Help wanted: Chester County libraries are looking for artists for inaugural Maker-in-Residence program

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The Chester County Library Center and Henrietta Hankin Branch are looking for creative community members of all kinds to be a part of their first Maker-in-Residence program starting in March.

The libraries are hoping to attract talented Chester County residents with backgrounds in musical, media, performing, visual, and written arts.

“We would really like to get people involved in our makerspaces and realizing that the library isn’t just a place where you come to read a book or get a movie or participate in something passively, but is a place where people can really be active and create their own content and bring their ideas to life,” library director Mary Gazdik said.

During the new 14- to 16-week program, selected “makers” will hold open studio hours and workshops in order to share their talent with library visitors — and in turn, visitors will get a chance to try a new skill.

The library is looking for artists who will incorporate the county’s 2023 Juneteenth theme — “Journeying Towards Freedom” — into their workshops.

The program will culminate with either the creation of a community art piece or an exhibit.

Chosen candidates will receive a $1,500 stipend and supply reimbursement budget up to $1,000. The libraries are encouraging interested candidates to apply by Jan. 31.

The libraries will interview and select candidates in mid-February.

“We’re hoping to run another Maker-in-Residence in the fall, and just build upon it from there and just expose people to all the different kinds of creative practices that are happening in the county,” Gazdik said.