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ART RESIDENCY (UAR)

Since 2018, Uncool Artist has hosted an international art residency program both in person in Brooklyn, NY, and online on our dedicated platform (previously called International Lab for Art Practices – ILAP). Our program is the result of more than 15 years of experience in artists’ education, practice, and research, prioritizing emerging and underrepresented artists who value collaboration, experimentation, and shared experiences. It offers a deeply critical approach to artistic development alongside unique spaces, mentors, and curators. Artists also have the opportunity to participate in a curated exhibition.

We believe in the concept of artistic residency as an ‘assisted studio practice,’ meaning a space for dialogue between agents of the art field. Here, the priority is the organicity of relationships and creating a flexible guide for structured experiences.

At the UAR, there is no predefined result: everything evolves according to the goals and involvement of each participant in the processes and collaborations. This model has been adapted to the digital world, where participants can focus on their proposed projects, explore new directions in their artistic practice, and deepen their knowledge of international contemporary art—all without the need to incur travel expenses, which may be prohibitive for some.

Starting in Spring 2025, our program becomes hybrid, incorporating the most intensive meetings and discussions online, with the option to combine it with in-person studio practice at our NYC Studios.

Get to know our residents!

If you have any further questions, please contact residency@uncoolartist.com.

Apply Now
2025

In line with Uncool Artist’s fundamental principles, our objective is to offer outstanding connections and opportunities in contemporary visual arts. This is achieved through a residency program centered on camaraderie, a spirit of experimentation, the exchange of ideas, and a warm and inclusive atmosphere.

UA NYC STUDIOS

The best option for those who want to come or be in New York for an in-person experience and enjoy a space to create with additional studio programming tailored to enhance your practice.

Learn more here.

UA ACCESS

Every Uncool Artist resident is also an Access participant. Get to know our UA Access participants here.

A 'community-based' versus 'individual-centered' education.

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to receive our portfolio guide for free and stay updated on our selected open calls.

Methodology & Themes

Methodology

Creating strong and lasting bonds is key to a sustainable and accomplished life in the arts. Our focus is on cohesive work and collaborative growth rather than stimulating a romanticized view of “the artist” or “the curator” as the stars in the art world.

For us, a welcoming and interdisciplinary community is the primary way to professional, financial, and emotional fulfillment for all those involved, while respecting individualities and specific necessities without losing sight that we are stronger when we collaborate.

Themes

  • Current debates in contemporary art
  • The international art scene
  • Research and artistic practices
  • Art project development
  • Artwork circulation and sales
  • Exercises in exploring multiple topics and mediums
  • Analysis of international open calls and funding opportunities
  • Artist statements and project proposals
  • Creating a portfolio and artist website
  • Web presence and digital projects

Structure

The program is organized in quarters, with 12 weeks of meetings and activities from theoretical discussions and research to developing assignments based on a proposed project. Each participant is recommended to enroll in at least four quarters to establish strong connections, take advantage of a whole year set of opportunities, and present a well-rounded project.

During the residency, all participants enrolled from Spring 2025 on will have up to 3 advisory meetings per 4-week cycle. Our program coordinators will recommend advisories according to the issues and projects presented by participants each period.

The program covers the following cycles:

1st Cycle (4 weeks)

Critique: Articulation and Listening

In the first cycle, we will focus on the elaboration of critiques, shaping your discourses on contemporary art practices. The critique mobilizes references and involves description, analysis, and feedback, avoiding personal judgment.

2nd Cycle (4 weeks)

Process and Research

In this cycle, you will be challenged to present your routine creative practice and develop a compelling narrative presentation about your poetics.

3rd Cycle (4 weeks)

Exhibition Project

In the final stage, the focus is on developing a project. Depending on where you are:

  • Introduction to project planning and production
  • Conception of a meaningful project
  • Executing project
  • Publishing the project

2025 quarters:

Winter

Jan 13 to Apr 6

Spring

April 7 to Jun 29

Summer

Jun 30 to Sep 21

Fall

Sep 22 to Dec 14

Features and Benefits

Before becoming residents, all UAR participants are first and foremost UA Members. Throughout their residency year, participants enjoy full access to the events, opportunities, and offerings of the UA Online Platform. This includes the chance to showcase works developed during the program through group exhibitions, the online platform, and more.

Private Online Platform

Created by us with you in mind!

We developed our web-based platform, which is constantly evolving and bringing new features and improvements to all our participants worldwide every semester. Meet and communicate with artists, curators, our team, and other participants of Uncool Artist.

Exclusive Groups and Group Meetings

UAR Online meetings* weekly on Tuesdays, 6 pm (ET)
mediated by UAR Coordinators. 

*Live meetings are hosted and recorded on Zoom to be available later exclusively for the residents.

Media library

Dynamic in nature and always growing. Lose yourself with +100h of talks and presentations (in English) by curators, art educators, gallerists, researchers and artists.

Live Talks

If you want to ask questions and interact with our guests, you can enjoy access to both live talks and presentations before they are updated to our library.*

*Live meetings are hosted and recorded on Zoom to be available later on our library.

Private Events Calendar

We have events happening all year round. Group and solo exhibitions featuring our participants, field trips, open studios, talks, online presentations by experts and much more!

Profile Page = Artist Page

You can manage your profile and art gallery how you like it. To visitors, your profile page will be displayed as an artist page with only relevant information about you and your artwork.

Connections Tools

Connect with other participants and our team to learn, keep updated and exchange ideas through our groups.
If you favor a more instant communication, join them on text or video group chats in HD and without time constrains.

More UA Access Benefits

And if all that wasn’t more than enough, we have more benefits for artists who are seriously interested in advancing their productions and processes while integrating into a totally unique community.

Enjoy our collection of online multidisciplinary resources and specialized services related to the art world!

Workshops, Study and Critique Groups

You'll have the chance to expand your connections, skills, and repertoire, aiming for outstanding collective exhibition projects.

Curatorial Monthly Meetings

Have your voice heard and discuss art related news and topics with our curator in residence on our monthly live curatorial meetings with the community.

Weekly Opportunities

Access a weekly list of open calls and global opportunities has been curated by a team member specifically for our participants.

Advisory Meetings and Special Online Events

Residents have the opportunity to undergo 1:1 mentorship sessions with advisors. These mentors, actively involved in contemporary art practice, include artists, researchers, writers, and curators. Virtual studio visits will delve into discussions about the participant's research and projects. Each session, conducted via online video conference, lasts for 40 minutes and is available on demand (advisory meetings bundles offered separately).

Subscribe to advisory bundles plans* within our platform and exchange tickets to spots on special online events (like live workshops) or schedule one-to-one meetings with our international team of advisors.

Exhibition Opportunities

During your time at the residency, you’ll have the chance to participate in our collective exhibition projects and showcase your artwork at the Annual UAR Show* at the UA Studios in Brooklyn, NY.

One distinctive feature of the residency and the membership lies in its access to our NYC spaces, smoothly converted into an art studios and galleries. As a participant, you can submit proposals for our group shows and receive valuable feedback, making it an enticing opportunity for artists.

Video of the group exhibition "Do Write Right to Me" by UA participants in NYC, 2021.

UAR participants will be encouraged to exhibit their works via virtual and/or in person experiences. The format will be discussed with the group and adapted to the participants’ proposals. The goal of these activities is to allow the participants to experiment with ways in which to present their production while also allowing them to engage with the public in different spaces and by using various mediums.

*To participate the Annual UAR SHOW––a curated group exhibition in NYC––residents need to complete at least two quarters online or one quarter online combined with 12 weeks in the UA studios as listed above.

IN-PERSON OPTION

UA NYC STUDIOS

For those who come to or are in NYC, the optional UA Studios provides access to a shared, fully equipped workspace at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, with additional studio programming tailored to enhance your practice.

Highlights :

  • Collaboration and community-building
  • Research and development in contemporary art
  • Group critique, guest visitors, field trips
  • Open studios
Access UA Studios

Enrollment

UAR accepts up to 10 participants per group, so the order of application counts. Send your material as soon as possible.

Do not wait until the last minute to apply! 

Apply now

Applications are close for now.



If you have any questions,
e-mail us.

Tuition Fee

2,800 USD per quarter (800 Enrollment + 2,000 Program Fee)
5,200 USD per two quarters (1,400 Enrollment + 3,800 Program Fee)
7,400 USD per three quarters (1,900 Enrollment + 5,500 Program Fee)
9,200 USD per four quarters (2,900 Enrollment + 6,300 Program Fee)

All meetings are held in English.

Participants must be fluent in reading, writing, understanding, and speaking English.

UAR Coordinators

Rosela del Bosque

Rosela del Bosque is a curator and researcher from Mexicali, Mexico. Her current research focuses on the intersection between contemporary art, culture, and systemic extractivism in Latin American contexts—namely those related to the displacement of water, land, and territories in Baja California. She holds a BA in Art History and Curatorial Studies from the Universidad de las Américas Puebla (2015-2020) and an MA in Advanced Curatorial Studies from the Zurich University of the Arts (2021-23). In 2022 she was selected as a recipient of the Fomento Fundación Jumex Arte Contemporáneo scholarship for study abroad and PECDA Baja California in 2023. Additionally, she has been awarded, along with the Archivo Familiar del Río Colorado, two grants issued by the Patronato de Arte Contemporáneo in Mexico City between 2022-2023. She has been part of programs focused on curatorial research with the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (2018), in education with Museo Jumex (2019), and research programs such as PIP – Postnatural Independent Program guided by the Institute of Postnatural Studies in Madrid (2023). She has collaborated with La Nana ConArte, Planta Libre, INSITE, the Institute for Postnatural Studies, OnCurating Project Space, and TBA21. She is currently an Associate curator at Planta Libre Espacio Experimental and works as a Curator and researcher at the Archivo Familiar del Río Colorado.

Regina Parra

Parra’s practice is mostly cross-disciplinary, for the past fifteen years she has been working between painting, video, sculpture, writing, performance, and choreography. Her production has been increasing scale over the years, and seeking an installation dimension, towards the creation of a total environment that encouraged her to work with collaborators in other fields of creativity, such as dance, music, costume design, and cinema. What brings all those elements together is theater, her first area of activity. Before entering the visual arts, she worked for Brazilian theater director Antunes Filho as his assistant director. This experience formed a deep connection with the performing arts, especially Greek tragedy, that remains with her.

Isabella Indolfi

Isabella Indolfi is an independent curator based in New York City, with a decade of international experience in public art, implementing community-oriented and site-specific practices. Originally from Italy, she is working between Europe, where she is co-directing Seminaria Biennial of Environmental Art, and the USA, where she recently received her MA at the Center for Human Rights and the Arts at Bard College in New York. Past institutional partners include the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy, The Hermitage State Museum (Russia), and the Cafesijan Museum (Armenia). Committed to supporting multidisciplinary knowledge at the intersection of art and technology, Isabella has also co-curated international media art festivals such as the nomadic Cyfest, and the Media Art Festival at the MAXXI Museum in Rome, and has given lectures at the Goldsmiths University of London and at the Manchester Metropolitan University School of Art.

Our artists are just like you.

Some are just starting, some are already
enjoying our benefits and taking action – together.

I am a former participant in the ILAP program at Uncool Artist. The Uncool Artist community has been a great support to me as I've been refining my art practice. It has been crucial to be in a cohort of artists who are discriminating and kind when they insightfully critique my work. Many times I have been able to take in what has been said, and after I've sat with it and digested the comments I have used them to propel my work to become better. By 'better' I mean that it becomes more in line with my stated hopes for it, and even sometimes goes beyond what I have initially envisioned. I know that type of growth doesn't happen in a vacuum, or even in sustained isolation in my studio— it takes a community of engaged and intelligent artists who trust each other enough to be vulnerable in sharing works in progress. Uncool Artist is a safe incubator for creative ideas and growth.
Tricia TownesNashville, TN, USA
Tricia Townes
For me, getting the opportunity to be part of this community (the artists, the curators, the advisory's, listen to the lectures, participate in exhibitions) made me improve all my skills and teach me how to be a professional.
Marisa BernottiDolores, Uruguay
Marisa Bernotti
Before, I saw myself as an artist somewhat aimless and not belonging to any group, both to share experiences and think together about my artistic practice in the visual arts. After joining Uncool Artist, I feel part of a community of people who think about art and the world beyond art. A very plural community both in language and thought changed my practice a lot and gave me confidence in speaking and presenting my work.
Juliano MazzuchiniBuenos Aires, Argentina
Juliano Mazzuchini
I feel like I'm participating in a generous community. Opportunities have arisen, and I didn't expect them. Now I feel driven to produce more, and I think safer. Now I can see that loneliness was not my problem. It is a system problem. Uncool Artist showed me that I have options and life outside the Ego's system.
Danielle CukiermanRio de Janeiro, Brazil
Danielle Cukierman
Uncool Artist community is a dream come true for me. Where else could one meet, network, brainstorm, share their work and get personable constructive critique, if not Uncool Artist? A community of artists, writers, researchers, curators, art historians, all unabashed and unapologetically dedicated to building and sustaining the future of the arts!
Sika FoyerNew York, U.S.
Sika Foyer
I was mainly looking for my people. I was pretty doubtful about the art market and frankly felt a bit discouraged. I used to think that the hardships of being an artist were much greater than they (actually) are. I thought that building my path would depend on becoming a sellable product, and I kept feeling I was meant to be an outsider after all. I quickly understood that my success depended on ME, my attitude, energy, and my behavior towards circumstances. At Uncool Artist, I quickly learned that I had an alternative to the so-called "game." The community indeed helps—a lot. I learned by experiencing it.
Erica IassudaItu, Brazil
Erica Iassuda
Being part of ILAP was extremely important in my path as an emerging artist. Within Uncool Artist, I met artists from different places and different approaches and moments in their careers. The exchanges with these people continue to help me tread a place in the universe of contemporary art. Understanding how to do an artistic project, the assembly of different categories of portfolios, and the critical monitoring offered by Uncool Artist, were things that helped me to understand how exhibition and market circuits work. Uncool Artist is an international community concerned to support its participants, always with a critical and considerate eye.
Douglas Ferreiro Brasilia, Brazil
Douglas Ferreiro
UA is the art community I never knew that I needed. I never could have imagined that there was a group of like-minded artist out there in the world working collectively and collaboratively on trying to upend the current structure of the art world. UA does this by bringing diverse artists from across the globe together to try to make the creation of art, for the betterment of all, into a more inclusive and equitable activity. Underlying it all is the power of love. My peers in UA are some of the most intellectually curious and caring people I know. Together we are creating a new paradigm for the art world.
Tamera BedfordHong Kong, China
Tamera Bedford
Uncool Artist pushes me to go out of my comfort zone. It helps me understand that opportunities are out there, and I must be ready in all senses and see that I can create the chance I'm looking for. Understand the audience, be involved with the audience, storytelling, project my whole year... It is difficult to explain Uncool Artist in a few words because it is a whole new thing.
Marisa BernottiDolores, Uruguay
Marisa Bernotti
Uncool has been a tremendous opportunity and challenge to take my practice to the next level. I have found a great community of artists that has allowed me to know better the creative artistic process, which is indispensable as a curator. It is an invaluable opportunity to hear from accomplished artists, curators, art fairs, and museums directors first-hand and in an intimate conversation setting. All of this, topped with the synergy of a group of individuals working towards the common goal of being better art professionals, is what makes all the time, money, and efforts invested pay off!
Dainy TapiaMiami, US
Dainy Tapia
Uncool Artist has been an inspiring space with a hands-on approach to learning (by doing) that has been instrumental in my recent realizations as an artist.
Rodrigo PimentaSão Paulo, Brazil
Rodrigo Pimenta
Before I joined Uncool Artist, I felt adrift. I was highly imaginative, working instinctively but had no specific direction. I felt lost on how I could join all the pieces of art in my life together as a career path that made sense. Now at Uncool Artist, I developed a better sight of how my past got me here and what steps I can take to build a prosperous career as an artist. Also, I don't feel alone anymore, but part of this loving and caring community that grows and flourishes together.
Thais RibeiroSão Paulo, Brazil
Thais Ribeiro