Support the Arts at M.A.R.S Project.

M.A.R.S (Mongolian Artist Residency Studio) is the first and only artist-run residency program in Mongolia, and was established by internationally acclaimed visual artist Ganbold Lundaa in 2020. The residency and studio are located in the scenic Mongolian countryside just outside of the capital city of Ulaanbaatar. The residency aims to support Mongolian artists by creating a network to encourage collaboration, education, and community, and also seeks to provide an opportunity for international artists to experience Mongolian culture and lifestyle. Artists are encouraged to work independently on their own proposed projects, but on-site support will provide them with cultural experiences and opportunities to tour the country, experience Mongolian traditions, and engage with the local and countryside community through lectures and workshops. The residency provides a priceless opportunity to create work in a unique landscape and peaceful setting, as well as experience a fascinating traditional culture in a rapidly changing country.
M.A.R.S has established relationships with CACM (Contemporary Art Center of Mongolia) & Art Council of Mongolia (ACM) and many other local galleries to provide visiting artists with exhibition space and the opportunity to work with practicing Mongolian artists. The first big project by M.A.R.S involved 37 local artists on-site. This large group of artists organized Art Camp 2020, which was one of the most successful art events during the ongoing pandemic to date in the country.




Mongolian artist Ganbold Lundaa was born in the southwest Gobi Desert province in Baatsgaan sum (county) Bayankhongor aimag (province), and after finishing school relocated to Sydney, Australia to pursue a career as a professionally exhibiting artist. During the ten years he lived in Sydney, he studied toward a Diploma of Fine Arts at The St. George Institute and participated in over 30 group and solo exhibitions. He has worked with a range of visual arts festivals and created set designs for the Sydney Theatre Company and Pier Productions. For eight years, he lived with 28 fellow artists in an artist co-op called Alpha in Newtown, Australia, which inspired his interest in artist-run residency programs.

He became invested in the ability of artist residency programs and ARI’s (artist-run initiatives) to attract both national and international artists, allow individuals to embed themselves in the local culture, deepen their knowledge of a variety of art forms, develop their practice, and create meaningful relationships with other artists and a local community.

In 2020 Lundaa purchased land 45 km south of the center of Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, with the intention of returning home to create an artist-run program in his home country to support local artists and provide visiting international artists a unique window into traditional Mongolian life. He feels strongly about creating a space to allow Mongolian and international artists to engage with rural communities and build a network to support and encourage each other and build a thriving contemporary art scene within Mongolia.  
We are receiving a lot of interest from artists from around the world who would like to do a unique, inspiring productive residency cultural exchange program in Mongolia.

Please follow us on Instagram #mongoliaartistresidencestudios

                                                                                                                                               
Schedule:

 Winter-Spring 2021 
-Seek funding
-Connect with relevant arts organizations in Mongolia and internationally.

Spring- Summer 2021. 

-Solar panel and wind power station for the site.
-Dig well for water supply
-Build bathrooms and install a septic tank
-Communal kitchen to be built
-Bus studio to the site, build and finish interiors
- Additional gers for lodging

Autumn 2021.

-Develop residency paperwork and proposals

-Recruit artists for Summer- Autumn 2022.

Proposed Budget:

-Self-contained solar panel and wind for electricity: $3,350
-Dig Well and water supply  $4,700
-Septic tank & connect facilities $4,200
-Communal kitchen fully equipped $9,900
-Building bathroom facility $8,800 
-Bus studio $3,750  
-Labor and material transport $3,000

Total: $37.700

 Any extra funds received from this fundraiser will go towards additional housing gers and bus studios and other necessary improvements.

The residency at this point in time consists of 2 tiny houses, a ger (traditional Mongolian tent), and an artist studio.


                                                                                                                                                                                                               view of the residency.

                                                                                                                                                                                                     first built tiny black house.


                                                                                                                                                                                                   inside the tiny black house.


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       family ger.


                                                                                                                                                                                                                       interior of the ger.

                                                                                                                                                            inside the ger looking through the front door.


                                                                                                                                                                                                            free standing bedroom.


                                                                                                                                   inside the bedroom looking through the corner window.


                                                                                                                                                                                               outside of the first art studio.



                                                                                                                                                                                                                         inside the studio.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                          inside the studio.