NARA - Nido de Águilas

Youtube Nido de Águilas Residencia Artística

Nido de Águilas was initiated in Villa de Leyva – Colombia, by Angela Maria Zuluaga in 2010 as an experimental habitat that would put nature at the center of all experiences, being agricultural, culinary, scientific, biological, or cultural.

The aim is to connect people with wider circles of practitioners from the environmental, social, cultural, or artistic fields, and create a platform for creative processes that enrich the local socio-cultural context. Nido de Águilas is home to a seed bank of the native Latin American and Colombian flora, part of the human heritage that promotes clean and renewable agriculture using only organic materials.

« What we are looking for with this space is that it be a place that allows people to be in an open environmental classroom so that many people know how we can make a recovery of the ecosystem, and most importantly, how to rescue seeds especially for food » indicates Angela Maria Zuluaga, founder of the project.

The residency program NARA was designed by Sofia Zuluaga, cultural manager, to enjoy the peaceful rural context and inspire artistic processes from the local traditions, customs, and landscapes.

« It was founded in 2017 with the main purpose of generating an exchange between local artists and the local community {…} and allow themselves to be stimulated by the natural context. The idea is that there is a symbiosis between art and nature. One of its main purposes and for which we founded it was also the intention of showing Colombia and its ancestral culture at an international level », explains Sofia Zuluaga, NARA’s director.

Visual artists, performing artists, writers, scientists, and creative minds from all disciplines can apply for a two-week residency where up to two artists at the same time will be sharing a house, collective and pet friendly, and have access to shared workspaces, exhibition spaces, and will receive mentoring on their projects.

« They will also have an accompaniment of a referent who will be observing the development and generating dialogue links with the advancement of their work {…} with the local community and artisans who can in some way inspire their work or stimulate the development of their project » indicates Leandro Mussi, creative director of NARA

Furthermore, artists will do some expeditions, visit museums and institutions of the region, and be in contact with local artists specialized in jewelry, sculpture, ceramics, eco-architecture, music, basketry, and different traditional handicrafts. Artists will be presenting their work and former projects to the local community on arrival and will have the opportunity to organize an artistic picnic at the end of their residency to show the results of their researches. In addition, artists can participate in the numerous activities required on a farm, from ground preparation to sowing or collecting. 

The objective is to immerse the residents in the local context, stimulate their creativity through daily activities, and create a network of people who share the same will for environmental preservation.

« What we seek when the artist arrives here is that he understands that there are processes and dynamics that can enrich him with his artistic process, in his artistic creation, but also how he radiates towards the community and towards the surrounding people » confides Angela Maria Zuluaga.