Red Bull offers artists a place to live and create art in Detroit

In Detroit, Red Bull is offering a live-in residency experience that provides visual artists a space to live, create and showcase their work.

From around the United States, three artists are selected to live in Detroit at the Red Bull House of Art for three months.

After the end, there’s an exhibition inside the Red Bull House of Art’s gallery.

“We pay for their travel, provide them with material and resources while they are here. We are not a profit-driven gallery. It’s about the experience, the process and collaborative nature of this studio space – they live together and work together,” said Matthew Eaton, director and curator at Red Bull’s House of Art.

The artists live rent-free plus they get Uber accounts for transportation and $16,000 for expenditures.

When choosing artists, sometimes the experience is viewed through an educational perspective. For example, taking three artists whose work is entirely different but still pairing them together to make a show that works.

“As an artist myself, (it’s) being able to experience other people’s processes and mental states while they are working. Their approach to any given problem and how they solve — it is fascinating,” said Eaton.

In addition to the residency, the Red Bull House of Art supports local artists by providing fellowships and micro-grants.

Eaton also said the city provides a platform for creative people to excel.

“There is nothing standing in any one’s way. It’s one of those places that you can do what you really want to do and nobody can tell you no.”

The current exhibit is entitled Aquí Y Ahora, which means “here and now” in Spanish.

It features art from Jori Minaya, Lucia Hierro and Gina Gocio, all Dominican-American artists.

“All the work is very much about their life experience and everything in those two respective cultures that resonates with them and affects their daily lives,” said Eaton.

“It’s very personal but also speaks very broadly about a whole community of people who live in places like New York but share a history or family legacy somewhere else.”

As the experience unfolds, Eaton cares most for the contentedness of the artists and ensuring they are happy with what they’ve created.

But as the residency comes to an end, it doesn’t stop there for Eaton. He is planning for the next group of artists to arrive.

“There is deep satisfaction in seeing the artists celebrate it and the fruits of their labour is appreciated. It’s inevitable that you become close to these people, they become your friends.”