The Tough Art artist residency is for emerging artists to expand their skills and create an entirely new interactive artwork that is accessible to a larger public, namely that of a children's museum. Pieces are incorporated into the Children's Museum and/or programs with direct impact on the visitor experience. 2015 is the ninth year of the Tough Art artist residency.

Over the course of the summer, artists engage museum professionals in critical dialog as it relates to their work, generate and implement interactive, immersive and/or collaborative projects, connect the art-making process to the larger museum context and the museum visitor, and prototype and evaluate their process to achieve the desired outcome. A Tough Art exhibit of the artists' work opens in September.
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The Tough Art Residency Program seeks to connect emerging artists from across the spectrum of all the arts to the resources at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh. The artists accomplish three goals:
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Engage museum professionals in critical dialog as it relates to their work.

Generate and implement interactive, immersive and/or collaborative projects.

Connect the art making process to the larger museum context and the museum visitor.[/ul]

Across the residency, artists are given two tasks:
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Create an entirely new piece to be incorporated into the facility and/or programs with direct impact on the visitor experience.

Prototype and evaluate their process to achieve the desired outcome.[/ul]

It is important to remember that Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh is a very public place, and that art within a children’s museum occupies a unique niche of public art. This type of experimentation and art process has remained largely tangential to the main course of the art world. The Museum embraces the opportunity that this type of art-making affords. It fits in the values and the Museum’s point of view in presenting new ideas to family audiences.

Tough Art Eligibility
Artists with demonstrated capabilities for working on immersive, collaborative, interactive, and/or performance art works are eligible for Tough Art. The program is intended to support emerging artists in their development, although mid-career and established artists are encouraged to apply as well.

Tough Art Goals

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To develop new insights by incorporating the artistic process with other investigative processes in the development of new art works at the Museum and exposing those processes to the general public.

To enhance the role of the Museum as a center of cultural investigation for families and children.

To make emerging artists’ artwork more accessible to the public.

To provide new avenues of art exploration for the Museum.[/ul]

Tough Art Residency Benefits
Resident artists receive administrative support from the Museum staff, including assistance in developing concepts for potential works. Artists have full access to the museum and the exhibit fabrication workshop.

The following support is provided to artists invited to participate in the Tough Art Residency Program:
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A materials and equipment fund is available in amounts to be determined dependent upon the proposed work.

Museum staffs support to assist in the identification and securing of materials.

All prototypes and final installed pieces will be fabricated by the artist. Limited skilled labor support during the fabrication and installation process will be available, as needed.

Marketing and publicity for the Tough Art exhibition.

An opening reception to present the exhibition to the public.

Honorarium tailored to the individual artist project, as determined by the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh.[/ul]

Out-of-town artists are given the following benefits:
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Air/ground transportation to and from Pittsburgh. The intent is to provide one round trip ticket per artist. Additional trips are at the discretion of the Museum.

Housing. It is expected that housing will be available through neighborhood partnerships, within walking distance of the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh.

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The Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh offers an 80,000sq ft. facility, with 20,000sq ft. of dedicated exhibition/gallery space, a museum theater, a public entry lobby and café space. The Tough Art installations will be located within the public spaces of the museum. Selection of final installation locations will be determined in coordination with the Museum exhibit staff. The Museum has an offsite fabrication shop and a complete woodworking shop supported by an array of power and hand tools, as well as welding equipment, milling machines and storage space. The museum also has an on site shop with numerous hand tools and small power tools primarily used for maintenance purposes.
The Museum facility meets all ADA requirements with complete accessibility for wheelchairs. All signage is presented in large clear type and code signs for restrooms and room indicators include Braille.

Tough Art Residency Program: Expectations and Obligations
The Museum offers residencies to artists whose interests complement the museum experience. Artists participate in a collaborative and developmental process resulting in the creation of works for the exhibit floor. The artists in this program learn to take the immersive attitude to heart and to continually monitor their work against the demands of the public.
Each resident artist is expected to:
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Participate in the orientation week at the Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh to meet the staff and gain an understanding of the programs and facility.

Spend time on the museum floor to become acquainted with how the museum visitors use and experience the Museum.

Develop a prototyping schedule and prototype their concept.

Review proposal and working process with museum staff and professional advisors (the professional advisors may include advisors from The Exploratorium, Mattress Factory Museum, Andy Warhol Museum, Carnegie Museum of Art, and Carnegie Mellon University School of Art, and/or other local institutions).

Within the first four to five weeks of the residency, the artist is expected to propose a project, develop a working schedule and budget, and identify an area within the museum for project installation.

Participate in a prototyping and evaluation process. In other words, as the project evolves, the artist periodically tests ideas on the museum floor with visitors and refines the project based on lessons learned prior to the final completion of the work. This should be an interactive process with the visitors and museum staff.

Present a complete and functioning work at the end of the residency for the exhibition phase of the program (scheduled for mid-to late September 2015 thru January 2016).

Remain available and or accessible for trouble shooting and repairs (if needed) during the run of the exhibition.

If necessary and/or appropriate, assist in the take down of the piece at the end of the exhibition in January 2016.[/ul]

DUE DATE: March 23,2015 at 5pm
Applications may be submitted via public file sharing FTP sites, i.e. Dropbox
NOTE: Websites may be included as part of application package, but may not substitute for the following requested materials:
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Application Folder:

1) Letter of Application which reveals an understanding of the program (600 words or less). Give consideration to the following:
• Nature of your work.
• Description of project that you propose.
• How the resources of the museum might be used.
• Any specific technical or physical requirements.
2) Résumé
3) Short biography (150 words or less).
4) References: Include the names, addresses, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses of three professional references. Letters of recommendation should not be submitted and will not be utilized.

Proposal Folder

1) Proposal for residency project.
2) A maximum of six (6) jpg files, or slide show with a maximum of six (6) images of the proposal.
3) Video, sound and animation of the proposal may be submitted; these may be links to webpages. A maximum of seven minutes will be reviewed in total.
4) Provide a numbered list that identifies the images image or time-based piece by title, date, medium, size, and other appropriate information, unless the images include this information.

Portfolio/Previous Work Folder

1) A maximum of 20 jpg files, or a slide show with a maximum of 20 images.
2) Video, sound and animation may be submitted. A maximum of seven minutes will be reviewed in total.
3) Provide a numbered list that identifies the images image or time-based piece by title, date, medium, size, and other appropriate information, unless the images include this information.[/ul]

Share applications with both email addresses: plodge@pittsburghkids.org and lcarvajal@pittsburghkids.org
Applications submitted via regular mail should include the previously listed material as either printed, digitally (on a CD or USB drive) or both.

Provide a self-addressed mailer and sufficient postage for return of all mailed materials. Materials submitted without postage will not be returned.

Please send all application materials to:
Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh 10 Childrens Way
Pittsburgh, PA 15212
ATTN: Lisa Carvajal, Exhibits Design Manager

Questions about this program and/or the application process must be submitted in writing via email to Penny Lodge, Director of Museum Experiences at plodge@pittsburghkids.org. Questions will only be accepted via email.

Prior Museum visits are not mandatory, but meetings/tours are available through April 1st. Email Lisa Carvajal at lcarvajal@pittsburghkids.org for information.