About this Residency

Terradise Nature Center is excited to expand our arts programming in the next five years by mobilizing our beautiful six-acre nature preserve as location and muse for local art-making. We have already begun to launch arts programming under our Cultural Heritage Programming suite, which includes Terradise’s efforts to preserve and present the photography, filmmaking, and poetry of Terradise founders Trella & Ray Romine, alongside past Ohio Arts Council-funded efforts like our Terradise Ambient: Environmental Soundscapes Along the Olentangy soundscape project (FY2021), & our Caledonia Conservationists: Prairie Environmentalism Along the Whetstone pop-up & digital exhibit/oral history project (FY2023).

Our Terradise Environmental Arts Residency — entering its third year in 2024 — was originally made possible through the once-in-a-lifetime support of a Community Projects Grant from the Ohio Arts Council’s Arts Resiliency Initiative: designed to kickstart COVID-19 recovery in Ohio communities through direct funds to artists. Thanks to the support from an Ohio Arts Council ArtsNEXT grant for FY2024, we will be able to bring back the Terradise Environmental Arts Residency for its third year running in 2024, to provide month-long paid residencies to eight new artists … this time, for the first time ever, from the entire Sandusky Plains Region. You read that right: new this year, artists in Wyandot & Crawford Counties, alongside Marion & Morrow Counties, are eligible to apply!

Two artists will be “artists-in-residence” each month across March, April, May, & June 2024.

We’re seeking artists in all genres — from photography to painting to theatre to music to folk/traditional arts to poetry to foodways to woodcarving to dance to film/video/media arts! Artists from historically-marginalized communities are especially encouraged to apply. Our residencies are “non-residential” (i.e., no housing will be provided); but you will be expected to visit Terradise Nature Center and/or Terradise Nature Preserve (across the river, managed by Marion County Parks District) at least three times during your residency. You will not be expected to collaborate or meet up with the other artist; although you’re welcome to if you’d like.

We interpret asking that applicant artists be living in, working in, or “from” the Sandusky Plains Region of North-Central Ohio (Marion/Morrow/Wyandot/Crawford Counties) loosely – to mean anyone living in, working in, or ancestrally from either county. (See our application for more details.) While our residency is primarily intended for artists already located in North-Central Ohio, if you are an artist with Ohio roots, or an indigenous artist from a tribe with historic connections to North-Central Ohio, please contact us to discuss your local housing needs or possibilities in the event you should be selected.

As a Terradise Environmental Artist-in-Residence, your primary tasks will be to:

• Visit Terradise, & explore & enjoy our property, & this important stretch of the Olentangy (Whetstone) River
• Explore Terradise’s history, mission, & landscape – including the history & legacies of founders Trella & Ray Romine, and/or their poetry, photography, & writings
• Produce original artwork in any genre inspired by the Terradise Nature Center or Terradise Nature Preserve properties, our mission, our history, Trella & Ray Romine’s artwork, lives, or archives, or our stretch of the Olentangy!
• Your work can make direct use of Terradise (photography, incorporating materials, sound/film recording, performance/installation), or can be inspired by this land & our mission!

All resident artists will be asked to conduct a one-hour public program, workshop, or artists’ talk (as a part of a larger, jointly-hosted two-hour public event with your fellow monthly artist) outdoors at Terradise (or remotely on Zoom, if weather or public health conditions dictate) at the conclusion of their residency.

For TEAR 2024, Terradise Nature Center will be offering stipends of up to $1,000 to support one-month residencies, with up to $100 in materials stipends available on a reimbursement basis for residency-critical artmaking supplies & materials! We reserve the right to adjust stipend amounts & number of artists based on number of applicants.

Download a 1-page flyer about the TEAR 2024 Residency here:

https://terradise.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/TERRADISE.ENVIRONMENTAL.ARTS_.RESIDENCY.2024.FLYER_.pdf

And join us live on Zoom for one or both of our upcoming Informational Sessions:

• Info Session #1: Tuesday, November 28th from 7-8:30PM
  
• Info Session #2: Sunday, December 17th from 3-4:30PM

Meeting ID: 398 406 1515 || Passcode: TERRADISE!

Note: Both information sessions have now passed. Click below to watch a YouTube recording of the sessions, or download the slides as PDF.

Applications are available online, at this form, as well as in paper hard copy at post offices across of Marion, Morrow, Wyandot, & Crawford Counties. All applications are due in by February 1st, 2024 at 11:59PM. Please note: paper applications must (new this year!!!) arrive by that date (& not just be postmarked by 02/01) to count.

HELPFUL INFORMATION:

For those unable to attend live, slide decks & recordings from our November & December 2023 Terradise Environmental Arts Residency informational sessions will be posted shortly after they happen. See the links below for more.

Terradise Environmental Arts Residency — 2024 Information Session Slide Deck (PDF):

https://terradise.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Terradise-Environmental-Arts-Residency-2024-Public-Information-Session-2-Info-Deck-COMPRESSED.pdf

• Info Session #1: Terradise Environmental Arts Residency 2023 Info Session (Nov. 2023)
  
• Info Session #2: Terradise Environmental Arts Residency 2023 Info Session (Dec. 2023; Video Link Coming Soon!)
  

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Application Help

Thanks to the generous support of the Ohio Arts Council, Terradise Nature Center is proud to offer a robust program of technical assistance to support community artists in applying to our Terradise Environmental Arts Residency for 2024.

In November & December 2023, Terradise Nature Center was proud to offer two live Zoom information sessions with information about our residency & application process, with time for questions & answers. We encourage all artists interested in applying & with internet or mobile phone access unable to attend those sessions to watch the YouTube recordings & download the PDF slide deck — we promise: the time you set aside to review our sessions will result in a stronger application!

• Info Session #1: Tuesday, November 28th from 7-8:30PM
  
• Info Session #2: Sunday, December 17th from 3-4:30PM (Video Upload Coming Soon!)

Terradise Environmental Arts Residency 2024 Information Sessions Slide Deck (PDF):

https://terradise.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Terradise-Environmental-Arts-Residency-2024-Public-Information-Session-2-Info-Deck-COMPRESSED.pdf

We are also offering Zoom office hours in early January 2024 for application help, technical support, brainstorming, or draft review, by request — just contact us to arrange — or at the following arranged times:

• Tuesday, January 9th, 5-8PM (Zoom)
• Sunday, January 14th: 12-4PM (Zoom)

ZOOM MEETING ID: 398 406 1515 || PASSWORD: TERRADISE!

Office hours can be used to workshop application narratives, get live help navigating the application, or to discuss your residency project or portfolio. We are also more than happy to help you with selection or preparation of work samples: including exporting to compatible file formats. “In person” office hours can also be made available on-site at the Terradise Nature Center Office upon request: including for artists who need our support photographing & documenting your work.

Limited additional hours of 1:1 technical support to artist-applicants will be available on a first-come first-served basis. Artists needing support or wishing for a draft review are encouraged to contact Terradise Environmental Arts Residency Coordinator Jess Lamar Reece Holler at terradisenaturecenter at gmail dot com with “Terradise Environmental Arts Residency 2024” in the subject line to arrange for a time to talk.

Terradise Environmental Arts Residency 2024 1-Page Flyer (opens as a downloadable PDF):

https://terradise.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/TERRADISE.ENVIRONMENTAL.ARTS_.RESIDENCY.2024.FLYER_.pdf

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APPLICATION HELP & INFORMATION FROM PAST APPLICATION SEASONS/CYCLES:

In the meantime, we also have YouTube recordings of our past (2023) Terradise Environmental Arts Residency information sessions & application walk-thrus available here. Please note that some aspects of the residency have changed for 2024 — including expanding our eligible artist pool to include artists from, living in, or working in Crawford & Wyandot Counties of North-Central Ohio, in addition to Marion & Morrow. Other key aspects of the information sessions — such as background about Terradise Nature Center, the residency experience itself, application protocols, & tips/tricks for the strongest application, remain the same:

• Info Session #1: Terradise Environmental Arts Residency 2023 (Dec. 2022)
  
• Info Session #2: Terradise Environmental Arts Residency 2023 (Dec. 2022)
  

TEAR Information Session Slide Deck:

TEAR 2023 INFO SESSIONS SLIDE DECK (opens as a downloadable PDF)

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

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QUESTION: “I don’t currently live or work in the Sandusky Plains Region of North-Central Ohio — Marion, Morrow, Crawford, or Wyandot Counties; but I am from there, or have ancestors who are from there — can I still apply?!”

If you are a North-Central Ohio artist, or an indigenous artist from a tribe or tribes with historic ties to North-Central Ohio … the short answer is: YES! Our application intentionally defines relationship to county broadly; & gives you space to lay out your connection. While we expect all of our artists — to honor the spirit of our program, which supports North-Central Ohio artists or those with ancestral roots here — to either be from (personally or ancestrally), live in, or work in Marion, Morrow, Wyandot, or Crawford County, we are curious to hear you define your own relationship to either or both of the counties we serve.

Please note that — new for 2024! — we have expanded our Terradise Environmental Arts Residency service region to Wyandot & Crawford Counties, in addition to Marion & Morrow Counties! Any artists living in, working in, or ancestrally “from” Marion, Morrow, Wyandot, or Crawford Counties in Ohio — or the unceded indigenous constellations overlaying, preceding, & enduring beyond our colonial landscape — are welcome to apply!

Update for TEAR 2024: For 2024, we have even more flexibility to open our applications to artists residing in states other than Ohio with historic or ancestral ties to the Sandusky Plains Region (Marion, Wyandot, Crawford, and/or Morrow Counties) in North-Central Ohio. We are especially interested in seeing applicants from indigenous artists with historic ties to North-Central Ohio — such as members of the Wyandotte tribes of Oklahoma & Kansas — who hold deep & ongoing relationships with settler-stolen land along the Whetstone // Olentangy River, & the ancient, tended Sandusky Plains prairie formation that sustained our local ecology for centuries. However, in most situations, we are not set up to provide housing for artists; as such, our priority will still be supporting North-Central Ohio artists local to the region who can travel to Terradise; but we encourage all interested artists who are from, living, or working in our four-county service area to apply. Make a case for yourself, & we’ll be happy to hear it!

Our application question on “County” reads:

Note: You must be a resident of, work in, or be “from” the historic Sandusky Plains prairie region of North-Central Ohio (Marion, Morrow, Crawford, & Wyandot Counties) to qualify for this residency. We are purposely leaving “from” undefined, given the complex relations many Americans have to place, given realities of settler-colonialism & dispossession. If you feel ancestrally from or connected to Crawford, Wyandot, Marion or Morrow Counties, even if you grew up elsewhere, we will encourage you to apply. You’ll have a chance to share more about your connection, below! Please select all that apply!

QUESTION: Is there an age limit for the residency? Can young people or artists under 18 apply?

The short answer — here at Terradise, we take inclusivity seriously: & that means inclusivity to the incredible artists across different age groups that make up our county! We really want to encourage both elders & young people to apply.

Any artist of any age is encouraged to apply, as long as they can commit to the month-long residency, conceive of a mission & purpose for their residency, manage to get themselves to Terradise 3x during the residency, & develop & execute a one-hour public program or event.

We have traditionally conducted outreach for this residency to art, music, & English teachers across our service region, & want to especially encourage high-schoolers to apply; but we would also happily consider applications from middle-school & even possibly elementary-school applicants if they can commit to the terms of the residency & propose a feasible project. We honor the work & vision of young artists, & recognize the dearth of meaningful paid opportunities for young people to be held in practicing & developing their craft. We’re proud to be not only the only artist residency in the region, but a deliberately inclusive residency seeking to provide structured support for new work creation for all people.

We are excited that young people in our North-Central Ohio // Sandusky Plains communities  are already working as & thinking of themselves as artists! That said: for artists under 18, legal guardians will have to consent to the residency & allowing us to provide newsletter & social media coverage of your young person’s residency. If this is an issue or concern for an artist who is not living with their family of origin, please reach out so we can learn more.

We’re happy to talk by email to discuss specific cases! You can contact us at terradisenaturecenter@gmail.com!

QUESTION: I have a disability & Terradise Nature Center grounds are not fully accessible to me, and/or I am dealing with COVID-19 or other long-term chronic illnesses & don’t know exactly when or if I will be up for the site visits. Can I still apply?

QUESTION: We are an artist collective, band, or duo. Are multiple people able to apply as a single entity for one of the two slots available each month?

QUESTION: I’m not great at or comfortable with writing; or I’m most comfortable in another medium — like audio, or video. Are there alternatives to the “essay” questions?

QUESTION: I do not speak English, or English is not my first language. How can I learn more about the residency or access the application?

We understand that Marion, Morrow, Wyandot, & Crawford Counties are made up of many different linguistic communities … & that is a part of the beauty of our region! We highly encourage those who speak language besides English as a first or primary language to apply. Although our staff is not fluent in languages other than English, we will employ translation tool to try to communicate with you in your preferred language.

Our application is available, via a GoogleTranslate widget located on the page (location depends on your browser), in most major world languages. If you click to translate the application into another language, all the text will switch to that language.

We also have promotional flyers for the residency with core information available in Spanish, which will be made available at locations around Marion County, & can be delivered digitally by request! Email us at terradisenaturecenter@gmail.com with any language justice/access needs.

PREGUNTA: No hablo inglés o el inglés no es mi primer idioma. ¿Cómo puedo obtener más información sobre la residencia o acceder a la solicitud?

Entendemos que los condados de Marion, Wyandot, Crawford, y Morrow están formados por muchas comunidades lingüísticas diferentes… ¡y eso es parte de la belleza de nuestra región! Recomendamos encarecidamente a aquellos que hablan un idioma además del inglés como idioma principal o principal que presenten su solicitud. Aunque nuestro personal no domina otros idiomas además del inglés, emplearemos una herramienta de traducción para tratar de comunicarnos con usted en su idioma preferido.

Nuestra aplicación está disponible, a través de un widget de GoogleTranslate ubicado en la página (la ubicación depende de su navegador), en la mayoría de los principales idiomas del mundo. Si hace clic para traducir la aplicación a otro idioma, todo el texto cambiará a ese idioma.

¡También tenemos folletos promocionales para la residencia con información básica disponible en español, que estarán disponibles en ubicaciones alrededor del condado de Marion y se pueden entregar digitalmente a pedido! Envíenos un correo electrónico a [email protected] con cualquier necesidad de acceso/justicia lingüística.

QUESTION: There’s alot to process in the application, & I want to take my time & get ready. Is there a way I can preview the questions ahead of time?

Absolutely. This was our #1 request from the TEAR Residency application process in 2022; & we responded to that call by making the full PDF of the application questions available online & for download during the application period, to help you prepare your questions in advance.

Please note that our online application form won’t let you skip past required questions to preview the next sections, we’re making available a PDF copy of the application that includes all application fields & questions; you can use this to preview the application, & to prepare your responses.

You can save your application, & return to it at a later date. However, to prevent lost work, we recommend that you prepare your application responses (at least the longer narrative responses) in a separate word processor, GoogleDoc, or word processing tool of your choice, & then input them into the application once you are done & ready to apply.

QUESTION: Can I save my application & come back?

Yup. Our form has been redesigned this year to allow you to save your application & come back. We always recommend that applicants prepare their responses outside of the application form — in a Word processor or in GoogleDocs, etc. — & then paste your responses in, to avoid any possibility of losing work.

QUESTION: I (or someone I know) am not super comfortable with computers, or don’t have internet access. Is it possible to apply for the Terradise Environmental Arts Residency via a paper application?

Absolutely. We understand that online-only applications can present accessibility barriers to some community members. This year, we have an equivalent paper application available; we’ll distribute this at post offices across Marion & Morrow County. Additional copies can be mailed to you upon request.

The paper application, likewise, will require work samples. We encourage paper applicants to contact us to discuss options. You could mail us, for example, a CD or a flash drive of materials, if you have computer access, & have an audio or multi-media practice. You can also include printed images of your work on any paper; or, for writers, copies of your work. We may have limited ability to preview and upload material from some physical file types (floppy disk, etc.), so we recommend applicants check with us before mailing in a paper application.

New for 2024!: All printed applications must be postmarked so that they arrive by the application deadline of February 1st, 2024. Applications postmarked on February 1st, but which arrive later, may not be able to be considered, given the tight turnaround to get our applications logged, processed, & passed out to our Community Selection Committee.

Applications can be mailed to:

Terradise Nature Center
Attention: Terradise Environmental Arts Residency (TEAR)
1536 Whetstone River Road North
Caledonia, Ohio 43314

QUESTION: What makes a good work sample?

There’s no one right answer here — part of what we want to see from applicants is the way that you curate & select samples that show off your unique arts practice!

That said, we recognize that different applicants may have had more or less familiarity with preparing work samples, depending on your level of access to arts spaces & training.

Generally, work samples should be high-quality examples of your best work in a genre or genres related to your proposed residency. The file type & what you submit will depend on your practice. If you’re a woodworker, you might upload four videos of finished furniture, as well as a video showing your process; or three photos or work, two designs, & a video of your work foraging for wood in your family’s forest. If you’re a musician, you might send five links to YouTube videos of your work; or upload five files of your music. If you’re a foodways artist, you might include five photos of dishes you commonly make in your family, or a flyer with the menu for your catering practice, or a handwritten recipe. The Terradise Environmental Arts Residency is very deliberately open to a wide range of arts genres & creative practices, so we are prepared to see a wide range of work samples.

If you are a multi-disciplinary artist (practicing multiple arts traditions or genres), depending on how you’d like to present your work & the focus of your residency, you might choose different kinds of samples. For example: if you’re an outdoorsman who carves knives from native hardwood, but you also play in a bluegrass band, and tan leather & do blacksmithing, you may want to showcase a wide range of work samples showcasing all of those practices, if you are proposing a residency where you develop a range of pieces across your skill set. On the other hand, if you are a ceramicist and a hip-hop dancer, but you’re proposing a residency where you choreograph a new dance number to be staged & set at Terradise Nature Center, then you may or may not want to include images of the mugs & bowls you make. It’s all up to you!

We recognize that curating & selecting work samples — as well as having access to professional recording or photography of your work — is a privilege not everyone has. Because of this, just like in 2023, we are excited to be dedicating a portion of our Ohio Arts Council TEAR 2024 support funds to providing direct technical assistance to help artist-applicants strengthen their applications.

We will have several hours of 1:1 technical assistance available on a first-come-first serve basis — this time can be used for brainstorming ideas, solidifying your portfolio or work samples, or reviewing draft application. We also have some scheduled drop-in “office hour” Zoom calls set up for January, & we can help you choose work to best represent your practice; & we’re even willing to meet with you on-site at Terradise, upon request, to photograph or help you record your work. Because these technical support hours are limited, they will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis; once hours are expended, & the closer we get to the residency application due date of February 1st, 2024, the more limited we will be in our ability to provide extensive technical support or advising.

Please contact Terradise Environmental Arts Residency Coordinator Jess Lamar Reece Holler at [email protected] with the subject heading TEAR 2024: Technical Assistance to request technical assistance.

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Application PDFs: Digital Application

By popular request, we are making available — returning again for 2024 — downloadable PDF versions of our Terradise Environmental Arts Residency application information packet & application questions. You can download these to preview our application questions, or to prepare responses in a word processing and/or audio-visual platform of your choosing. These packets are not the official application for those applying online (which is our request if you have computer & internet access & know-how.)

Clarification & Disclaimer: We are providing these PDFs for reference only, so that applicants can preview the questions, know what to expect, & prepare responses in advance of filling out the online application form. Applicants will still need to click on the “Application” tab & fill out & submit their application form digitally to apply for the residency.

Terradise Environmental Arts Residency 2024 1-Page Information Flyer with Zoom Session Links:

https://terradise.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/TERRADISE.ENVIRONMENTAL.ARTS_.RESIDENCY.2024.FLYER_.pdf

Terradise Environmental Arts Residency 2024 Info Packet + Questions Reference PDF (for Digital Applicants) // Mail-In Application:

https://terradise.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/TEAR-2024-Application-Qs-Digital-Reference-PDF-Mail-In-Accessibility-Option-UPDATED.pdf

Downloadable Print/Mail-In Application PDF

For applicants without computer or internet access or training, or otherwise uncomfortable with the digital application, you may mail in the PDF packet (or a printed copy found at your local post office.) Please note that some aspects of submission, like including work samples, may be more cumbersome in a physical mail-in application. It’s advisable, if you plan to apply by mail, to contact us ahead of the deadline to discuss & arrange.

Because mail-in applications present several possible challenges in terms of work sample submission format, & increase labor for our community selection committee — including scanning & upload of submitted work samples & transcription of handwriting — we prefer that, whenever possible, applicants with adequate access to computers & internet use our digital application form. The PDF of the print application is being provided here as a courtesy for those without easy online access; feel free to print & provide to any artists you know without computer access.

https://terradise.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/TEAR-2024-Application-Qs-Digital-Reference-PDF-Mail-In-Accessibility-Option-UPDATED.pdf

To enable our Community Selection Committee to review applications in a timely fashion, paper application forms must arrive by February 1st. This is not a postmark deadline; & applications arriving later may not be able to be considered. Please mail applications to:

Terradise Nature Center

c/o Terradise Environmental Arts Residency

1536 Whetstone River Road North

Caledonia, Ohio 43314

Again: our strong recommendation is that all artists who are able to please apply online; the digital application provides a much more streamlined experience. However, we acknowledge that technology access & skills present a barrier for many otherwise highly qualified artists, & we are happy to work with you to make the application process accessible.

Contact us a [email protected] or via text at 614.273.5907 with the subject heading Terradise Environmental Arts Residency 2024 Application Help for questions on which form is right for you.