40th St. AIR (Artist-In-Residence), locally known as AIR Space, is a residency program for emerging West Philly artists which provides a free studio, a shared gallery space, stipend and related opportunities to around 6 artists each year for a full year. In return for the resource, artists are required to put at least 40 hours toward a community project during their time in the studios. The application is usually posted in April and due in late May.
During my 2016-2017 residency I used my studio to do photo and video shoots, prepare for shows, and meet with friends. I also got more familiar with the work of the other studio artists, particularly Wit López, Andra Palchick, and Juliannah Francina Harrison. It took around 6 month to prepare for my first-ever solo show at the AIR Gallery with photos, videos, gifs, and 3D collage shrines. I wanted to show so much work I almost ran out of space in the small gallery! The opening was featured in Philadelphia Magazine under 12 Things to Do This Week in Lit, Comedy, Art, Theater, Movies and Murder and 37 Things to Do This Weekend.
For my community project, I provided free headshots to over 50 people - medical students, actors, entrepreneurs, promotors, clothing designers, etc. My post on the 40th St. AIR facebook page ended up going viral and I had to turn some people down because of the huge influx of requests I got.
Here are some of the headshots I took in my studio:
