International Residency spring 2020: Clare Gatto and Lisa Vipola

We announced our first international OPEN CALL, and the board consisted of the board and visual artist Margrethe Aanestad. We received nearly 100 applications, and the selected artists were Clare Gatto from Detroit in the United States, and Lisa Vipola from Kiruna in Sweden. The selection took place in the fall of 2019. The artists arrived on February 1, 2020 and were introduced to the local community, and housed and given studios in the banquet hall at Velferden. The stay worked out great, but after a few weeks, unfortunately, Corona broke out, and many of the plans we had for programme were consequently shelved - including an introduction to the art scene in Rogaland, their planned exhibition at Studio 17, and visits by guest curators for studio visits and programme. We on the board conducted studio visits with the artists, and the coordinator took them on tours and showed them around the area. Clare Gatto who came from the USA had to return home after 1 month, while Lisa who lives in Stockholm was able to complete her stay. Gatto has been paid for her full stay after a special Corona decision from the Arts Council and the County Municipality.