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Artists in Residence

OBRAS is a Portuguese word and means “work in progress”.

General aim of Foundation OBRAS is to provide all space, service, peace and hospitality necessary for effective working on art and science. The contact with the surrounding landscape and culture may provide additional inspiration.

Artists and scientists with (emerging) professional standing are eligible for residence. Disciplines include visual arts, architecture, music composition, film/video, writing, dance, drama and science.

OBRAS is located on top of a hill in a magnificent, two centuries old farm, called “Herdade da Marmeleira”. Due to a thorough and careful renovation, the Herdade and its buildings have preserved their original style. It is overlooking a rolling landscape with cork oaks. Its pastures change colors with the seasons. A medieval fortress and timeless tranquility build the scenery.

The Herdade consists of eight double-bed apartments, two cottages, several artist's studios and a music hall with piano. A swimming pool is located on a remote spot hundred meter from the house.

OBRAS is in operation since 2003 and most of its activities take place in the Herdade da Marmeleira in Evoramonte. Some 80 artists and 3 scientists had a residence.

The center in open the whole year round, but OBRAS intends to have some concentration of residents in April, June and September. In these months there are no guests other then artists. And we can plan, together with the artists, meetings, performances and other small scale activities. You are welcome to apply for other months as well. Do not hesitate to contact us for more information.

In April the day temperature is already pleasant (17-25 oC) and vegetation is starting to flower abundantly, but nights can be chilly and there is some change of rain. Days in June and September are warm (25-35 oC) with very little change of rain. And vegetation is in summer rest.   

OBRAS co-operates with organizations in Portugal and abroad. If required, OBRAS advises and assists in networking with the art community in Portugal.

Since the opening in 2003 some 130 artists and 3 scientists from 20 countries had a residence up to three months.

More information on Accommodation, Duration of residencies, Fees etcera is in the application form.

An impression of artists in residence (see English page on this site for more details):

In the period 2005-april 2010 among the artists in residence were:

Gudrun Kainz (Ceramist, Austria), Ingrid Simons (painter; Holland), Carla Gonzalez (Scientist, Portugal) Stephan Denkendorf (writer, drawer, Austria), Sweta Srivastava Vikram is a poet, USA), Miira Sippola (theatre director and novelist, Finland), Claire Anna Watson (Visual artist, Australia), Antoinette Leroy (Sculptor; Holland), Laura Reixach visual artist and illustrator; Spain), Stefan Denkendorf (writer, Austria), Gudrun Kainz (ceramist, Austria), Caroline Ansink (composer, Holland), Lotte van Lieshout (Painter, Holland), Carla González (Scientist, Portugal), Ruut van der Beele (film maker, Holland), Bjornar Berg (writer, philosopher. Norway) ,Adriana Araujo (visual artist,  Brazil), Mauricio Santil (visual artist, Brazil), Leonor Venançio (Visual artist, Architect. Portugal),  Dagmar Tinschmann (visual artist, Germany), John McDonald (visual artist, Scotland),  Birgitte Thorlacius (visual artist,  Denmark)  Babette Werth (visual artist,  Germany),  Olivia Bliss (visual artist and singer,  Scotland), Christine Leathem (visual artist, Northern Ireland) Carl Ciesluk (visual artist,  Canada), Frede Troelsen (Sculptor, Denmark), Patricia Loucks (texile artist, Canada), Gregory McElwain (writer, Egypt) , Emma Allotey (writer, UK),  Noemi Maldonado (guitarist and composer, Spain), Rui Gomes Pereira (painter, Spain, Portugal), Amy Clay (visual artist, USA) Jodi Tychowsky (visual artist, Canada), Lindsie Canton (visual artist, Canada), George Moore (poet, USA) , Helga Eibl (Painter; Austria),  Sibylla Weisweiler (Visual artist, Germany), Christel van Hoeckel (Visual artist, Holland), Bia Maas (Visual artist, Holland), René Coelho (photographer, France / Holland),Tori Lawson (artist, scientist; Australia), Ana Friedman(visual artist, Germany), Luc van der Velde Lux (visual artist, Belgium),  Dan Scott (Sound artist, UK), Trish Cunning (visual artist, UK), Marchall Crossman (Visual artist, USA), Janice Fuller (poet, USA), Babette Werth (visual artist, Germany), Helga Eibl (visual artist, Austria), Anne Mc Mahon (visual artist, Ireland), Katalin Nagy (visual artist, Hungary), Istvan Kovacs (visual artist, Hungary), Jee Won Kim (dancer and choreographer, South Korea), Janet Pierce (painter, Ireland), Sally Stafford (painter, UK) and Fritska van Dorsten (Sculptor, Netherlands).  Adam Ceczki (video artis and scientist, Australia), Nicole van Schaijck (writer and visual artist, Holland), Susanna Mira (visual artist, USA), Iris Haeck (writer; The Netherlands), Liljana Maletin-Vojvodic (writer, photographer; Serbia), Dragan Vojvodic (visual artist; Serbia), Carla Ribeira (dancer, choreographer; Portugal) Anne Mc Mahon (art photographer; Ireland), Karen Kerkhoven (choreographer, Australia), Sally Stafford (painter; UK), Howard Ross (painter, Canada), Jennifer Hurley (poet; USA), Ana Parreira (multi media artist; Portugal), Erik Dyckhoff (singer, Netherlands, Belgium), Josephine Alcott (multi media artist, landscape architect; USA), Jacobien de Rooy (visual artist; Netherlands), Tathiana Lobo (dancer; Portugal / Brazil), Christian Hüssel (Germany; writer), Lissa Brennan (USA); play write and performer). Monica de Miranda (Portugal / England); multi-media artist. Kirsten Svenstrup (Denmark; ceramist), Joergen Svenstrup (Denmark; painter), Hanni Stolker (the Netherlands, painter). Gaylord Brewer (USA, poet). Caroline Ansink (The Netherlands, composer), Adrièn Brequet (France; photographer). C éline Charpentier (France, visual artists), Monique Kwist (Netherlands; visual artists), Elsa Cham's (Portugal,dancer), John Macdonald Barret (Scotland; visual artist), Anita Ammerlaan (The Netherlands, painter), Paula Dreijer (USA; musician), Jan Kremer (the Netherlands; writer), Sung Ung Kim (South Korea; photographer), Jun Kim (South Korea: sound artist), JCJ Vanderheijde (The Netherlands; visual artist), Molly Sturges (USA; Singer and actor), Chris Jonas (USA; Sax player and actor), Christopher Steadman (England; video artist).

Apart from facilitating residencies, OBRAS organized several events (see English page on this site for more details):

• Nineteen art exhibitions, the majority being solo exhibitions for artists in residence
• Seventeen concerts, most of them on medieval music
• Twenty nine workshops on contemporary dance, singing, music, music composing, theatre, sculpting, visual arts and yoga
• Fifty four artist talks
• Six cultural evenings (with music, reciting poems, story telling)
• one multimedia show
• three side specific dance performances
• Four times OBRAS hosted theatre groups for the developing and rehearsing a new piece.

photo impressions.....

(see English page on this site and Facebook for more images):

.... of projects in a marble quarry

..... of music events at the Herdade

..... of dance workshops (mostly organised by Carla Ramos)
....... of exhibitions (here the two most recent ones): for René Coelho in the Igreja S. Vicente in Évora for Patricia Loucks in the convento das Servas in Borba