On the afternoon of March 25, come to CCAM to experience the latest iteration of the pop-up micro-residency, “A.F.A.R.,” created by visiting artist and arts organizer Jon Henry. Afterward, listen to Jon give an interview on the subject of “placemaking” as a collaborative art form, particularly in the context of alternative artist residencies. AFAR will be open on a drop-in basis from 2:30- 5pm (Main Lobby), and the talk will run from 6pm- 7pm (Leeds Studio).

Jon Henry grew up in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains and went to the urban centers of Richmond, NYC, and Harrisonburg to complete a BA & MFA in Studio Art, along with an MA in Arts Politics. He has received grants and fellowships from the Arts Council of the Valley, Common Field, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and the National Endowment for the Arts. His work has appeared across the US along with exhibits and lectures in South Korea, Australia, Japan, Greece, France, and Italy. He is the current proprietor of the Jon Henry General Store and the permeant resident of the Old Furnace Artist Residency.

About the project:

A.F.A.R. is a subsidiary project of the Old Furnace Artist Residency. It caries forth O.F.A.R.’s mission of social justice and remains committed to offer its services for free (or at cost). A.F.A.R. is a residency that operates congruently as an incubator, performance, and residency space. It only offers mico-residencies to participants; the preferred residency time is between 5-30 minutes. A.F.A.R. offers all the normal amenities of traditional residencies but encourages a rigorous, efficient, deep, and strategic examination of these resources, spaces, relationships, and environments. Elevator pitches are to be left in the elevator as we pursue a more authentic exchange of dreams, desires, and designs. A.F.A.R. is not anchored to any specific site but remains site responsive throughout its pilgrimage across the frontiers of contemporary art practices. A.F.A.R. has appeared in a variety of spaces: parking lots, churches, universities, conferences, museums, frat lodges, homes, fields, galleries, rest stops, mountain tops, and bank lobbies. All participants walk away with a stamped and signed certificate of participation and completion. A.F.A.R recognizes everyone as an artist.