Zócalo Artist-in-Residence Program
Located on the Beautiful Campus of Zócalo Apartments
Zócalo Artist-in-Residence program is committed to celebrating the creative spirit by incorporating a first-of-its-kind artist-in-residence program in Houston — a key pillar within a vibrant community that highly encourages the interaction between artists and residents. Zócalo’s Artist-in-Residence program debuts its inaugural season by offering two year-long residences on the beautiful campus of Zócalo Apartments located in the emerging Spring Branch area of Houston, Texas.
Artists chosen by an expert panel of local curators and a public vote will be granted no-cost housing and exhibition space on campus. A single one year and two six-month residencies will be available each following annual cycle. On a monthly basis, artists will have the opportunity for art shows on the property and participate in public engagement events with Zócalo’s residents and the greater Spring Branch community.
Given the ample size of the Zócalo campus, artists who work in larger, exterior scales will be welcome to push the boundaries of their creativity by creating installations to be displayed on the exterior of buildings or on Zócalo’s large central lawn. The end of each residency will result in a solo exhibition or artist talk highlighting the works created throughout the residency period. Artists working in visual mediums with community-building practices are welcome to apply.
Applications for the 2021 Residency Season Open August 2020
Introducing The 2020 Artist Residents
Input Output // Billy Baccam // Alex Ramos
Input Output is a creative lab duo comprised of Billy Baccam and Alex Ramos who each bring innovative approaches to the application of art and technology along with unique human experiences that shape their artistic process. Born out of a collaboration that lit up the inaugural Illectric River Festival in 2017, Input Output researches, designs and develops digital-physical experiences. Together, they bring inanimate structures and spaces to life by combining art, technology, science, and architecture with the creative implementation of light and sound. They work to create stimulating experiences that blur the lines between the digital and the physical.
Theresa Escobedo
Theresa Escobedo is a multi-disciplinary artist, curator, and project manager currently living and working in Houston. Escobedo is currently the Director of Main Street Projects (now on hiatus), the Resident Curator at MECA, Project Manager for Arts District Houston, and co-founder and curator for MantecaHTX — a public online index of Latinx artists active in the Greater Houston area. Though these roles, Escobedo has curated, coordinated, and executed public programs and projects designed to activate public spaces and to offer artists the opportunity to impact neighborhood experiences through creative place-making and social inquiry.
VISION, MISSION, AND VALUES
Our vision is to imbue Zócalo Apartments with “a sense of place” by creating an environment where art is part of the everyday life of the community.
ZAIR’s mission is to offer a unique and valuable opportunity for emerging and established visual artists to advance their artistic careers while participating in the cultivation of a vibrant and engaging community for Zócalo residents and the greater Spring Branch neighborhood.
At Zócalo We Value:
Community
Creativity
Excellence
Culture
Meet our Director
Ileana Yordan
As Program Director, Ileana Yordan is responsible for ensuring the ZAIR program is a valuable and engaging experience for everyone involved. She was most recently Gallery Manager at Houston’s Catherine Couturier Gallery and she holds a Masters in Arts Leadership from the University of Houston.
Meet The 2020 Judges
Our incredible panel includes five Houston-based curators, artists, and arts professionals representing a diverse range of expertise and leadership within the local arts industry. These judges are tasked with evaluating and selecting Zocalo's 2020 artist residents!
Jennie Ash
Executive Director
Art League Houston
Linsday Davis
Bonham's Auction /
Davis Cohen Art
GONZO247
Grafitti Artist /
Founder of Aerosol Warefare
Robert Leroy Hodge
Interdisciplinary Artist
Houston, TX
Dennis Nance
Artist/ Curator
Galveston Arts Center
