CÓRTEX FRONTALArtist residency
General information for artists who are thinking of applying: the residency, the house, Arraiolos, fees and conditions. Artists who are selected receive the Terms and conditions, with the practical rules of the house, before arrival.
Córtexcult, Associação Cultural
Rua Melo Mexia 9a, 7040-067 Arraiolos, Portugal
info@cortexfrontal.org · +351 936 650 003
The Artist-in-Residence Program brings together artists from different disciplines for a residency period. Participants are encouraged to share their knowledge and creative processes with the local community and to get to know the region.
We do not expect final works in residencies of three or four weeks, but we are very interested in the artist’s work in progress. We meet the artists regularly to follow their projects and give support and feedback. We expect artists to work on their project a minimum of 5 hours a day.
Every residency is different, but some moments are fixed: group and individual meetings, workshops, field trips, talks and the open studio.
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 Arrival day20h Welcome dinner | 2 10h Breakfast meeting, practical info11h Walk in town13h Project presentations15h Setting up in studios | 3 Studio work | 4 Studio work16h School session | 5 Walk to the lakeStudio work | 6 Trip to Estremoz: tile museum, flea and farmers market, free visit of the town | 7 Free day |
8 10h Individual meetings with curatorStudio work21h Casa das Artes choir rehearsal | 9 Studio work | 10 11h Museum visitEmbroidery session | 11 Studio work16h School session | 12 Trip to Évora | 13 Workshop | 14 Free day |
15 Studio work | 16 Studio work | 17 Studio work | 18 Studio work16h School session | 19 Studio work | 20 Workshop | 21 Free day |
22 Studio work | 23 Studio work | 24 Studio work | 25 Studio work16h School session | 26 Open studio and photo session | 27 PackingLast dinner | 28 Departure day |
The residency takes place in the Córtex Frontal house, in the centre of Arraiolos. It has private bedrooms, shared bathrooms, a kitchen, laundry, living and working rooms, studios, a garden and a small swimming pool.
Each artist has a private bedroom and a shared bathroom. Bed linen, duvets, pillows and towels are provided. We allocate the bedrooms taking into account each artist´s needs.
The house has different working spaces. Depending on each artist´s needs and on availability, we assign a studio space.
Available on request: printmaking studio, screens and projector, dyeing equipment, sewing machines, tufting frame, easels, looms and a Yamaha keyboard.
A residency production assistant lives in the house and is available for questions, problem solving and the day-to-day running of the residency.
A 5-seat car is available for field trips and other visits, which is useful because local transport is infrequent and does not run at weekends.
Two bikes are free to use. The water-tank pool in the garden can be used from May to October.
The house is in the centre of the town. Supermarkets, cafés, restaurants, the post office, shops, the museum, the castle, the health centre, pharmacies, the public library and sports areas are all within walking distance, and so are walks in the countryside.
Artists pay for their own food and consumables. There are three supermarkets in Arraiolos and several local shops, with organic and gluten-free products. The Saturday market in Estremoz (40 km) sells food from local producers. Most restaurants and cafés in town serve regional food at good prices and offer take-away.
There is no art supply shop in Arraiolos. Some building material stores sell plaster, wood, metal or glass, and there is a stationery shop. We recommend ordering online: www.pontodasartes.com, www.totenart.com and, for textile supplies, www.shop.saberfazer.org. Orders arrive in two or three days.
You can send mail and parcels to the residency before and during your stay:
Córtex Frontal (your name)
Rua Melo Mexia 9a
7040-067 Arraiolos
Portugal
The mildest months are April, May, September and October. June, July and August can be very hot during the day (35ºC or more), but the nights are cool and the house stays fresh. The public swimming pool is open from July to September, every day except Monday, from 9h00 to 20h00.
Arraiolos is 115 km from Lisbon by motorway, 24 km from Évora, 22 km from Montemor-o-Novo, 100 km from Badajoz and 500 km from Madrid.
Residency periods are fixed. Fees are per artist. Artists can stay longer if there is a place in the following period: each extra week is 300€, subject to availability.
Your residency is confirmed once we receive your written confirmation and the first payment.
Cancellations must be sent to us in writing or by email. All cancellations have a 100€ administration fee, plus the following:
The fee is not refundable if you leave the residency before the agreed date.
We can reschedule a residency if you ask before the 3-month cancellation period. The new dates must be within one year of the original ones. Once rescheduled, the fee is no longer refundable.
If you are applying for a grant in your country, we will write an invitation letter with the information you need and, if necessary, collaborate on the final report. Mobility funding in the EU: Culture Moves Europe, at culture.ec.europa.eu.
Córtex Frontal does not take legal responsibility for the artists, their work, their guests or their travels during the residency. Artists from outside the EU must have travel insurance covering emergency health and medical care for the whole residency. Artists from the EU should bring their European Health Insurance Card.