Craft Residencies in Mexico

Arquetopia Foundation

Puebla, Mexico

Arquetopia Foundation is an award-winning, multiple award-winning nonprofit arts and academic foundation with a significant social scope and global presence across three continents. Now in its 14th year, Arquetopia is dedicated to promoting critical thinking, a commitment to ethics, and a sense of reciprocity in artistic practices. It offers customized, professional International Artist-in-Residence Programs that are renowned worldwide for their comprehensive, research-based approach, focusing on social creativity. Arquetopia's residency programs, situated in Puebla and Oaxaca in Mexico, Cusco in Peru, and Naples in Italy, are tailored to provide a vast array of learning opportunities. These programs are distinguished for their commitment to sustainability in the arts, fostering research and critical thinking in creative processes. Arquetopia's model challenges preconceived notions of history and place, encouraging artists to engage with local epistemologies and resistance models as sources of knowledge and inspiration for social change. The foundation emphasizes ethical artistic practices, acknowledging the problematic ties of artist residencies to colonization, imperialism, and the extractive practices of tourism. Established in 2009 as an autonomous and registered Mexican nonprofit, Arquetopia is self-sustaining, unaffiliated with any political, religious, or war industrial entities, relying on its self-generated funding model. The foundation was co-founded by Mexican visual artist and curator Francisco Guevara and North American classical musician Chris Davis. Originally started as an educational art center for inner-city youth, it quickly evolved to offer international artist residencies. Arquetopia stands out for its array of unique residency programs with substantial mentoring, focused on professional artists, writers, academics, and researchers. It provides a generous and culturally diverse space, hosting artists and scholars from all over the world, aiming to enrich the global arts community with a multiplicity of perspectives.

Casa Wabi Fundación (Foundation)

Puerto Escondido, Mexico

Fundación Casa Wabi, a non-profit civil association, promotes contemporary art and local community engagement through its residency program. Located in three locations: Puerto Escondido, Mexico City, and Tokyo, Casa Wabi operates under the Japanese philosophy of Wabi-Sabi, finding beauty in simplicity and imperfection. Founded by Mexican artist Bosco Sodi, the headquarters in Puerto Escondido is designed by renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando. The residency program invites national and international artists to engage in multidisciplinary exchanges that foster social development. Residents benefit from comprehensive facilities, including studios, exhibition galleries, and communal spaces, to inspire creativity and community interaction.

TEXERE

Santa María del Tule, Oaxaca, Mexico

The TEXERE Textile Residency, located in Santa María del Tule, Oaxaca, Mexico, offers both independent and group residency programs for artists seeking to explore and expand their textile practices. Residents can engage with themes such as weaving, spinning, natural dyes, embroidery, and the intersection of social, cultural, and environmental aspects of textile traditions. The program provides private or shared accommodations, access to professional textile equipment, and shared studio space, creating a supportive environment for education, experimentation, and community exchange. Independent residencies are flexible, lasting 1–4 weeks, allowing participants to focus on individual projects at their own pace. Group residency programs, on the other hand, run for two weeks and incorporate curated workshops with local artisans, studio visits with contemporary textile artists and researchers, and collaborative opportunities among residents. Both formats foster deep connections with Oaxaca’s rich textile heritage and its artisan community.