To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the relationship between the cities of Aviles, Spain, and St. Augustine, Florida, the St. Johns Cultural Council presents a very special opportunity for a visual artist to participate in an international cultural exchange. One local artist will be selected to travel with the City of St. Augustine’s delegation to Aviles in August 2024, where a painting by the artist will be presented to the City of Aviles.

The selected painting must depict a streetscape within a historic district of St. Augustine that reflects the Spanish history of the City and the Spanish influence on architecture and design. The artist will receive a stipend to cover travel expenses and the cost of the artist’s painting.

While in Aviles, the artist will participate in official activities including a plein air painting experience. The selected artist will also participate in related activities occurring in St. Augustine during the first two weeks of September 2024. Priority will be given to artists with demonstrated experience painting en plein air and a history of community service and connection. The artist must be a resident of St. Johns County.

The deadline for all applications is March 26th, 2024, and the selected artist must be available to travel to Aviles from August 7th through August 14th and to participate in St. Augustine’s Sister Cities Celebration from September 5th through September 11th. Applicants should carefully read and follow the guidelines below.

Application Guidelines

Applications should be made in a single MS Word or PDF file and sent to [email protected]. Photographs of artworks may be provided through a link or jpg attachments. Applicants must include ‘Sister Cities Cultural Exchange” in the email subject but should not expect acknowledgment of receipt.

All applications must include:

a) a portfolio of 2-5 illustrative artworks, with brief explanatory text, that are available and appropriate for presentation to the City of Aviles;

b) a narrative of no more than 500 words describing the artist’s work and community service in St. Augustine;

c) a brief proposal of how the artist might share the results of their work in Aviles with the residents of St. Johns County after the exchange;

d) a CV.

The artist’s experience painting en plein air should be highlighted throughout the application.

Shortlisted artists will be invited to an interview (which may be conducted virtually or in person) during the last week of March 2024.

Selection Process

Applications will be assessed by a Selection Committee including representatives of the Cultural Council and other cultural organizations based in the City of St. Augustine according to the following criteria:

  • quality and relevance of artworks
  • depth of engagement with the community
  • track-record of producing artworks in response to similar opportunities
  • and experience painting en plein air.

The selected artist will be notified on or before Friday, April 5, 2024.

The decision of the Selection Committee shall be final. The Committee reserves the right to make no awards in cases where it deems that applications are not satisfactory. The St. Johns Cultural Council accepts no legal responsibility to any applicant or third party arising from this notice, or the award or otherwise of a stipend. The Selection Committee will not enter into correspondence with unsuccessful applicants regarding its decisions.

 

Stipend

The costs of airfare, ground transportation, and lodging for travel to Aviles will be paid directly to vendors selected by the St. Johns Cultural Council. Some meals and entertainment will also be provided in Aviles. The selected artist will receive a stipend of $3,500 to cover the cost of the painting presented to the City of Aviles, incidental expenses, and time spent participating in Sister Cities activities. The stipend will be paid in three installments: $2,000 upon delivery of the painting selected for presentation; $1,000 after successful completion of travel to Aviles, on or before August 20, 2024; $500 after successful participation in Sister Cities activities in St. Augustine, on or before September 15, 2024.

Questions and Requests for Additional Information

Questions about the application, selection process, travel to Aviles, Sister Cities events and the stipend may be emailed to [email protected] during the application period but not later than March 21, 2024, with the subject line “Cultural Exchange Questions”.

Questions and responses will be posted at www.stjohnsculture.com.