
The visual artist studio is quite small, and not suited for large works or installations. There is no kiln or darkroom at the Center.
Accommodations are not available for children and family members other than spouses/life partners, nor for friends or pets.
Several resident suites are available for those with restricted mobility, and several of the buildings now include an elevator. Nonetheless, the hillside setting of the facility and the surrounding area restricts the mobility of persons who have difficulty walking or climbing stairs.
The Center is not equipped to provide medical services or assisted care. The nearest major hospital is in Lecco, a 40-minute drive away.
Q: Can I apply for a residency to work on my dissertation or textbook?
A: The Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center is not an appropriate place for dissertation work and it is our policy that residencies are not scheduled to work on textbooks.
Q: I can only stay for two weeks. Can I apply for a residency?
A: Yes. While most residencies are for four weeks, two-and three-week residencies are considered. Please include a brief statement with your application describing why you are asking for a shorter residency.
Q: If I receive a residency, may I bring my child?
A: We are not able to accommodate children, even adult children.
Q: My spouse/partner and I each have projects and are both applying for a residency; does this mean our chances are better?
A: Each application is considered on its own merits. If only one individual is invited, the spouse/partner may accompany the invitee, but will not be considered a Bellagio resident. While studies and studio space are reserved solely for the use of residents, the Center offers plenty of common space for spouses/partners to work on their own projects.
Q: My project requires close collaboration with others. Is a group residency possible?
A: Yes. Collaborative residencies are available for two to four persons working on the same project. Each collaborator must separately fill out an online form. Please make sure that each collaborator provides the same abstract and project description. Work samples should represent previous collaborative work. However, if you are a new collaborative team, separate work samples can be submitted.
Q: If I receive a residency, what do I have to pay for?
A: Room and board are provided without charge to all residents and their spouses/partners. Residents and spouses/partners must pay for their own airfare and local transportation to/from Bellagio. Assistance with round-trip economy airfare between the home country and Milan is available on a financial needs basis to qualifying residents and their spouses/partners from developing countries. Travel assistance is awarded in a separate process from the residency competition. You may apply for travel assistance after you are invited to the Center.
Q: May I reapply if I do not get accepted for a residency?
A: Applicants who have not been accepted must wait two years before reapplying.
Q: I had a residency some years ago. Can I apply for a second residency?
A: Former residents (and spouses/partners who accompanied them) must wait 10 years before reapplying. Third residencies, even for those who were the accompanying spouse/life partner, are not offered.
Q: Who should I list as references?
A: Your references should know your work and be knowledgeable about the project you propose to work on at Bellagio. You should not list more than one person from the same university or institution, nor should you list editors or others with a financial interest in your success.
Please contact your references in advance to ask if they are willing and available to write on your behalf, and to confirm email addresses. You will also need to send them a copy of your Bellagio proposal.
The online application form will automatically send an email to your references once you submit your application (you will receive a generic copy of the email). Your references will be asked to provide a professional reference and an evaluation of the merit and substance of your proposed project, as well as a few words on your likely contribution to the intellectual and social community of scholars and artists at Bellagio.
The letters are due within three weeks after you submit your application. Our office will only contact your references once. You will be responsible for follow-up to ensure that we receive the letters on time.
Please note, the recommendation letters are considered a valuable part of your application, and are read by all proposal reviewers. It is mandatory within the provisions of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code for The Rockefeller Foundation, as a private foundation, to seek independent, objective opinions for each applicant.
Application Requirements for the Creative Arts
The application must be completed online in English and submitted by the published deadline.
Applicants from developing countries who have trouble accessing our online form may contact our office to discuss alternative ways to submit the application: bellagio_res@iie.org or 212-984-5537.
Creative Arts Residencies Application Checklist
During the online application process, the following items will be required, and must be attached as Word or PDF documents (some work samples may be sent via post):
- A one-page artist’s statement, indicating the purposes and goals of the project. It should be specific about the stage of the project and the work planned during the residency.
- For novelists, poets and playwrights: a detailed description of the project, indicating its purpose and goals (5-10 pages). Additionally, please include a draft chapter or brief outline if available.
- Former Bellagio residents must submit a one-to-two page summary of what was accomplished during the previous residency, indicating the specific output and/or outcome, the critical response and what has been accomplished since then.
- Curriculum vitae, maximum four pages, including exhibitions, performances, publications and/or awards.
- Three references with knowledge of your project. They must be able to respond via email. (See the FAQs for more information.)
- Work sample. Composers, novelists, playwrights, poets, video/filmmakers and visual artists will submit different work samples. If none of your previous work is published in English, you must provide at least two published reviews English of your work.
- Composers. Three CD and one score of the same work completed in the past three years – should be sent via post.
- Novelists and poets. A selection from a book published in the past five years (maximum 35 pages) – must be submitted online as either a Word or PDF document. Hardcopy books are not accepted via post without approval from our office.
- Playwrights. A selection from a play produced in the past five years (maximum 35 pages) – must be submitted online as either a Word or PDF document. Hardcopy books are not accepted via post without approval from our office.
- Video/Filmmakers. Three copies of two different videos/films – on videotape or DVD – produced in the past five years (should be sent via post).
- Visual artists.
- Twenty images created in the past five years (maximum height or width 1240 pixels, file format must be .jpg or .gif, 300 dpi resolution, file size should be no larger than 1.2 MB). Please include a list with image number, title, size, medium and date of work; OR
- Three copies of a universal read CD (for Mac or PC) with 20 images created in the past five years (maximum height or width 1240 pixels, file format must be .jpg or .gif, 300 dpi resolution, file size should be no larger than 1.2 MB). Please include a list with image number, title, size, medium and date of work; OR
- Three copies of a video or DVD (three minutes or less – tapes should be cued). Please include a brief paragraph describing the work and indicate the date completion – may be sent via post; OR
- Three catalogs of work – only accepted with approval from our office.
- Published reviews of the applicant’s previous work (maximum of 3 reviews). – only optional for applicants submitting work samples in English.
Please note:
The next competition deadline will be August 13, 2008, for a possible residency between February 1 – May 14, 2009.
Click here to begin your online application