About the Community Engagement Residency

The Community Engagement Residency offers year-long support for historically marginalized dance and movement artists to engage in a creative process within their self-defined communities. The core values of the residency are equity, dialogue, process, artist autonomy, intersecting art-making and activism, and building meaningful relationships among artists. CER differs from other arts residencies in that it allows artists to deepen their inquiry and relationships with their community without emphasizing product-driven outcomes, like a performance or public event. Since its establishment in 2017, the CER has evolved into a powerful springboard for participating artists, many of whom go on to lead important equity work in the field. Across a 7+ year history, the program has supported 27 artists who collectively have engaged over 1,300 individuals through embodied research, workshops, dialogues, performances, and community offerings that cultivate power specifically among queer/trans, Black, Latinx, and Asian artists.

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To read the program’s full history, visit: https://www.bridgelivearts.org/cer

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Artistic Support

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B.L.A.’s CER residency aims to support artists in a multitude of ways for the long-term development and sustainability of their project, which includes:

• Financial Support: A $8000 stipend for independent artists, partnerships, or collectives disbursed over the course of the year (may increase depending on funding). Plus, an additional $2000 for project expenses (may include guest artist fees, space and venue rental, supplies etc.)

• Thought-Partnership: B.L.A. seeks residency artists who value dialogue and exchange and a desire to access B.L.A.’s team for questions relating to any aspect of growing capacity and sustainability in your practice. As an organization, B.L.A. staff and CER artists learn from each other in a symbiotic relationship—exchanges with staff include consistent check-ins at intervals that work for you - typically monthly, bi-monthly.

• Professional Development: CER residents are supported in developing their skills through dedicated working sessions with B.L.A. staff or aligned consultants/organizations. There is a $1500 shared budget between CER artists to cover the costs of workshops, classes, and resources that further their professional development.

• Marketing Support: B.L.A. shares and promotes related activities to your CER project across social, web, and email. 

• Future Collaborations: The opportunity to be a thought partner in developing B.L.A.’s activities after completing your residency.   

• Networking: Access to a broad range of artists in our network, including past CER artists, funders, and organization representatives.

• Resources: Access to tools, spreadsheets, and process-builders in grant writing, pay equity, shared leadership, project management, and marketing areas.