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The Near Westside Initiative (NWSI) is looking for dynamic artists to apply for one of two residencies in the SALTQuarters Artist-in-Residence Program.

Selected artists will receive a materials budget of $7,500 to $15,000, an apartment and a dedicated studio space (both the apartment and studio space will be shared with one other artist-in-residence). Applications are open to all artists working in a variety of media, with a particular focus and interest in community-based artwork.

The NWSI, a not-for-profit agency with the mission of revitalizing the Near Westside of Syracuse, was funded this year by ArtPlace, a national foundation focused on Creative Placemaking, to transform a once-vacant restaurant/bar into a hub for artists and creative individuals.

Over the past year, the building has been transformed into SALTQuarters, a 4,000-square-foot building with two apartments, three art studios and a gallery space. The building is located at a critical intersection in the neighborhood where residential meets commercial. In addition to the building, SALTQuarters has a large area of green space to be used for events, exhibitions and large fabrication.

The SALTQuarters Artist-in-Residence Program offers a yearlong residency to one local artist and a residency for a national artist (of six months up to a year). “Local” is defined as any artist living/working in the Central New York region. The local artist will be given a $15,000 stipend for the year and the national artist will be given a stipend commensurate with their length of stay (range from $7,500 to $15,000). This stipend can be used as the artist wishes, but must cover the cost of materials for community-based work.

It is expected that some artistic production will be accomplished with this funding; examples might include projects ranging from a sculpture to a mural to a culminating event. Public works will be owned and maintained by the NWSI. The NWSI recognizes that artists may want and need to create personal work in addition to the community-based project. Works created in addition to the proposed community project will remain the property of the artist.

“SALTQuarters gives artists an opportunity to experiment in the growing field of community-based art. We are seeing this growing trend, especially among younger artists across the country, in cities like Detroit, Baltimore and Philadelphia,” says Maarten Jacobs, director of the NWSI. “We hope this artist-in-residence program will give two artists a great chance to grow as individual artists while also experimenting in more collaborative ways with other artists in the community and in particular with residents of the Near Westside of Syracuse.”

In addition, the local artist and the national artist will be asked to share an apartment and an arts studio. The apartment has two bedrooms, a spacious kitchen/living room area, a washer and dryer, and other general amenities. The art studio is roughly 500 square feet with ample natural light, power and access to water.

The SALTQuarters Artist-in-Residence Program will begin in the summer of 2013. The NWSI is seeking artists with a particular interest in community-based artwork, and will give preference to artists with an interest in being immersed and involved with the surrounding community for the duration of the residency; creating work in conjunction with local community members and other artists and arts organizations; and creating work and installations that can be viewed by the general public whether through open studio hours, public art installations or periodic gallery installations.

The NWSI will assist the selected artists in integrating with the community and building the connections between themselves and the residents, organizations, artists, and others in the Near Westside community.

“The Near Westside Initiative is thrilled to have this opportunity,” says Jacobs. “We can’t wait to get more artists making work in the community and doing so alongside our neighborhood residents.”

The deadline for application to the program is Monday, April 1. Selection of the artists will be made by mid-May. A full application may be found at .

To learn more about SALTQuarters, visit . To learn more about the Near Westside initiative visit .

For more information, contact Jacobs at 315-443-0320 or mjacob01@syr.edu.