Natasha Lorca Yannacañedo, MFA
Natasha Yannacanedo will be an apexart 2017-2018 International Fellow. In briefly sharing about receipt of this fellowship, Natasha shared: “An apexart fellowship is a little different from a typical fellowship as you will see. Basically my goal is cultural immersion. I am not allowed to act or direct (participate in my art) while I am there-the idea is that cultural immersion informs your art later. While I am there, I will document my experiences on their website in a public journal.
More information about apexart appears below:
Founded in 1994, apexart is a well-known and respected 501(c)(3), non-profit contemporary arts organization located in Lower Manhattan that runs an international Fellowship program and hosts exhibitions of contemporary art in our gallery space and at locations around the world.
Fellows are recommended for and selected to participate in the apexart Fellowship partly because of their willingness to travel, learn, and explore. Rather than a traditional residency, apexart’s Fellowship focuses on new experiences and cultural immersion. In order to better facilitate this atmosphere of reflection and learning, Fellows are required to refrain from creating new work or engaging in promotional activities during their Fellowship. While unorthodox, over the past 15 years we have found this program to be enormously rewarding and successful.
apexart provides Fellows with round-trip airfare, centrally located accommodations, funds for public transportation, a cell phone, and 30 days of scheduled activities.
The apexart Fellowship is an alternative educational program that invites creative individuals to leave their familiar surroundings for a month-long stay in a foreign country. The program provides new sources of inspiration through exposure to new cultures, interests, and experiences. Unlike an artist residency program, the apexart Fellowship provides a rich, 30-day schedule of non-art activities, all while requiring Fellows to refrain from producing creative works. The apexart Fellowship schedule prioritizes educational experiences that are outside of the Fellow’s stated interests. This diversity of activities leaves Fellows with new ideas, approaches, and content to incorporate into their creative practices.
In doing new and interesting things, and having time away from their usual responsibilities, apexart Fellows can reflect on what they do with greater perspective. apexart Fellows keep a public journal for the duration of their program, and participate in a recorded exit interview at the end of their Fellowship, which can be found online. By providing a space for contemplation and exposure to new experiences, the apexart Fellowship is designed to be a catalyst for creativity.