Site-Responsive Art Residency & Biennale

In 2023, I-Park will not be hosting this program in the traditional way. It is being integrated into the General Residency Program. Refer to the General Residency Program webpage for details.

The Environmental Art Residency & Biennale was launched in 2007 as the result of a recognition that the field of site-specific ephemeral art demanded focused attention. From the very early days of I-Park’s existence, artists began asking: is it alright to hang things from the trees, can I dig a hole in the ground, is it okay to harvest some saplings, can I float my installation on the pond? It was never in the master plan for us to support environmental art per se; it was simply a response to artists’ inquiries and enthusiasm. As time went on and the works became ever more interesting, we decided to create a special residency for artists working in this field – and to celebrate the unique, demanding process required to bring it to life.

Participating artists receive a stipend, room and board, travel reimbursement and generous access to tools, equipment and materials. After considerable time spent familiarizing themselves with the variety of settings available (in nature as well as within the built environment), they select a site in which to install their work. The program concludes with a public exhibition (the Biennale). In 2017, in an effort to be more inclusive with respect to the types of artists allowed to participate, we re-branded the culminating public exhibition the “Site-Responsive Art Biennale.” 

Because of the high cost of the program and the intense demands made upon the staff, we decided that we could not fund it every year. However, since 2007, we have hosted this program in odd-numbered years, without exception.