u/LennyGerardArt

I normally never post things like this, but I honestly feel obligated to warn other artists before they spend money, time, and emotional energy on this residency.

I applied to and got accepted into a residency (Bureau of Queer Art) that was heavily advertised across multiple art platforms. At first I was excited and put a huge amount of effort into participating. Over time, though, the experience became one of the most toxic and unprofessional situations I’ve experienced in the art world.

Some examples:

• Participants were expected to pay ongoing fees, and there were additional charges tied to exhibiting in Mexico City.

• I offered to give a lecture/workshop out of goodwill while visiting, but was told I would have to pay the residency in order to do the workshop, despite already covering my own travel expenses.

• During Zoom sessions, I was publicly shamed for asking too many questions and was called derogatory names in front of other participants.

• A homophobic slur in Spanish was reportedly used as an entry code connected to one of the exhibitions, which I found incredibly inappropriate and disturbing.

• I was eventually removed from the residency without clear explanation after putting a huge amount of work into it.

Beyond my own experience, I also later became aware of past allegations and legal issues connected to the leadership involving sexual misconduct. I cannot independently verify every detail of that history myself, so I want to be careful and factual about what I say, but combined with my own experience, it deeply concerned me.

Overall, the residency felt far more like a pay-to-play system than a supportive residency environment for artists.

I’m posting this because I genuinely do not want other emerging artists wasting money or ending up in a situation that negatively affects their mental health or career. Please do extensive research before applying to residencies that require large amounts of money while offering very little structure, accountability, or professional conduct in return.

I normally never post things like this, but I honestly feel obligated to warn other artists before they spend money, time, and emotional energy on this residency.

I applied to and got accepted into a residency (bureau of queer art) that was heavily advertised across multiple art platforms. At first I was excited and put a huge amount of effort into participating. Over time, though, the experience became one of the most toxic and unprofessional situations I’ve experienced in the art world.

Some examples:

• Participants were expected to pay ongoing fees, and there were additional charges tied to exhibiting in Mexico City.

• I offered to give a lecture/workshop out of goodwill while visiting, but was told I would have to pay the residency in order to do the workshop, despite already covering my own travel expenses.

• During Zoom sessions, I was publicly shamed for asking too many questions and was called derogatory names in front of other participants.

• A homophobic slur in Spanish was used as an entry code connected to one of the exhibitions, which I found incredibly inappropriate and disturbing as a native Spanish speaker

• I was eventually removed from the residency without clear explanation after putting a huge amount of work into it.

Beyond my own experience, I also later became aware of past allegations and legal issues connected to the leadership involving sexual misconduct. I cannot independently verify every detail of that history myself, so I want to be careful and factual about what I say, but combined with my own experience, it deeply concerned me.

Overall, the residency felt far more like a pay-to-play system than a supportive residency environment for artists.

I’m posting this because I genuinely do not want other emerging artists wasting money or ending up in a situation that negatively affects their mental health or career. Please do extensive research before applying to residencies that require large amounts of money while offering very little structure, accountability, or professional conduct in return.