Ripple Fest Pump House Artist in Residency Program EOI
Residency Program Overview
Our Tourism, Arts & Culture team will be activating Echuca’s Pump House in leadup to our new contemporary arts festival Ripple Fest in May 2025.
The Pump House is a stunning heritage listed building that looks out onto the riparian forest of the Dhungala (Murray River) only a short 200m away. It also offers easy access to the Banyula State Forest, the colonial era Port of Echuca and Echuca township.
In line with Ripple Fest’s vision, the Pump House Artist in Residency Program offers a unique opportunity for artists to engage deeply with themes of environmental resilience, cultural connection, and community cohesion. We invite artists from a diverse array of disciplines to contribute to our mission of nurturing creative responses to creative recovery, climate challenges and celebrating the rich stories that shape our collective identity.
The Pump House program provides visiting artists with the opportunity to:
Residency Details
Council is offering 12 x month-long residencies in the Pump House.
There are two 15m square and one 22m square spaces, with options of breaking out into larger workshop style spaces. This program would suit visual, performance and sound artists, writers, filmmakers and photographers. There are no studio wet spaces or printmaking facilities, however there is access to small kitchen facilities.
As part of the artist in residency program we would like artists to run at least one workshop for the local community and or hold an artist talk to engage with the public.
There will be an exhibition at the end of the program to showcase artists creative responses as part of the Ripple Fest program in May 2025.
Duration
The studio is offered for a month, but there is no compulsion to be there the whole time.
It is expected you make work for the Ripple Fest – Pump House exhibition which will run during the festival period. The launch for this exhibition will be the evening of Wednesday 21 May 2025.
Location
Echuca Pumphouse, 2 Heygarth St, Echuca
Dates
February, March, April and early May 2025.
Please specify your date preferences in your proposal. Giving a few options will support the team in finalising the artist in residency program.
Support Provided
Studio space, artist stipend of $1000, some materials budget, access to festival events and networking opportunities.
Focus Areas
We are particularly interested in proposals that:
Connection to Country - Explore and honour the relationship between First Nations people and the land, drawing inspiration from local landscapes, traditions, and environmental concerns.
Building Resilience - Address the impacts of climate change and propose creative solutions or narratives that foster community resilience and adaptation.
Facilitate Intergenerational Storytelling - Engage with diverse age groups to share and preserve stories, traditions, and wisdom to bridge generations and strengthen community bonds.
Eligibility
Artists at all career stages are encouraged to apply. We seek applicants who:
How to Apply
To apply, please submit the following materials by Monday 27 January 2025.
- Artist Statement - A brief description of your artistic practice, how it aligns with the festival’s themes, and why this residency is important to you. 200 words max.
- Proposal – An outline of the project and or work you intend to develop, detailing how it meets the focus areas above. 500 words max.
- CV – current artist/creative CV highlighting your artistic/creative experience, achievements and references. 1 Page A4 max.
- Portfolio – Samples of recent work (up to 5 images or 5 minutes of video/audio or website/url links) showcasing your practice.
Selection Process
Selected artists will be notified of outcome by Thursday, 30 January 2025.
For more information, please reach out to our Arts & Culture Team on [email protected] or call 1300 666 535.
Apply now!
Expression of Interest Form