HUB-BUB and Hub City Writers Project announces partnership

HUB-BUB, a division of Chapman Cultural Center, and the Hub City Writers Project announce a partnership to bring their Artists-in-Residence and Writer-in-Residence programs together in 2019. The partnership will allow for more collaboration between resident writers and artists during their time in Spartanburg. Both programs recruit emerging writers and artists from a national pool of applicants to live and create in Spartanburg for an extended period of time and ask that selected residents provide 15 – 20 hours each week of service through community engagement projects.

Although originally formed as a partnership, the two programs have operated independently since 2013. The decision to bring the programs back together was made to allow residents to engage the Spartanburg community in a concerted and interdisciplinary effort.

Currently, HUB-BUB brings two visual artists to Spartanburg through the Artists-in-Residence program for an 11-month residency from September to July. The artists are housed in downtown apartments and have a studio space at the Chapman Cultural Center’s Creative Placemaking Studio.

The Hub City Writers Project currently houses their writer-in-residence in the Writer’s House on Spring St. They will be expanding their program from three 15-week residencies to one 9-month residency from September through May and include a summer publishing internship.

Eric Kocher, Director of HUB-BUB and Creative Placemaking at the Chapman Cultural Center and former Writer-in-Residence with Hub City, has been managing the Artists-in-Residence Program for HUB-BUB since 2014. “My residency experience in 2011 – 2012 was defined, more than anything else, by collaborations with the other artists-in-residence. I couldn’t be happier that these two wonderful programs will be reunited and that future residents will have the same opportunities I did to work together on community engagement projects.”

Kocher will be overseeing both programs moving forward.