Mission:
To serve as an incubator for African artists seeking to expand their practice while developing career paths within the global art scene.

Vision:
To be a pillar within the African contemporary art ecology for emerging artists to grow and develop their practice.

Synopsis:

Founded in November 2020, the Noldor Artist Residency is Ghana’s first independent artist residency and fellowship program for contemporary African artists on the continent and in the diaspora. The fellowship programs invite emerging artists to explore their creative practices over varying tenures (6 months to 1 year) as a Senior, Junior, Visiting and Digital Fellows. Whereas, the residency program invites established artists to develop a body of work over a 6-week period, after which the works are exhibited at the Institute Museum of Ghana – a pillar of Noldor.

Deeply informed by the Ghanaian sociocultural context, locally attuned and globally minded, Noldor is both a participant and catalyst in the emerging, thriving local subculture. Nourished by Ghana’s visual depth and vocabulary, it responds to the contemporary needs of its cultural industry. More than a space for creative development, Noldor works hand-in-hand with other cultural outlets, both public and private and ranging from foundations to galleries, to support and disseminate local contemporary creation. An independent and non-profit institutional space, it fosters an aspiring local ecosystem where artists, curators, museums and art galleries meet.

Almost three years since its establishment, the institution has successfully nurtured over 35 artists who have collectively created art of various disciplines including paintings, installations, sculptures and digital art. Artists during their tenure are given access to library resources, advance workshops, an in-house clinical psychologist and opportunities to engage with students within the local municipality (Labadi, Accra) where Noldor resides.

Current and past Noldor Fellows and Residents have come from Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana, South Africa, Jamaica, Morocco, La Cote d’Ivoire and Eritrea.

In the vein of artists’ growth and development, Noldor has facilitated the placement its artists in exhibitions with notable galleries and museums across the globe, including Maruani Mercier (Belgium), Institute of Contemporary Art, Miami (USA), Lithuanian National Museum, Galerie Ron Mandos (Netherlands), Mindy Solomon Gallery (USA), Peres Projects (Berlin, Seoul, Miami).

Also, the works of some of our artists have made it into some astute permanent collections including the collections of The Adjaye Foundation, the Saudi Royal Family, Ministry of Culture and Communication (Morocco), Stanley Museum of Arts (Iowa, USA) and many more.

Aims & Purpose

  • To create a space for creative development and knowledge exchange between established and emerging contemporary talents
  • To support international partnerships between artists, designers, curators, collectors, architects, agriculturists, and ecologists
  • To nurture the development of careers for both locally and internationally
  • To create learning opportunities for participants and the local audience of Ghana
  • To break down ubiquitous barriers of privilege, wealth, lack of infrastructure, and limited opportunities within Ghana & Africa