History and Program

Villa Flora Artist in Residency Program (in Slovenian: Likovna kolonija Villa Flora) was founded by Slovenian painter Tjaša Iris in 2007. It hosted its first session in August - September 2008 and its second session in August - September 2009.

Villa Flora Artist in Residence

Artist in residence

Artist-in-residence programs and other residency opportunities allow visiting artists to stay and work so that they may apply singular focus to their art practice....

 Program serve to promote creative exploration and exchange among persons of diverse nationalities and backgrounds. It is historically the first Artist in Residence Program in Slovenia. The first in Slovenia to which artists from all over the world can apply to. It is suitable to artists who wish to change their environment for a couple of weeks and find inspiration in a new environment.

Villa Flora community of lively creators offers an inspirational and interactive setting for the Villa Flora Artist-In-Residence Program.

The selection is made by the founder - owner - painter Tjaša Iris and a rotating group of diverse artists, academics, critics and others that nominates potential candidates.

The aim is to make the Pre-coastal Slovenian art sceene more vibrant as well as to contribute in the international exchange of artists and ideas: Slovenia / the rest of the world.

The residencies at Villa Flora are available for all disciplines of art and welcome visual artists, writers, poets, theatre groups, dancers, musicians, critics, curators, designers, architects...

Villa Flora is located in Branik

Branik

Branik is a village in western Slovenia in the municipality of Nova Gorica.Branik is situated in the Branik Valley, which is part of the Vipava Valley, just beneath the Kras plateau. The location provides a favourable climate for the growth of Mediterranean ortages, such as figs and peaches...

 (Italian: Rifembergo, German: Reifenberg) a village in western Slovenia

Slovenia

Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...

 in the municipality of Nova Gorica

Nova Gorica

Nova Gorica ; 21,082 ; 31,000 ) is a town and a municipality in western Slovenia, on the border with Italy...

. Near Italian border. Half an hour from Trieste

Trieste

Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...

, an hour from Ljubljana

Ljubljana

Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...

, an hour and a half from Venice

Venice

Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...

.

Member of International Artist-in-Residence Organizations

• Res Artis ResArtis.org Worldwide Network of Artist Residences http://www.resartis.org/index.php?id=20&tx_newloginbox_pi3[showUid]=1023

• Trans Artists Foundation
  Trans Artists Foundation
  Trans Artists Foundation informs world wide objectively about international Artist in residence programs. The information is intended for artists of any discipline: visual arts, literature, music, performing arts, architecture, design, dance....
  
   an organization that informs world wide objectively about international Artist in residence programs http://www.transartists.nl/air/villa_flora_artist_in_residency_program.107245.html

Some of the Villa Flora Past Guest Artists

Diek Grobler (South Africa) http://www.art.co.za/diekgrobler/default.htm, http://www.fopspeen.co.za/, Mary Melilli (U.S.A.) http://www.marymelilli.com/, Anna Puhakka (Finland)http://www.annapuhakka.com/, Yeo Shih Yun http://shihyunyeo.com/.

From the Press

• Villa Flora Artist in Residency Program, video, in Slovenian: Likovna kolonija Villa Flora, TV Primorka, 30. 08. 2008 http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9159m_villa-flora-artist-in-residency-pro_creation
• LIKOVNA KOLONIJA VILLA FLORA - 25. August – 8. September 2008, si21.com, 27. 08. 2008 http://www.si21.com/news.php?id=63377
• Likovna kolonija z naslovom “trije kozmopolitski umetniki – three cosmopolitan artists, si21.com, 31.08.2009 http://www.si21.com/news.php?id=67178
• Art Jam Session@Branik: Slikarski dogodek s Shih Yun Yeo (SG) in Katjo Pal (SI), 11.05.2010, http://www.si21.com/?action=news&nid=67178

External links

• Villa Flora Artist in Residency Program, Branik, Slovenia, OFFICIAL WEB SITE www.zlatadolina.si/artist-in-residency http://zlatadolina.si/artist-in-residency
• Tjaša Iris, Slovenian artist and founder of Villa Flora Artist in Residency Program, www.tjasairis.com http://www.tjasairis.com
• Branik valley web site: www.zlatadolina.si http://www.zlatadolina.si