CALL TO ARTISTS
Collage the Planet: Trash as Material Virtual Artist Residency
A four-week, virtual collage artist residency
Sessions: Four Tuesdays starting 25 November 2025, 6-8PM EST
Early Deadline to Apply: 10 November 2025
Final Deadline to Apply: 16 November 2025
Notification: 18 November 2025
Submit your application HERE
In October 2025, Kolaj Institute opened an inquiry into Trash as Material. We brought together six artists in New Orleans to visit The Green Project and learn about how they process unwanted building materials and waste paint. They heard from New Orleans artist Jill Stoll about her “Lost Women” series and how she makes large woven artworks using post-consumer cardboard waste. The artists made artwork that is part of the exhibition, “Trash as Material” at Kolaj Institute Gallery, 25 October to 29 November 2025.
“Once a thing becomes Trash, an entire new phase of the material object’s life begins, often one that demands the resources and labor of others,” wrote exhibition curator and Kolaj Institute Director Ric Kasini Kadour. “A small army of people, some paid, some not, collect litter from the streets. Entire industries exist to deal with trash objects. Most of those industries exist to move trash around: It gets collected and carted off to a landfill. Sometimes the Trash is sorted and re-commodified as a raw material. A few organizations are committed to redirecting materials back into communal use.”
In the post-use life of materials, what role do collage artists play? And what happens when collage artists use trash as material? Taking the premise that Trash is not simply a material, but an idea, artists will virtually assemble to explore art made with or about Trash. Themes that have already emerged through Kolaj Institute’s inquiry into this subject have included Trash as Archeology; the role of labor; litter and other street Trash; food waste; the history of sanitation; picking and hoarding; class, race, and questions of social justice; Trash and place; planned obsolescence; e-waste; and how to develop relationships with sources of particular Trash material and then physically process Trash into art materials. In this residency, artists will hear about these themes; about how artists made art about them; and identify new themes.
In collage, materials are never neutral. From how they are sourced to how they are used, the material a collage is made of shapes the story and experience of the artwork. The residency will consider what making art with Trash means for an Artist’s Practice and what strategies an artist can use to move their work through the art ecosystem.
Artists will hear from Seattle, Washington artist, curator and place maker Bill Gaylord, who, during his Solo Artist Residency in June 2025, explored New Orleans by becoming an urban scavenger. “A common medium in my work is using repurposed cultural detritus, plastic, paper and wood found objects reflective of a particular place and cultural identity,” wrote the artist. “I was taught from an early age to conserve resources, repurpose and recycle used materials concurrently with becoming a young artist creating collages. I was head of the recycling committee in High School where I started creating art with trash. Later in life as an architect and artist I educated myself in the epidemic of non-recyclable plastic trash and the gyres of garbage collecting in all of earth’s oceans. I made it a mission to create wearable art out of trash and educate the public as well as raise money for non-profit organizations through trash fashion as well as in my studio practice collage artwork. Found objects and trash, both two and three dimensional, I find to be inspiring materials to use in my art no matter what medium or scale.” Gaylord will speak about his artist practice and the role of Trash in his artmaking.
Ric Kasini Kadour will present an international, historic survey of artists that used trash in their work, from German Dadaist Kurt Schwitters to Brazilian artist Vik Muniz to Ghanaian artist Serge Attukwei Clottey, and speak about how materials are never neutral in collage. Kadour will also present an overview of Kolaj Institute’s Trash as Materials project and share examples of how other artists have made work that spoke to the subject. As the project curator, Kadour will guide artists through a process of building context for their artwork that supports its diffusion and ultimately its engagement with viewers.
Using Michael Thompson’s Rubbish Theory: The Creation and Destruction of Value (2017 edition) as a key point of reference, artists will be invited to identify the type of Trash they wish to use as material and then work with the collective knowledge of the group to make a plan to source and process that material and ultimately turn it into an artwork or installation. Artists will also develop a context for the artwork that includes the source of the Trash and what stories or ideas inform the viewers experience of the artwork. Group discussions will center on how to develop a contemporary art project and how to bring that artwork to a community.
OUTCOME
The goal of this residency is to support collage artists as they adapt their artist practice to speak to the complexities of environmental issues and contribute to a broader dialogue on sustainability and ecological consciousness. During the residency, artists will consider how elements of their practice (research & play, process, making, finishing, diffusion, and impact & engagement) can be adapted.
At the end of the residency, artists will be invited to submit artwork to the exhibition that will take place at Kolaj Institute Gallery in New Orleans in late 2026 and to a book about Trash as Material that will be published in 2027. Other opportunities to diffuse the artwork include articles in Kolaj Magazine or participating in a Kolaj LIVE Online program, or being on panel at Kolaj Fest New Orleans, 10-14 June 2026.
WHO IS THIS FOR?
This Trash as Material Artist Residency takes place in virtual space and is centered on collage artists who want to develop their artist practice. Residencies are intended for self-motivated artists, regardless of the stage in their career, who have a practice of (or want to develop a practice of) making artwork that speaks to environmental issues in their communities.
COST
The cost of the residency is $500 USD. Kolaj Institute has a limited number of grants of up to $250 available to offset the cost of the workshop for those in demonstrated need. These grants are possible through the generous support of our donors.
HOW TO APPLY
Submit your application HERE.
RESIDENCY LOGISTICS
Dates: 25 November-16 December 2025
SESSION DATES
Tuesday, 25 November 2025, 6-8PM EST
Tuesday, 2 December 2025, 6-8PM EST
Tuesday, 9 December 2025, 6-8PM EST
Tuesday, 16 December 2025, 6-8PM EST
The workshop will begin with an invitation to join the Slack workspace on Saturday, 22 November 2025. Introductions and Orientation will take place during our first meeting on Tuesday, 25 November 2025, 6-8PM EST.
The remaining sessions will take place on the following Tuesdays (2, 8 and 16 December).
Artists are expected to attend all scheduled sessions and complete assignments.
EXPECTATIONS & COMMITMENT
Artists are expected to attend all scheduled sessions, engage with guest speakers, complete readings, and use the time during the residency to make artwork.
By participating in the residency, artists grant Kolaj Institute and Kolaj Magazine permission to publish images of the work created during the residency. Documentation may include photographs, videos, and scans of artwork. Artists may choose to withhold consent to being photographed or filmed or having their artwork documented.
Any original work made during the residency remains the property of the individual artists with all rights retained. The submission of artwork does not guarantee exhibition or publication.
APPLICATION PROCESS
The submission process asks applicants for:
• Contact information
• Artist Bio (50-250 words)
• Statement of Artist Practice (50-300 words)
• 5-7 images of artwork
• What you hope to gain from the experience
• Asks questions about your work and needs
Submissions will be reviewed on a rolling basis until space is filled. Artists are encouraged to apply well before the deadline. Also, please note that responses may not be sent out until two weeks after the deadline.
QUESTIONS
If you have questions, send an email.
ABOUT THE FACULTY
Bill Gaylord is an artist, art curator and former architect living in Seattle, Washington, USA. He holds degrees in art and architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design. A lifelong artist, place maker and community arts activist, he was recognized and inducted as a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects in the category of “Service to Society” in 2012. After attending a School of Visual Arts Public Art program in New York City, he founded BONFIRE Art. Culture. Design. (2013-2023), an art curation business, community art gallery and a studio space for his art practice. The artist works out of Seattle’s Base Camp Studios. He has shown his collage work at CoCA in Seattle, the Woods Gerry Gallery at RISD, and at BONFIRE, among other venues. A passionate advocate for the Art as Medicine movement Gaylord serves on the Path with Art board in Seattle where he actively participates in arts engagement programs to restore individuals working through a broad spectrum of traumas. Learn more at www.thisisbonfire.com.
Ric Kasini Kadour, a 2021 Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts Curatorial Fellow, is a writer, artist, publisher, and cultural worker. Working with the Vermont Arts Council, Kadour curated four exhibits: “Connection: The Art of Coming Together” (2017) and Vermont Artists to Watch 2018, 2019 and 2020. In 2017, he curated “The Art of Winter” at S.P.A.C.E. Gallery in Burlington, Vermont. In 2018, Kadour curated “Revolutionary Paths: Critical Issues in Collage” at Antenna Gallery in New Orleans, which bought together collage artists whose work represents the potential for deeper inquiry and further curatorial exploration of the medium; followed in 2019 by “Cultural Deconstructions: Critical Issues in Collage” at LeMieux Galleries in New Orleans, which furthered the conversation; and “Amuse Bouche”, also at LeMieux Galleries in 2023. Since 2018, he has produced Kolaj Fest New Orleans, a multi-day festival & symposium about contemporary collage and its role in art, culture, and society. As Curator of Contemporary Art at Rokeby Museum in Ferrisburgh, Vermont in 2019 and 2020, he curated three exhibitions, “Rokeby Through the Lens” (May 19-June 16, 2019), “Structures” (August 24-October 27, 2019), and “Mending Fences: New Works by Carol MacDonald” (July 12-October 25, 2020). He also curated “Contemporary American Regionalism: Vermont Perspectives” (August 17-October 20, 2019); “Where the Sun Casts No Shadow: Postcards from the Creative Crossroads of Quito, Ecuador” (November 1-30, 2019); and “Many Americas” (August 20-November 27, 2022) in the Wilson Museum & Galleries at the Southern Vermont Arts Center. “The Money $how”, co-curated with Frank Juarez, was presented at the AIR Space Gallery at Saint Kate-The Arts Hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (April 10-September 12, 2021). For Birr Vintage Week & Arts Festival in Birr, County Offaly, Ireland (August 13-20, 2021), he curated “Empty Columns Are a Place to Dream”, which traveled to the Knoxville Museum of Art in January-February 2022. At 516 ARTS in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Kadour co-curated with Alicia Inez Guzmàn two exhibitions: “Many Worlds Are Born” (February 19-May 14, 2022) and “Technologies of the Spirit” (June 11-September 3, 2022). In 2023 at the Knoxville Museum of Art, Kadour curated “Where the Sun Casts No Shadow: Postcards from the Creative Crossroads of Quito, Ecuador” (January 9-February 16, 2023) and “Mystical Landscape: Secrets of the Vale” (March 17-May 28, 2023). In September 2023, he curated “Word of Mouth: Folklore, Community and Collage” at A’ the Airts in Sanquhar, Scotland. At Kolaj Institute Gallery, he curated “Grand Opening Exhibition” (March 9-April 14, 2024), “Collage the Planet: Environmentalism in Art” (April 19-May 26, 2024), “Magic in the Modern World” (June 1-August 11, 2024), “Advanced Wound Healing Techniques: Collage by Robbie Morgan” (August 16-October 6, 2024), “Temporal Geolocation: How Place & History Inform Identity in Collage” (October 11-November 24, 2024), “Camera & Collage” (November 29, 2024- January 25, 2025), “Joy and Grief: An Exhibition of Collage” (April 12-May 31, 2025), “Collage As Art Movement” (June 14-August 31, 2025), “Big Orange Monster: An Emergency Collage Exhibition” (September 10-October 18, 2025), and “Trash as Material” (October 25-November 29, 2025).
His first short film, The Covenant of Schwitters’ Army, debuted at Collage on Screen during Kolaj Fest New Orleans 2023. His second, Joy Is Paper, debuted at Collage on Screen during Kolaj Fest New Orleans 2024. Kadour is the editor and publisher of Kolaj Magazine. He has written for a number of galleries and his writing has appeared in Hyperallergic, OEI, Vermont Magazine, Seven Days, Seattle Weekly, Art New England (where he was the former Vermont editor) and many others. Kadour maintains an active art practice and his photography, collage, and sculpture have been exhibited in and are part of private collections in Australia, Europe and North America. In January-February 2020, he was artist-in-residence at MERZ Gallery in Sanquhar, Scotland. He holds a BA in Comparative Religion from the University of Vermont. Kadour splits his time between Montreal and New Orleans. www.rickasinikadour.com