The Residency Space
Nawat Fes artist residents live and work in Dar Bennis, a carefully-restored traditional house from the 1800s located in the Fes medina. There are two artists in residence in Dar Bennis at one time. Each artist lives on a separate floor of the house, and each has a private bedroom, a private bathroom, and a separate private studio space. The bedrooms and studios all overlook an interior courtyard. Artists will be assigned to a studio by Nawat Fes staff based on the needs of current artist residents in different media.
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The Interior Courtyard
Dar Bennis is built around an interior courtyard that is located one floor above the street level. The courtyard-level residence and studio open directly onto this space, and the artist using these spaces walks through the courtyard to move between their live and work space. (The doorway on the right leads to the bedroom and the doorway on the left leads to the studio of the courtyard-level living and work space). The courtyard space can be used as shared space for both artists during working hours, but is considered a quiet area because of its close proximity to the courtyard-level residence and studio.
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Courtyard-Level Residence and Studio
The courtyard-level bedroom has a small double bed. The courtyard-level studio (picture coming soon) is located next to the bedroom, off the balcony. It has a window and a work table.
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Balcony-Level Residence and Studio
The balcony-level bedroom has a double bed. It has one window to the street (at left) and one window overlooking the courtyard (at right). The balcony-level studio (picture coming soon) is located next to the bedroom, off the balcony. It has a window with bright morning light and a work table.
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The Kitchen
Located just inside the front door of Dar Bennis on the street level, the kitchen is a common space with full cooking facilities, a small table, and a shared refrigerator. Artists shop for and cook their own meals. Artists can opt to use their living stipend to hire a local cook to make home-cooked meals in the Dar Bennis kitchen.
The Nawat Fes artist residency program is grateful to David Amster for the donation of the use of Dar Bennis.
Photo Credit: Omar Chennafi.
