Haiti Cultural Exchange Lakou NOU Artist Residency Program

Residency Overview

In rural Haiti, the Lakou communal living system embodies the intersection of land, family, and spirituality.  Lakou members develop reciprocal patterns of resource sharing and jointly work the land.  Lakou NOU (“Our Yard” in Haitian Creole), now in its fifth year, is a creative adaptation of this traditional model. Lakou NOU provides four artists of Haitian descent with the opportunity to create and present new work by connecting their skills and talents to four historically underserved Brooklyn neighborhoods, home to generations of Haitians and Haitian-Americans: Crown Heights, Canarsie, East Flatbush, and Flatbush.

Positioning their own creative talents as a component of a collective commons, the artists, selected via an open call, further their own artistic visions while addressing neighborhood issues through support from community assets. HCX helps facilitate the formation of partnerships between selected artists and neighborhood entities, including community gardens, nonprofit organizations, small businesses, and local cultural institutions. These relationships engage artists with challenges and opportunities unique to each Lakou and afford access to valuable resources, such as spaces for exhibition or a platform for community conversations. Artists in residence also interact with each other as a cohort through discussion and support around topics relevant to Lakou NOU projects and participate in HCX-facilitated professional development opportunities. Topics include tools for cultural preservation, art in public spaces, engagement in social practice, and implementation of community programming.

Program Timeline

Lakou NOU Application Period:

Application Launched December 15, 2019

DEADLINE: FRIDAY, JANUARY 17^TH 2020 at Midnight

Finalist interviews — February 10-12, 2020

 Lakou NOU Artist Selection:

Applications reviewed by selection committee January 2020

Finalist interviews — February 10-12 2020

Selected artists announced February 24, 2020

Artist Benefits

• A $7,000 stipend for development, implementation, documentation, and evaluation of projects
• Professional development activities aimed at building tools and skill sets necessary for community engaged artistic practice
• An opportunity to become more acquainted with issues in the communities of Brooklyn
• Access to a network of other artists, community leaders, and local organizations
• An opportunity to further develop artistic practice through the creation of new work
• A platform to showcase work to members of the Haitian diaspora and their diverse Brooklyn neighbors
• A chance to develop professional skills through production, promotion activities, public speaking, networking, and working in group settings

How do I apply?

• Applications may be submitted in two ways:
  • OPTION 1: Written Submission:

              Applications may be submitted as a Google Form.

  • OPTION 2: Video Submission:

  Applications may be submitted as a video response in MP4, AVI, MOV, FLV file formats to lakounou@haiticulturalx.org. Video submissions may be in English or Kreyòl. Videos should be no longer than 20 minutes in length. Save the file as Lakou NOU2020_First Name Last Name.

• Supplemental Documentation is still required with your video application.

  Please complete Part One of the Google Form along with your video application.

  Responses must demonstrate a detailed and organized thought process. If you have any questions or concerns, please email lakounou@haiticulturalx.org or call 347-565-4429.