Named for the volcanic rocks that blanket its shoreline, Black Rock is a multidisciplinary artist-in-residence program founded by renowned artist Kehinde Wiley in 2019.

The residency brings together international artists to live and work in Dakar, Senegal for 1-3 month stays. The Black Rock compound design was conceived by Senegalese architect Abib Djenne with interior collaboration between Wiley, Fatiya Djenne, and Aissa Dione. The complex includes a residence and studio space for Wiley along with three single-occupancy residency apartments with adjacent studio spaces. Black Rock’s mission is to support new artistic creation through collaborative exchange and to incite change in the global discourse about what Africa means today.

Residents are offered room, board, and individual studio space. The individual art studios are designed to accommodate different artistic mediums, each furnished with tables, light fixtures, and storage space. Black Rock provides staff assistance and a modest stipend for artists to use for obtaining materials necessary to their practice while they are in Dakar.

Black Rock provides residents with a local staff to assist in navigating Dakar and a language tutor to assist with English, French, and Wolof –the three primary languages of the program. Residents will additionally be offered a modest stipend for incidentals and additional art supplies.

The single-occupancy apartments are each three floors, including a living room, a kitchen, a bedroom, and two bathrooms. The kitchens are furnished with basic cookwares. Black Rock offers access to grocery provisions provided on a weekly basis for residents who prefer to prepare their own meals in their apartments. Black Rock offers three meals a day to residents, which are able to be served to residents in their apartments or at the main dining table.

Black Rock encourages opportunities to host open studios, attend cultural events, visit and learn from local artists, and hold screenings in the library. The staff will work closely with the Black Rock artists in order to identify potential collaborations and be able to suggest events that might be of interest to them throughout their stay.

Application closes 11:59PM (GMT) on August 31, 2020

Apply HERE

blackrocksenegal.org