ARCAPACHA is a small, traditional working farm in Colombia that now has a residency center to host artists and writers, or to serve as a field station for researchers in the natural, agricultural and social science disciplines.
Our farm is primarily an organic cacao plantation, and we also cultivate passion fruit, mango and papaya, as well as vegetables. These are all irrigated by two natural streams in the midst of a beautiful variety of flower and bird species. A stone pathway runs through the farm, part of a century-old network of trails known as the "Caminos de Herradura". At an altitude of 900 meters above sea level, the climate offers gentle comfortable weather all year round.
We accept applications for residencies generally between 3 and 8 weeks. Our facilities provide an inspiring yet relaxed venue for your creative work, with practical support from people who directly understand the requirements of professional artists.
ARCAPACHA Philosophy
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| Art | Our underlying theme is environmental art in any medium: still and video photography, illustration, painting, animation, sculpture, performance, theatre, music, architecture, literary works, and others. | |
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| Reforestation | Situated in an ecologically rich region, we protect and plant the native flora. We help raise funds to preserve and regenerate local forested areas, and to promote community awareness towards the importance of forests for water resources and biodiversity. | |
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| Community | We engage local workers at respectful wages. Our open library service shares a significant collection of books for all ages, in several languages. In the future, we want to advance our role in helping the community with practical matters such as waste management (sanitation, recycling and proper disposal), and farm productivity and marketing. | |
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| Agriculture | We aim to produce our own food utilizing organic methods. Along the way we learn from and share knowledge with people in the area. In the future we want to engage regional cacao farmers in a small farmers cooperative to market to fair trade buyers, and help all members get better prices for our produce. | |
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| Pacha | This is the Quechua word for Earth. If art could be grown organically, we think this is how it would be cultivated. Our unique artist-in-residence program offers support for your artistic endeavors in a pastoral tropical setting on a working farm. | |