Rashid Johnson and Sheree Hovsepian Launch an Artist Residency in Menorca

Beyond providing resources often inaccessible to many working artists, from industrial kilns to expansive studio facilities, the strongest residencies cultivate sustained focus while immersing participants in new cultures and creative communities. That ethos lies at the heart of Casa Grácia, a forthcoming residency founded by artists Rashid Johnson and Sheree Hovsepian in the historic Menorcan capital of Mahon. Officially launching next spring, the program will offer artists and writers dedicated time and private accommodations to advance their practices without the obligation to produce an outcome of public presentation. Instead, the self-directed program encourages reflection and meaningful engagement with Menorcan locals. 

Johnson first visited Menorca through his longstanding relationship with Hauser & Wirth, which opened its island outpost on Illa del Rei in 2021, and quickly became captivated by the island’s rugged coastline, layered history, and languorous pace. “Creating this residency is an opportunity to share that experience with other artists,” he said in a statement. “I hope artists who are in residence here will find, as I did, that Menorca has a quiet but profound way of sharpening attention and deepening one’s relationship to making.”  

Each year, Casa Gràcia will award five residencies through a competitive selection process, including three placements for visual artists lasting up to three months and two extended residencies for writers spanning as long as six months. Residents will receive guidance and support from the team at Hauser & Wirth Menorca throughout their time on the island. Ahead of the program’s official 2027 debut, Casa Gràcia will inaugurate the residency in the fall by hosting the recipient of an artist grant from the Institut Menorquí d’Estudis, the Mahon-based public research and cultural institution supported by Es Baluard Museu d’Art Contemporani de Palma and Hauser & Wirth Menorca. 

The residency occupies a residential enclave in the heart of Mahon and includes three dedicated areas for work and reflection: a 3,200-square-foot studio, a study, and the city center’s largest private walled garden. Originally constructed in 1860, the multifunctional property underwent an extensive renovation led by the acclaimed Paris-based firm Laplace in collaboration with Menorcan architects Maimó&Brosa. Once home to a nightclub entrance with the owners’ apartment perched above, the building will soon accommodate the artists and writers in residence within a live-work environment defined by sun-washed interiors, natural materials, and an understated Mediterranean palette. Traditional Menorcan furnishings mingle with carefully selected contemporary pieces sourced from the island, lending the residence a breezy warmth deeply attuned to its historic surroundings.  

“There is something profoundly moving about Menorca and its mystical atmosphere,” explains Hovsepian, who points to the island’s vast array of prehistoric talayotic structures as a source of inspiration. Scattered across the landscape, the ancient stone monuments lend Menorca a singular archaeological character within the Balearic Islands. “There’s something deeply humbling about existing alongside that kind of history and mystery,” she continues. “For me, Menorca has always been a place that expands inner space where ideas surface more freely and where creativity feels connected to something both personal and ancient.”  

The residency will operate under the guidance of an advisory board that reviews applications annually, with Johnson and Hovsepian joined by an accomplished roster that includes Katherine Brinson, Cristopher Canizares, Alex Ernst, Debbie Hillyerd, Gaurav Kapadia, Patrick Radden Keefe, Ravi Nandan, Colson Whitehead, Hank Willis Thomas, Iwan Wirth, and Manuela Wirth.  

Applications for the 2027 calendar year remain open through July 31, with artists and writers from the Balearic Islands, mainland Spain, and abroad encouraged to apply.