Programming

As a visiting artist or writer with the 360 XQMX Residency, you can be as structured or relaxed as you wish. You have chosen to come here to focus on a particular project and how you organize your days is up to you. We provide you a healthy and delicious breakfast to start your day. From there … you can have as much solitude or interaction as you desire. We will work with you to make connections or leave you to do your intended work.

You will find the communities at Lakeside to be flooded with fascinating people, interesting opportunities and experiences that will become fond memories of your time here. Culture and the arts have been happening at Lakeside for hundreds of years and your time at the 360 XQMX will benefit from those of us that seek it out and embrace it. We can’t wait to share it with you. 

The following programming activities happen naturally or are scheduled at no charge to our residents

  • Because we are offering daily breakfast we see that our residents naturally get to know one another and connect over homemade granola and delicious pastries. Gathering around the pool on a sunny day or for a cocktail hour on the mirador is a great way to celebrate a productive day, working on your art. We find the residents regularly walk into town together to visit galleries or art events.  The weekly market, called the tiangues, is just three blocks from us and the residents will often explore the market together.

  • We are fortunate to have gathered a diverse network of creatives within the 360 XQMX family. Many a former residency participant has visited Lake Chapala multiple times and eventually decided to move here. Every month we distribute a list of the incoming artists and include the locals who are close to the program and enjoy interacting with the 360 XQMX residents. They are always happy to include you, invite you to join them for art openings or concerts or meet for coffee. You are welcome and encouraged to reach out to any one of them if you have questions or are looking for someone to go shopping, have dinner with or simply take a walk through town. They would love to hear from you. 

  • Once a month (or maybe twice) we host an evening salon series, Artistas Juntos ~ Artists Together, specifically to introduce the visiting residents to the community. The residents will do a short presentation about their background, what inspires them, their life as an artist, what projects they are working on during the residency and their plans for the future. It is promoted locally, encouraging art enthusiasts, local writers and our neighbors to attend and engage with the residents. We set up a bar for refreshing beverages and will distribute a small flyer to the attendees that lists the bios, social media links and contact information for each of the presenters. Attendees are asked to sign in and their names are distributed to the participating residents so they can connect while here or add them to their individual mailing lists. As a 360 XQMX resident, there is no fee to participate in the salon series.

  • A regularly updated calendar of the various cultural activities that take place on a regular basis in Ajijic will be posted. You are invited to take part in any/all of them and we are happy to make introductions to the organizers. They might include gallery openings, workshops, classical concerts, jazz evenings and that happen on a regular basis. There is no lack of artistic and cultural events to keep you busy. You will have a hard time choosing between them.

“I loved the artist dinners where I met the other residents. One artist gave me exactly the feedback for my writing that I’ve been waiting for years!”
— Pam Summa, Writer Seattle, WA

These programming items are available to all of our residents. With some notice we can arrange any of them for you while in residence at 360 XQMX. And some will be scheduled on a regular basis and you can choose whether you wish to participate. Fees would be assessed depending on the activity and logistics. Please let us know if you are interested in any of the below items and we will happily incorporate them into your residency.

  • You are invited to lead a workshop when you are here. There are numerous locations throughout the property where you could lead a workshop or teach a class. We can set up a delicious breakfast or a light lunch, and ensure that you have everything you need for your instruction. We will work with you to craft the workshop, promote it and execute it. Again, our local community is comprised of very curious folks and they love a good workshop. It is an opportunity to make some pesos while you are here and connect with local creatives at the same time. We would need advance notice to discuss it with you and conduct the proper amount of planning and promotion.

  • Portfolio reviews are a valuable step in an artist’s professional development, and give the opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue and receive critical feedback from leading curators, gallerists and independent arts professionals. We are fortunate that this community is flush with internationally recognized individuals who are acutely qualified and would be happy to discuss your portfolio with you. Portfolio reviews are designed to support you in developing your work, to address key challenges and help you realize your full potential. You may want to discuss your style, methodologies, medium or presentation and talking it through may prove to be very helpful.

    A review can help you plan strategically your next moves in order to build up your career as an artist. It is an opportunity to learn about your habits and challenges from the perspective of someone you’ve probably never met before. A review offers am opportunity to reflect on where you are in your practice or career at this particular moment. 

  • The 360 XQMX headquARTers is flush with walls for us to host an exhibition of your work. Our cozy Sala has very large walls and is ideal for a show, as well as an entire structure of walls just waiting for you. If you want to bring your unstretched work (or work on paper) with you, we can help you get it framed or stretched relatively inexpensively. If you are a photographer, there are multiple studios in the area that professionally print photos. We would promote the exhibition and an opening giving you a proper show and opportunity to share and sell your work while you are in residence.

  • 360 XQMX welcomes an increasing number of writers every year. It s important that the writers feel like there is programming tailored to their medium, as well. A poetry slam is a competitive event where poetry (written by the participant) is performed and judged in front of an audience. It is high energy, interactive and highly entertaining event. As an effort to support the writing community, the 360 XQMX slams will be offered with no feedback or critique. The judging panel will choose a winner and the attendees will vote on a people’s choice winner for the evening. We will schedule a regular poetry slam and encourage our writers-in-residence to take part.

  • The 360 XQMX headquARTers is located conveniently within this vibrant village. We are a mere three blocks from the Ajijic “tiangues”. It is the weekly street market that draws locals, foreigners and tourists for an authentic market experience. 360 XQMX will be opening its doors on those Wednesday mornings, so as shoppers are passing by, they will be encouraged to step inside the headquARTers to meet our residents, see them working on their various mediums and create an opportunity for conversation and art appreciation.

  • Once a month 360 XQMX will schedule a community “paint-in”. Residents and local artists will be invited to attend. It might be a morning event, taking advantage of sunrise light and we would serve coffee and pastries. Or maybe it will take place at sunset and we will serve charcuterie and beverages. Artists can do plein air, taking advantage of our incredible scenic views … or bring a project they are already working on. The idea is for them to work amongst each other and be creative while connecting and building community.

  • I’ve been searching for that specific event that we could offer to writers that would be diverse and would feed their thirst for collaboration and sharing their work. We are developing a monthly storytelling event, similar to The Moth. There will be a two-day collaborative workshop, where the participants for that month develop their stories together in preparatory sessions. Then on the third day, they will share them, extemporaneously with an audience of listeners. No critiques or notes given, just pure appreciation for the courage to stand in front of strangers and tell a personal story.

  • As more artists are choosing to spend their time with us as a 360 XQMX residency, we are excited to coordinate self-care spa days. We will bring in practitioners for massages, mani/pedi’s, yoga, pool therapy, Bowen specialists or anything that seems appropriate based on who is here at the time. You would not have to leave the hotel to pamper yourself. All of that can be arranged for you personally (with or without other residents participating) and if you wish to make it a weekly occurrence. 

  • There are endless places to see, communities to explore and experiences that will change your life.  We will schedule a regular excursion once or twice a month. Jalisco is rich with traditions and Guadalajara is a fascinating city. There are many museums, galleries and art venues. We will coordinate the excursions and invite 360 XQMX friends and family to join you in the activities.

  • Are you here for an extended residency? Care to practice your language skills? We can set you up with our favorite Spanish instructor. He will connect with you prior to your arrival to determine your proficiency. He will then decide if he has a class you might fit into, or if private lessons make more sense. He charges $200 MXN for a (90) minute session.

“Bethany (and Arthur) were wonderful and dedicated hosts. The breakfasts were delicious and the space was just great - cozy with plenty of work space options and a pool (a rarity back in NYC)! Also, Ajijic is a charming town with a thriving arts community who seem more than willing to help or make connections for the 360XQ artists. 360XQ put together a salon for the artists to discuss our work, and I was so impressed by the turnout of the event despite short notice and how engaged the audience was during the discussion.”
— Anita Anburajan