As part of their residency, artists have the opportunity to conduct research and develop works in The Clarice's state-of-the art facilities.
The Clarice’s Artists in Residence program gives artists research, engagement and venue time, along with resources to develop new work. This is achieved through a collaborative and teaching relationship with University of Maryland students, Clarice professional staff and local community members. Projects are chosen based on whether the subject matter or themes of the performance are connected to contemporary social issues relevant to Clarice audiences and society at large. Artist in Residence projects developed during these visits are often considered for future Visiting Artist Series seasons at The Clarice.
2021-22 Artists in Residence:
slowdanger: SUPERCELL
SUPERCELL is a multidisciplinary performance work for five dancers directed by slowdanger (Anna Thompson and Taylor Knight) and built-in collaboration with Set Designer and Creative Technologist ProjectileObjects (Neil Henke) that explores the anthropological connections of climate change and systemic oppression. A supercell is a thunderstorm cloud formation containing a persistent updraft vortex. They are uncommon, brooding and haunting. Within the work SUPERCELL, we explore the storm as a metaphorical representation of society’s hypnotic connection to media sensationalism and climate disasters. With the breaking of the hypnotic storm, performers return to the body and the collective breath, bringing us back to the question, "How do we cultivate hope in continually uncertain times?"
While on campus, the artists will work with the Brin Institute for New Performance in the UMD School of Theatre, Dance, and Performance Studies as they experiment with various aspects of the technology that will be integrated into this work. Additionally, slowdanger artists are meeting with faculty members in the School of Public Health and in Sociology as they develop ideas about the impact on climate change on all aspects of our society and how that informs changes in the way we live and interact with one another. Slowdanger will be making visits during the 2022-23 season and The Clarice will present the premiere of SUPERCELL in the fall of 2023.
Virginia Grise and Martha Gonzalez: Riding the Currents of the Wilding Wind
Created in collaboration with musical director Martha Gonzalez of the Grammy-Award winning band Quetzal, writer Virginia Grise, director Kendra Ware and designer Tanya Orellana, Riding the Currents of the Wilding Wind (RCWW) is an album and multimedia concert inspired by Helena Maria Viramontes’ novel, Their Dogs Came with Them (TDCWT), a story about the destruction and displacement of a Mexican American community when six intersecting freeways were built right through the heart of the neighborhood. Directly inspired by Melvin Van Peebles' experimental approach to Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death, this new work Riding the Currents of the Wilding Wind will center music (a mix of Mexican and Afro-Cuban rhythms, jazz, funk, rock, gospel and R&B) as a driving narrative force, drawing on the theatrical possibilities of a concert and video to create a sonic landscape and rich visual world steeped in symbolism and poetry. While the creative team for RCWW are at UMD, they will interview community members in Langley Park and Riverdale who are facing probable displacement of their homes and livelihoods due to Purple Line construction.
Joseph Conyers' DUBHE
Joseph H. Conyers is an artist who has redefined "classical" music both as a genre and as a tool for social change and human connection. With his unique and outstanding strengths of musicianship, virtuosity, youth advocacy and community engagement, Mr. Conyers' work has created a blueprint for the multi-faceted, multi-dimensional 21st century musician. He has been assistant principal bassist of The Philadelphia Orchestra since 2010. His newest role is the artistic director and founder of the chamber music ensemble, Dubhe. The mission of this dynamic ensemble is to feature rotating cohorts consisting of the most influential chamber and orchestra musicians in the world. The inaugural group will launch at the National Orchestral Institute + Festival in June 2022 and tour through the 2022-2023 season. Conyers and Casimir coached several chamber music groups in the School of Music during a 3-day visit in April. While Dubhe is here in June, the musicians will lead sectionals, participate in orchestra rehearsals and coach chamber ensembles, in addition to performing their debut concert on Friday, June 10, 2022.