FestiMAC Mask Art Creative Residency, Valparaiso

FestiMAC, the International Encounter of Mask, Craft and Popular Culture, invites artists to apply for its creative residency and training line centered on the art of the mask in Valparaiso, Chile. The first edition of the encounter emphasizes building bridges between the traditional craft of mask-making, with its trades and knowledge, and contemporary performing arts, promoting the transmission of knowledge, the strengthening of collaborative networks, and the development of aesthetics rooted in the local territory. FestiMAC is funded by Chile's National Fund for Cultural and Artistic Development, organized by the company Mascaricia and co-produced by Sismo Lab Escenico.

The programming begins in July with its training line, whose main axis is the creative residency 'Poeticas Enmascaradas' (Masked Poetics), a space for training, research, and creation centered on the mask. It is aimed at performing artists, interpreters, creators, and people interested in exploring the expressive possibilities of the body. The residency runs between July and September 2026 and is guided by artists Claudio Palacios, Victoria Salazar, Carla Cepeda, and Carlos Munoz.

Through a sustained process of research, training, and collective creation, participants deepen their engagement with the language of the mask, the dancing body, and intervention in public space. Director Victoria Salazar describes the residency as a process centered on the body and on generating knowledge, discourses, and aesthetics through play, rigor, listening, and collective work, culminating in a public-space performance on October 12 during the FestiMAC International Encounter.

FestiMAC 2026 takes place between July and October in Valparaiso, with its International Encounter scheduled October 9 to 12 across city venues including the Valparaiso Cultural Park (the former prison) and CENTEX. Applications are made through the registration form and remain open until spots are filled.