This artist residency program welcomes creatives spanning various disciplines, including Painting, Drawing, Sculpture, New Media, Video, Sound, Performance, Design,
Writing, Curatorial, and more. Our program offers artists the chance to reside and work in the charming town of Messejana, with durations ranging from two weeks to three months.
Our artist residency ensures a high level of quality and support, offering a maximum of six individual rooms for accommodation and private studios. Additionally, participants have access to shared and private studio spaces, as well as the fully equipped FabLab, jewelry workshop, educational maker space, and a Precious Plastic facility, among other workspaces and collaborative projects.
This program provides creative individuals with the essential elements of time, space, and resources needed to experiment with diverse project solutions and approaches. By immersing themselves in the unique ambiance of Messejana, artists can uncover fresh insights that enrich their artistic practice. Works in progress are showcased in open studios, a collaborative effort promoted by the residents with the support of Buinho. Moreover, Buinho extends the opportunity for artists to exhibit their creations in other exhibition spaces, thanks to our network of local partners.
Our Spaces
The Buinho Artist in Residency program offers a range of accommodation options and shared workspaces across five distinct houses:
Casa da Avo is located at the heart of Messejana, offering two spacious studios that overlook the main town square, along with two private bedrooms discreetly positioned at the rear of the house to ensure optimal privacy. In addition to its charming courtyard and terrace, the standout feature of this house is its compact yet well-appointed jewelry laboratory, complete with a cozy fireplace to keep you warm during the winter months.Sao Joao house is an XIX-century shepherd’s house, remodeled in 2019 to offer a unique charm. It is located in the street of the museum, on top of a hill, offering from its garden a unique view over Messejana. Its studios with high white walls and a quiet environment offer the perfect setting for visual artists and writers.Joaquina’s house was our latest achievement and finding. It is a completely rebuilt one-person apartment that offers a private studio and accommodation to a resident looking for more quietness and privacy. It is located just 300 meters from Messejana’s central square, in a very central and typical section of the historic center.The Buinho main working hub embraces a modern, open-space design, featuring a central studio in the main building and a workshop located in the backyard. In 2015, this entire interior space underwent a comprehensive redesign and reconstruction, marking it as the inaugural house within this project and granting it the privilege of its distinctive name. Serving as Buinho’s primary headquarters, this house is home to the Fablab and Precious Plastic facilities.Buinho Educativo Messejana is an extension of Buinho’s main FabLab, with a specific focus on our educational initiatives. Within its confines, you’ll find two spacious rooms, both equipped with a comprehensive array of digital fabrication tools, including laser cutters, 3D printers, and vinyl cutters. Additionally, it boasts an extensive collection of electronic components, robotics resources, VR headsets, and various other devices. Its distinctive capabilities make it accessible to both residents and educators, positioning it as the central hub for our workshops and training programs.
Free Wi-Fi access is available in all interior and exterior spaces of the houses.
All houses are equipped with fully furnished kitchens, linens, and towels for the comfort of their residents. Moreover, residents have individual storage space and a fridge to prepare and keep their food.
The cleaning service comes once a week to each house, but residents are responsible for their laundry and the organization of common spaces.
Support
We extend comprehensive support to each artist, encompassing both curatorial guidance and production assistance, along with a diverse array of residency events. These events encompass artist presentations and talks, guided tours to other neighboring towns, interactions with the local community, the development of workshops and tutorials across various disciplines, and various other initiatives.
Our residency program provides essential production support and unfettered access to state-of-the-art equipment and workspaces. Notably, we offer a unique opportunity for artists to work within a fablab, granting them access to a wide range of digital fabrication technologies.
Moreover, we offer complimentary weekly tutorials and workshops covering topics such as 3D printing, 3D modeling, laser cutting, and plastic recycling. The program also incorporates weekly engagements with the local residents of Messejana, where we delve into traditional practices such as traditional food making, or arrange visits to traditional artisan workshops.
To enhance the artistic experience, we provide access to other spaces within Messejana, suitable for installations, interventions, presentations, exhibitions, and performances.
Fees 2024
We do not have public or private funding for the residencies, and aside from the normal house bills and work consumables, we have a full-time person just for production support of the residencies. As such, we have to apply fees, but we do keep the fees to a minimum since we are a not-for-profit association based in a rural area.
We try to differentiate the value of the residency fees according to the characteristics of the accommodation since each house offers bedrooms and spaces with different dimensions and privacy.
Monthly fees are the following:
1. São João larger bedroom with private bathroom and shared studio – 900€;2. São João bedroom with shared bathroom and shared studio – 800€;3. Joaquina’s House (the whole house for just one resident) – 1000€;4. Casa da Avó bedroom with shared bathroom and private studios – 900€
An accompanying person has a 50% discount but must share the accommodation. It is an additional measure to support couples, artists with children, or possible artistic collaborations.
The minimum duration of each residency is two weeks and the maximum is two months. Residencies should start either on the 1st or on the 15th of each month. Please note that after the acceptance into the Creative Residency program, we will ask for an initial deposit of 50% of the total value of the stay. The rest of the value is to be paid during the first week of residency.
Fees include the private bedroom, use of all shared spaces, the studio and workshop facilities, and all of the available equipment. Buinho will issue a receipt and send a formal acceptance letter if requested.
Cancellation requests with a full reimbursement of the deposit should be made by writing within 5 months before the start of the period of stay. All other cancellations will not result in a refund. Deposits are non-refundable and residency dates are non-transferable.
Application Information
Artists interested in participating should send by email ([email protected]) a short curriculum, motivation letter, and description of the project. Equally important is to mention the proposed dates for the residency (start and length).
Applications are evaluated by an advisory committee and take into consideration the following parameters:a) artistic quality;b) relevance of the project;c) motivation of the candidate.
Our AIR program values multidisciplinarity, so we expect the acceptance of creatives from different backgrounds, media, and experiences. We also try to support emerging artists who seek opportunities for international visibility and curriculum. The level of scrutiny of the portfolio's quality is proportionate to the artist's experience.
If you wish to know more about how to apply please visit our website https://buinho.pt/residency-2/ or contact us to [email protected]
Videos about Messejana:
Messejana village of makers - https://vimeo.com/250777448
Dança dos Pássaros - https://vimeo.com/443880245