For the fourth consecutive year, Faberllull is hosting a paid creative residency for Catalan and Balearic illustrators. The program, taking place at Faberllull Olot until November 20th, aims to foster the international publication of authors from the region and encourage international publishers to commission local professionals.
The four residents are Anna Baquero (Barcelona), working on the book Lum lite with Swedish publisher Natur & Kultur; Gisela Bombilà (Mollet del Vallès), developing an illustrated children's album with Brazilian publisher Aletria; Quim Torres (Castellserà), commissioned by Chinese publisher Everafter for an illustrated album written by Dai Yun; and Mar Guixé (Berga), engaged in a children's and youth project for German publisher Gerstenberg.
The program includes individual and joint work, virtual sessions with publishers to monitor the creative process, workshops, and masterclasses. Izaskun Arretxe, Director of the Literature Area at Institut Ramon Llull, has explained the available grant lines. Editor Marina Huguet from Marina Books will discuss portfolio internationalization, and Àfrica Fanlo will lead a workshop on character design and creative printing.
The residents will also lead public activities. On Thursday, November 12th, at 7:00 PM at the Marià Vayreda Library in Olot, Gisela Bombilà will present the book Roi. On Saturday, November 14th, at 11:00 AM at the Isop Bookstore in Olot, Mar Guixé will conduct a bird illustration workshop for children. Quim Torres will give a talk at the Escola d’Art d’Olot, and Anna Baquero a children's drawing workshop at the Escola Municipal d’Expressió d’Olot.
Around fifty candidates responded to the open call. Each publisher selected three illustrators for specific proposals, subsequently choosing one to initiate a professional collaboration, with the potential for a formal publishing contract.
