Latitude Chicago

I look back at my month at latitude with such fondness, remembering nostalgic bus rides to a sun filled, climate controlled oasis. I was constantly invited to be in the space, experiment, and expand. The generous staff provided extensive expert knowledge on top of friendly kindness. I was able to shed feelings of reticence and intimidation when faced with the printing process and now feel empowered to integrate these techniques into my practice. As a media artist and sculptor, I was finally able to take digital renderings - otherwise bound behind a screen - into physical mediums. I experimented with different paper types, printing on textile, and image transfer, producing material that I have subsequently remixed into different shown work. Few residencies offer the level of care around access and accommodations as Latitude. As a disabled artist, I felt unburdened by the need to advocate for my needs while deeply cared for and considered. Anytime I visit Chicago, I plan to stop in and do some printing! Benefits included imparting new skills, community connections, opportunities for studio visits, and an ongoing professional relationship. The residency is generous with the free and low cost printing resources and ink stipend so I left with a lot of high quality printed material. The challenge is that housing is not provided, so I had to find a sublet, but this is relatively affordable and easy to find in Chicago. Practical advice would include having some files ready to print right away. Less time preparing files means more time printing and experimenting. Costs were greatly outweighed by the benefits: because the residency is an entire month and mostly autonomously structured, I was still able to work my remote job, making the visit more affordable. The amount of material I was able to print for free would have cost hundreds or thousands of dollars.