2018 Application Form
Send to Janet Whelan, 508-487-2632
5 Cook Street
Provincetown, MA 02657
Introduction
The Outer Cape Artists in Residence Consortium (OCARC) was founded in 1995 in response to a request by the Cape Cod National Seashore (Seashore) to establish a residency program in one of its historic dune shacks at the edge of the Atlantic “back shore” in Provincetown. It offers the artist the creative stimulation that isolation and solitude provide. In the summer of 1995, OCARC was awarded the Margo-Gelb shack by the Seashore, with the first residencies being held in 1996.OCARC is made up of four non-profit organizations - three arts organizations [the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown (FAWC), Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM), Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill (Castle Hill)] and a dune shack advocacy group, Peaked Hill Trust (PHT). PHT oversees the maintenance of the Margo-Gelb shack as well as provides the transportation to/from the shack on Saturdays.
The Program
Six residencies are awarded each year during the season of mid-May – mid-October. The first residencies included a writer, a photographer, a sculptor, two painters and a painter-poet. Since then the residencies have been of a similar mix.Writers and Artists (artists may include painters, sculptors, photographers, printmakers, musicians, etc.) may apply for a two-week residency. Any practicing artist may apply; however priority for consideration for a residency will be given to applicants who are a Former Fellow or member of FAWC, a member of PAAM, or a member of Castle Hill. Those who have never participated in the program will have priority over those who have already had this opportunity.
Those who are awarded residencies will receive a two-week stay in the dunes. The dates available are for two week periods, starting and ending on Saturday:
| May 19-June 2 | User fee $400 |
| June 16-June 30 | User fee $750 |
| July 14-July 28 | User fee $750 |
| August 11-August 25 | User fee $750 |
| September 08-September 22 | User fee $550 |
| September 29-October 13 | User fee $400 |
Fees are higher during the "high" summer season.
Applications are due March 15, 2018 and are reviewed by a committee. The residencies will be awarded by April 15. 2018. Payment of user fees is due in full by April 30, 2018.
As an element of OCARC’s agreement with the National Park Service, participants are requested to develop a means of sharing their dune shack experience with a broader audience, such as through an exhibition, reading, workshop, demonstration, or exhibit. Participants should discuss their ideas for programs and venues with OCARC
Living in a Shack
The Margo-Gelb shack, which was once owned by painter Boris Margo and his wife, printmaker Jan Gelb, sits on a high dune overlooking the ocean. It has views on all directions. The one room shack is about 14 feet by 12 feet in size, with an environmentally friendly, composting outhouse nearby. The shack has two single beds, a work-dining table, sink, gas burners, a gas refrigerator, and cooking/eating utensils. There is no wood stove or other source of heat. A hand pump for water is located about 100 feet from the shack (NOTE: this is good drinking water and is tested every year.) There is a clothesline near the shack for hanging wash.Mattresses, pillows and blankets are provided. Residents must supply towels, sheets, sleeping bags (if desired), and whatever food, art supplies and clothing they need. The National Park Service doesn't allow pets.
PHT maintains the shack and provides transportation in and out of the dunes at the beginning and end of the stay. The town of Provincetown is within walking distance, about two miles away. Because of severe erosion along the shore, the path down to the beach is somewhat longer and less direct than previously. Signs directing foot traffic are posted.
Qualifications and Application
The applicants need not be a Fellow or member of FAWC or a member of PAAM or Castle Hill, but those who fit one of these categories will be given priority, all things being equal, when considering those who will receive the residency. Also given priority are those who have never before received this residency.The applicant must be a practicing writer or artist who demonstrates through his/her resume and letter why he/she wishes the residency and how the experience will be beneficial to him/her and the overall program by means of the public presentation.
The applicant should give an outline of that program, but may change the outline with approval of OCARC and the Seashore before the event, as long as time is allowed for proper advertising.
An application fee of $10 should accompany the application. A check should be made out to OCARC.
The application may also include three references and any other material, such as reviews, that the applicant feels will help in the selection process.
OCARC does not discriminate regarding age, religion, race, disability, etc., but a disabled person must demonstrate that he/she could negotiate a steep sand hill to the shack and any other obstacles related to primitive, isolated, living. An applicant with physical disabilities should specify needs in the application, due to the isolation and terrain of the location.
Deadline for 2018 application: March 15, 2018. The shack is available from mid-May to mid-October. Please indicate in your application the first and second choices for residency dates, two weeks, starting with a Saturday date.
Applications will be processed by a committee. A resident may have a guest or guests visiting the shack, but only one at a time. The prime intent of this experience is considered to be its isolation and how solitude may affect and enhance the creative process.
Application Checklist
- Application fee $10, check or money order made out to OCARC.
- Letter of Intent (artistic), which includes your affiliation with one of the three arts organizations, if any
- Outline of Proposal for Public Event
- Slides or DVD’s of work/photos/manuscripts/published material/reviews/etc.
- Self addressed stamped envelope if you wish material returned
- Dates, two weeks starting on a Saturday that you wish to be considered for, and/or if any dates are o.k.
- Send the above to OCARC, c/o Janet Whelan, 5 Cook Street, Provincetown, MA 02657. (508) 487-2632.