About, Artists, Residencies, Exhibitions, Weather Station, Programs, Shore Time, Publications, Support, FAQs

Fogo Island Arts (FIA) offers the recipients of the prestigious ars viva Prize for Visual Arts a residency on Fogo Island as part of a special partnership with Kulturkreis der deutschen Wirtschaft im BDI e. V. (Association of Arts and Culture of the German Economy at the Federation of German Industries).The ars viva Prize is awarded annually to three young artists based in Germany whose work is distinguished by a high level of artistic quality and an awareness of contemporary social and cultural questions. The jury selected this year’s awardees from 49 nominated artists under the age of 35.

The ars viva Prize includes two exhibitions at renowned art institutions in Europe, a financial award of 5,000 Euros each, and a bilingual catalogue to be published by Kerber Verlag. The recipients also have the opportunity to spend a month on Fogo Island as part of Fogo Island Arts’ residency program.

Fogo Island Arts books are produced in partnership with Sternberg Press, a Berlin-based publishing house of art and cultural criticism, creative nonfiction, and literary and experimental fiction. Founded by Caroline Schneider in New York in 1999, it aims to support both new and established writers and nourish lasting editorial relationships. The press is committed to publishing books with an interdisciplinary focus on contemporary visual culture and related critical discourse.

The Hnatyshyn Foundation – Fogo Island Arts Young Curator Residency, valued at $15,000 (CAD), provides an opportunity for a young Canadian curator to work in residence at Fogo Island Arts for six weeks.

Established in 2014, the Young Curator Residency program provides opportunities for emerging Canadian curators between the ages of 25 and 30 to participate in a residency with Fogo Island Arts. During the residency period, participants have opportunities to work and interact with Fogo Island Arts staff, Canadian and international artists-in-residence, and members of the community. Candidates are selected based on their body of work and their ability to work both independently and as part of a team.

Fogo Island Arts has partnered with the Sobey Art Foundation In support of contemporary Canadian artists. One of the 25 artists long-listed annually for the Sobey Art Award will be awarded a residency on Fogo Island as part of Fogo Island Arts’ international residency program.FIA is the inaugural residency partner of the Sobey Art Award, with the mandate to expand opportunities and exposure for Canadian artists internationally.

The Sobey Art Foundation’s support is a significant contribution to Fogo Island Arts’ Patrons Program, a major fundraising campaign launched in 2016 to support FIA programs and initiatives. The partnership between Fogo Island Arts and the Sobey Art Foundation reflects a shared understanding of the critical role that contemporary art plays in enriching and revitalizing communities.

The Sobey Art Award is the pre-eminent prize for Canadian artists aged 40 and under. Presented annually, the award celebrates some of our country’s most exciting young artists. Since its inception in 2001, the Sobey Art Award has had an undeniable impact on the careers of young Canadian contemporary artists. Since 2015, the Award has been organized and administered by the National Gallery of Canada.

Fogo Island Arts is an international partner of the Pew Fellowship Consortium of Residencies, a project managed by the Alliance of Artists Communities and funded by Pew Fellowships in the Arts. As part of this biennial program, FIA has welcomed Pew Fellows Rea Tajiri (2019) and David Kessler (2021) for a six-week residency.The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage is a multidisciplinary grant-maker and hub for knowledge sharing, dedicated to fostering a vibrant cultural community in Greater Philadelphia. The Center invests in ambitious, imaginative, and catalytic work that showcases the region’s cultural vitality and enhances public life, and engages in an ongoing exchange of ideas concerning artistic and interpretive practice with a broad network of cultural practitioners and leaders. Established in 2005, the Center makes project grants in two areas, Performance and Exhibitions & Public Interpretation, while twelve annual Fellowships provide unrestricted grants to individual artists working in all disciplines. The Pew Consortium of Artist Residencies extends the impact of Pew Fellowships by providing interested Fellows the opportunity to participate in a residency at one of the participating partner sites.

Fogo Island Arts is a partner of the World Weather Network. The world’s weather is not what it was. We see glaciers melting and water levels rising. Some lands are flooded and others are parched. Everywhere is heating up. Formed in response to the climate emergency, the World Weather Network is a constellation of weather stations set up by 28 arts agencies around the world and an invitation to look, listen, learn, and act. From June 21 2022 to June 21 2023, artists, writers and communities will share observations, stories, reflections and images about their local weather, creating an archipelago of voices and viewpoints. Engaging climate scientists and environmentalists, the World Weather Network brings together diverse world views and different ways of understanding the weather across multiple localities and languages.