Dear ACRE Community,
ACRE is an organization built on community and collaboration, and we’d like to extend thanks for all of the support and encouragement we’ve received as we continue to navigate the circumstances of COVID-19. It goes without saying that 2020 was not typical for our organization, and in 2021, we’ll need to adjust our program offerings to operate safely and equitably. With several changes in motion, we’d like to take a moment to share our plans.
For ACRE, the uncertain conditions surrounding COVID-19 meant the postponement of our 2020 Summer Residency Program. To honor the work of our applicants and our admissions panelists, we offered accepted 2020 residents the opportunity to defer attendance to the summer of 2021. Because we received an overwhelmingly positive acceptance rate to this deferral, we cannot offer our usual application cycle for 2021. If changing circumstances allow us to offer a special application period, we will announce that opportunity via our newsletter and social media accounts in mid-spring. At this time, our next application will open in January 2022.
At that time, we plan to resume our normal admissions process. ACRE holds an admissions period each January through April welcoming applications from emerging artists of all disciplines, educational backgrounds, professional experiences, and locales. To review these applications, we engage an impartial jury of established artists, musicians, educators, organizers, critics, curators, and makers of all kinds from Chicago and elsewhere, including a number of ACRE alumni and volunteers. Each admission cycle has a free period followed by graduated application fees all of which go toward supporting our residency program and the cost of reviewing applications. To learn more about our admissions process please visit our admissions page.
We are working with our staff, board, and volunteers to strategize ways that we will continue to serve our community and fulfill our mission of supporting emerging artists. We are developing new program offerings that provide opportunities to work together at the farm beyond the residency. Visit acreresidency.org and follow @acreresidency to stay up-to-date on upcoming programs, opportunities to visit the farm, and virtual offerings.
Thank you for your patience and interest in working with ACRE. We look forward to creating opportunities to collaborate in the future.
With gratitude,
ACRE