Past resident works from L-R: sTo Len, Carolyn Hall, Susannah Ray

Past resident works from L-R: sTo Len, Carolyn Hall, Susannah Ray

Works on Water is no longer accepting applications for our 2021 WoWhaus Studio Residency on Governors Island.

please check back late winter 2022 for the next cycle.

General Application/Proposal

Works on Water cultivates a community of socially-engaged Water Artists through our WoWhaus Studio Residency on Governors Island and our Triennial programming. 

Two cohorts will be selected for 3-month residencies: 
1) May - July 
2) August - October 

Each artist will be given dedicated studio space in our WoWhaus on Governors Island, 5B in Nolan Park, and access to common spaces both inside and outside the house. Travel to and from the island is by ferry. Studio residency hours are 7:30am-5:30pm on weekdays, 7:30am-6:30pm on weekends, no overnights. In response to the pandemic, this year’s focus is on creating site-specific outdoor temporary works on Governors Island with the goal of interacting with the public due to the limitations of indoor gatherings. 

We are looking for artists who: 

  • identify as Water Artists or who want to move their practice towards Water

  • who have a clear need for studio workspace

  • who are able to work on site approximately 20 hours/week. 

  • who have an idea of a specific project to work on, and how it can engage Water and the island. 

The initial application form is short. You may be asked to submit a full proposal for your outdoor Triennial work (see timeline below). If selected, this work will be part of our WoW Triennial 2020-22 (happening over three years now, due to COVID!) and you will also receive a project budget of $500.

Some things to consider with your proposal: 

  • Works on Water’s criteria for how we define Water Art is below 

  • Accessing the waterfront can be challenging on Governors Island and we hope you will think creatively about how to engage in this challenge! 

  • Works on Water is also working with the NYC Department of City Planning in 2021 and our focus is on their new Comprehensive Waterfront Plan through 2030. We are particularly interested in work that is looking at Climate Adaptation and Resiliency

  • We hope that this can be an opportunity for artists to create work for your public art portfolio 

Works on Water criteria for how we define Water Art:

The work must meet BOTH of the following:                             

  1.  The work self-defines, first and foremost, as art.                                        

  2.  A body (or bodies) of water is central to the work's concept.                                                                                              


The work recognizes that water is alive and dynamic, and therefore experiential rather than representational. It must meet at least ONE of the following:        

  1. If object-based, a body of water (and/or its shorelines) is used as MATERIAL in the physical production of the work.

  2.  If time-based, a body of water and/or its shorelines is the SITE for the work, functioning as a "stage" and/or a central "character" embodies the temporality and/or spatiality of the work.

Some things to be aware of when working on Governors Island:  

  • There is no running water in our house (we take this as a conceptual challenge!); restrooms are off-site. 

  • Electricity is limited in the house-- power tools could be problematic, but video should be ok. 

  • There is no WiFi in the residency space, though you can sometimes access the island’s network outside of Nolan Park; cell signal is generally weak on the island.

  • We will be adhering to all CDC guidelines and the public will only be allowed inside the house on a limited basis. 

  • Access to the island is based on the ferry schedule 7am-6pm (weekdays) and 7am-7pm (weekends); Studio Residency hours are built around the ferry schedule. 

  • The buildings are beautiful old homes, with paint falling off the walls in many places. You will be working in a house with other artists; some noise-bleed is inevitable. 

  • For outdoor projects, electricity is not available and digging into the ground is not possible in the Historic District. Unfortunately,  direct access to Water surrounding the Governors Island is also not possible (again we take this as a conceptual challenge and encourage you to do so as well!) 

Timeline:

March 15 - DEADLINE to submit initial proposal
March 18 - WoW requests more details / full proposals from some people as needed
March 25 -  DEADLINE for full proposals
April 1 - Selected artists notified

RESIDENCY 1:
May 1 - Residency 1 begins 
June 15 or thereabouts - mid-res check-in / work-in-progress showing
July 31 - Triennial event weekend (Sat)

RESIDENCY 2:
August 2 - Residency 2 begins (Mon)
September 15 or thereabouts  - mid-res check-in
October 30 - Triennial event weekend (Sat)

DEADLINE: MARCH 15th at 11:59p

If you are interested but unsure, please email us! We would love to answer any questions. Email:  info@worksonwater.org

Please note, we are an artist created and run organization, we are donating our time and resources to create this incubator, there is no living space available with this opportunity.