The focus of CODAworx is open calls for public art commissions, thus we don’t normally report on residency programs. But this one seemed different, and we agreed with the organizers that we should share the information with our membership, even though the deadline for entry is fast approaching.
TED, best known for TED Talks, and POSCA (the paint marker brand from uni Brands Corporation) have launched a new global artist residency, curated by Fine Acts. This year's theme, "Visible Mending," asks artists to treat repair as a creative and civic act. Inspired in part by Kintsugi – the Japanese practice of repairing broken ceramics with gold – the theme invites artists to consider how wounds, ruptures, and imperfections can become sites of transformation rather than something to hide.
Across communities around the world, people are finding ways to mend relationships, restore ecosystems, strengthen social bonds, and rebuild trust. This residency program invites artists to investigate these processes of repair and make them visible through public interventions that spark reflection, dialogue, and collective imagination.
A few details, with full details and the application HERE:
- Four artists will be selected, each receiving $15,000 to cover artist fees, production/community activation costs, and documentation
- Selected artists develop and implement their public interventions January–June 2027, working within their own communities
- The open call is global and runs through July 31, 2026
The CODAworx community excels at repair in so many iterations. We pass along this information with the hopes that it will strike a chord.
Header photo: Joining Hands, a mural by RE:site in Tulsa, OK, focused on the theme of repair and restoration.
