We are ready for the 5th summer workshop at my Los Angeles studio. This year will be different. Three days instead of two, more emphasis on a practice on how to be in the world as an artist, and the afternoon with the panel of gallerists, critics, curators, and collectors will take place on the second day instead of the last, giving us an opportunity to absorb that more public aspect of our time together. Otherwise, the workshop will continue to offer artists with a developed practice the opportunity to be immersed in critiques and discussions around a diverse and challenging range of historical, theoretical, and practical perspectives.
The workshop is part of Whale & Star, an initiative I started in 1998 that extends beyond the studio into publishing, the summer workshop, children's programs, grants, and internships. It exists as a service, not a business. What drives it is a belief, grounded in my own experience of apprenticeship and university professorships, that artists need other artists, and that meaningful encounters with gallerists, critics, curators, and collectors belong inside that same spirit of honest exchange rather than set apart from it. The people you work alongside here will likely stay with you. That continuity, from one summer to the next, is part of what the workshop has become.
Structure
We'll begin on Wednesday, July 15, at 9 am. Mornings will start with a short meditation, then presentations and discussion, afternoons and early evenings devoted to critiques, and closing with a brief meditation. On the afternoon of Thursday, July 16, a group of gallerists, critics, curators, and collectors will respond to each artist's work. The workshop concludes with a reception on the evening of Friday, July 17.
Accommodations & Costs
Lunch, snacks, and refreshments are provided throughout the day. Participants arrange their own travel and accommodations. The studio charges a $480 fee to cover our expenses. If you're unable to pay, let us know. We'll try to help if you are accepted. If you are not able to secure a place to stay, the option to sleep at the studio may be possible.
Admission
Space is limited. Every year, we receive many more applications from qualified artists than we can accept. The selection is not typical of an MFA, a residency, or a grant. Quality of work matters, but so does timing: where an artist is in their practice, and whether the workshop, the other participants, and I have something genuine to offer them at that moment. We accept artists with established exhibition careers and artists whose work or path falls outside conventional measures.
The application consists of 4 parts: a statement about your work (PDF); an exhibition history/CV (PDF); a statement of your reasons for coming to this workshop (PDF); and 8 samples of work (JPG, each limited to 1MB). Email your materials as attachments to contact@martinezcelaya.com.
The deadline to apply is May 6. Accepted participants will be notified on May 15.
Email contact@martinezcelaya.com if you have questions.
Back to BEYOND THE STUDIO