LANDxAIR: MOCA Tucson, Winter 2015-2016
LAND is pleased to announce LANDxAIR, its first Artist Residency Program, which will take place annually at rotating hosting institutions nationally and internationally. The initial artists in residence are Sean Patrick O’Brien and Sarah Rara.
The first iteration is in collaboration with the Museum of Contemporary Art, Tucson, and will consist of a month-long residency to promote an in-depth engagement with the community and rich natural resources of Tucson, encouraging exchange and dialogue through public programs, conversations, studio visits, and a culminating presentation.
LANDxAIR is the latest evolution in LAND’s international, public art programming and aligns with the organization’s mission to serve diverse public audiences and artists, presenting contemporary art in site- and situation-specific environments. Tucson is a unique setting for the launch of LANDxAIR as the city has long been a welcoming environment for artists. MOCA Tucson is an epicenter for Arizona’s cultural resurgence and cultivates a vibrant community of artists, with a stated mission to, “inspire new ways of thinking through the cultivation, interpretation, and exhibition of cutting-edge art of our time.” With its history of human habitation going back 4,000 years, as well as a colonial and Native American past, Tucson has a distinct flavor, abetted by its geographical location in the Sonoran desert, surrounded by the Tucson and Santa Catalina Mountains. Artists will take residence in MOCA Tucson’s historic neo-brutalist firehouse, built in 1971. Two artists will be selected by LAND and MOCA’s curatorial staff, and will be invited to live and work in the former firemen’s quarters located within the museum. Access to a private room/studio space will be provided, along with general curatorial oversight throughout the residency.
LANDxAIR: MOCA Tucson is made possible with support from the Offield Family Foundation.