The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary (PDE) is pleased to announce its pilot Artist in Residence program and its request for qualifications.

The Delaware Estuary pilot Artist in Residency program is offering part-time support for four (4) artists – one from each of the Urban Waters cities (Wilmington, Delaware, Camden, New Jersey, and Chester and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) – to work within each community from January 2025 through June 2026 to develop and create a final project that must have a relationship to water quality and climate change. Ideal candidates will align with our values, including a commitment to environmental stewardship; science-based initiatives; collaboration with community members, partners, and local leaders; and a focus on equity and justice. This residency is open to all forms of art including visual, literary, and performance.

 PDE staff will oversee coordination between each artist and the community partners and implementation across the four cities. The art will be developed in conjunction with input received from the community members and partners in each city, allowing each art piece to be unique and reflect the priorities of that community.

Project Goals:
•Create community-focused artwork that reflects a connection to each city, enhancing the Urban Waters Federal Partnership’s initiatives for climate resilience and clean water through the integration of art and culture.

•Showcase the interconnectedness of the Delaware Estuary and the city that each artist represents.

•Celebrate and amplify the unique identity of each Urban Water’s city.

•Engage diverse new audiences, while also creating opportunities to promote the artwork across the region.

Please review the full Call to Artists – Request for Qualifications which has a complete description of the program and instructions for submitting your qualifications.

Please submit all required materials to Eve Quinones at equinones@delawareestuary.org. You may reach out to Eve if you have questions about the application process.

The application deadline for submission is December 15, 2024, at 11:59 p.m.

This pilot will address critical water quality challenges and was developed in response to President Biden’s Executive Order (EO) on Arts and Humanities (EO 14084 Promoting the Arts, the Humanities, and Museum and Library Services, October 5, 2022). The AIR pilot is a partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), select National Estuary Programs, and Urban Waters Federal Partnership locations (UWFP).