Cage Match Project I/O Residency, Round 24 Application
| Name | Cage Match Project I/O Residency, Round 24 Application |
| Application Opens | Jan 13, 2025 |
| Deadline | Mar 3, 2025 |
| Type | Residency |
| Compensation | Paid (Stipend) |
| Link |
About the Residency
The I/O Residency is tailored to senior undergraduate art students and recently graduated artists* in the Austin–Round Rock–Georgetown counties (Bastrop, Caldwell, Hays, Travis, and Williamson counties). We welcome artists of any media to apply to explore their practice within and with the caged trailer. We encourage artists interested in the interplay between outdoor space, the confined space of the trailer, and the evolving nature of the artwork itself to apply for our “I/O Residency, Round 24.”
The title “I/O” stands for “input” and “output,” representing the relationship between the artist's studio and the “gallery.” We are especially keen on artists who are interested in thinking and creating outside the traditional gallery. This opportunity provides financial and spatial support to stage a narrative of the artist-at-odds, with either history, space, or a work of art itself. We are prioritizing undergraduate students and recent graduates as a way to present more opportunities for emerging artists to explore their practice.
CMP will provide one artist with a $2000 stipend and studio space at The Museum of Human Achievement from June 1st until July 27th. Once selected and before the residency begins, a questionnaire must be completed as we seek to pair the artist with a mentor from our list of alumni. This one-on-one between the artist and an alumnus will occur several times throughout the eight weeks, pending availability. During the residency, applicants must work at least 8 hours per week at CMP’s artist studio at The Museum of Human Achievement in Austin, Texas. In addition, artists are expected to create a new installation or ensemble of various works for an exhibition. Round 24’s opening reception will take place on April 1, 2025.
*Must have graduated in 2023 or 2024. Preference is given to undergraduates.
Resources:
- For more visual and written examples of successful Cage Match Project installations, visit [www.cagematchproject.com www.cagematchproject.com]
About the Cage
Cage Match Project is a site-specific art installation series in which artists are invited to engage with a large, industrial caged-trailer. Measured at 20 feet x 8 feet x 7 feet, this weathered and rusted container resides in the exterior lot of The Museum of Human Achievement (MoHA) in Austin, TX where it is under constant exposure to the elements and 24hour public viewership. By fully embracing the caged trailer as both literal and conceptual context, CMP purposefully stages a narrative of the artist-at-odds – either with history, space, or a work of art itself.
Program History
Since 2017, through an open call process, with several exhibitions per year, Cage Match Project (CMP) has hosted 23 Rounds of physical installations, 3 seasons of podcasts, and 12 workshops, all created and led by the community and invited artists and collectives. CMP has remains open and accessible for 2500+ days of public exhibits. Aside from exhibition openings, gallery hours, and public programming, CMP coordinates networking opportunities between emerging artists and Austin’s art community. CMP maintains a platform through in-person and digital events, highlighting and showcasing each artist’s practice to a national and international audience. The very nature of CMP is intersectional, not as a theoretical term but as an everyday practice and lived experience.
In 2019, Aryel René Jackson accepted the role of director and curator of CMP from Ryan Hawk, founder and initial curator of CMP. In 2024, Diar Enayatpour joined CMP as its first intern. In 2025, Diar was promoted to Curatorial Assistant.
This project is supported in part by the Museum of Human Achievement and the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department.
