comuna.residencies

comuna.residencies

Oaxaca Independent Residency Details

Independent residencies are being offered seasonally for periods of 1-4 weeks in a self-directed format. Residents are invited to ground into our casita in Oaxaca, Mexico as a space to openly explore and connect to their inner creative fire by immersing in creative projects, research, artistic production, and systems of healing and wellbeing, through a process of slow and intentional cultural exchange engaging with the wider community here in Oaxaca.

This independent residency offering is not curated with formal programming, however, you’ll be hosted in the home of the creator of Comuna–Ioana will help facilitate your experience, offer guidance, and connect you to projects and people in our community network here in Oaxaca to help you realize your proposed intention/project/research, etc.

Space is limited to 1-2 people at a time for this residency, with applications being reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis.
Applicants who would like to apply together as a collaborative residency, please get in touch for pricing.
Applicants who would like to apply as a family, please get in touch for pricing and availability.

Independent Residency Inclusions:

  • Housing and private room in residency house

  • Welcome orientation to the residency, neighborhood of San Felipe del Agua, and Oaxaca

  • Welcome dinner

  • Weekday homecooked traditional breakfast and morning check-in with Ioana – on request

  • Access to a fully equipped kitchen and common work and lounge spaces

  • Access to independent study/studio/meditation space with a window and daybed, that can flexibly be transformed on request based on resident needs

  • Access to a big, private rooftop terrace that’s perfect for sunrise/sunset meditation, movement practice, relaxing, and working on projects.

  • Access to a collection of digital and analog photography equipment

  • Opportunity to share your work with a larger community at the end of the residency period

  • Photo documentation of your work, creative projects, and process at different stages of the residency period, a written feature of you and your residency work, focus, and process on our digital journal, as well as with our larger global community

  • Opportunities for field trips to different communities and projects in and around Oaxaca City, hiking excursions to the mountains with overnight stays, traditional healing, and wellbeing therapies – on request, with an extra fee

  • Support and community connection facilitated by Ioana

  • High-speed fibre optic internet

  • Post-residency check-in and integration via Zoom with Ioana

Pricing and Accessibility:

  • $925 CAD /week
    * Convert from $CAD to your currency using a     currency converter.

    * Applicants may apply for residency periods from a minimum of 1 week to a maximum of 4 weeks. Prices will be adjusted accordingly based on the weekly fee listed. Prices increase based on weekly time.

    * A 50% deposit will be due upon confirmation of your residency period. The remainder of your payment is due 60 days before the start of your residency period. If your residency period is confirmed within 60 days of the start date then 100% of the payment is due. If you require a specialized payment plan outside of this one, we’re more than happy to accommodate any requests and encourage you to please get in touch. Deposits for accepted residency periods are non-refundable and non-transferable to future periods.

  • We encourage applicants to seek outside funding opportunities for their residencies. Though we don’t assist in grant applications, we are happy to provide a letter of invitation for participating in the residency program.

  • Sliding Scale Payment Option
    * We offer a limited number of residency spots per year through a sliding scale option that is based on your economic standing and access to wealth. Offering this payment system for those who feel called to participate in our residencies but may be experiencing financial constraints for various reasons, is made possible by those with more access to wealth covering the costs of those with less access to wealth over the lifespan of these residencies. We don’t believe in financially separating folks based on where in the world you live or are coming from, as we recognize the complexity and diversity of lived experiences and how this leads to varying degrees of access to wealth that currently exists across the world.

    * Please feel confident continuing with your application and choosing the “sliding-scale payment option” in your application. We are committed to working with individual needs and constraints on a case-by-case basis to the very best of our ability. We trust in your discernment and self-reflection of how you fit into the global economic context of privilege and access to wealth.

* Access the application at the bottom of this page

Love Notes From Past Residents

  • "My residency experience with Ioana and Comuna was profound and will be memorable for life. I'm very grateful to have had the opportunity to become immersed within Oaxaca City and the surrounding communities. I imagine that thousands of people visit this beautiful place each year and are impacted positively even if they only see the surface, but what Comuna offers is the opportunity to experience its depths through uncovering and learning from the essence of a land filled with knowledge and wisdom rarely found in society today. My experience included spending time with myself surrounded by natural beauty that allows one to connect with their inner selves and answer questions you've been carrying, or avoiding. Meeting artists who utilize their craft to create vibrancy and opportunity in their communities, or spiritual leaders who dedicate their lives to healing their people, was incredibly inspiring. Visiting the land of a Zapotec community in the mountains and hiking their ancient trails passed down through generations, reminds you of a world and life that exists in connection and relationship with the land."

    AJMAL SATAAR | SOCIAL INNOVATION ENTREPRENEUR AND INDIGENOUS YOUTH LEADERSHIP | CANADA

  • "I spent the last part of my Mexico tour in beautiful Oaxaca participating in the Soledad Comuna Residency. After a lot of touring and sharing my music, it was great to have a base in Oaxaca to ground into and integrate my experiences and insights, get back into a proper routine, and transform inspiration into creation. Looking back with very beautiful memories of having this space to finalize the tracks of my debut album in the beautiful Casa Comuna."

    JOEP MENCKE | MUSIC PRODUCER & DJ | NETHERLANDS

  • "Thank you for opening your beautiful casita to me. I felt so much of me again after being here and took in the views with so much pleasure and wonder, and reflection on this next chapter. Thank you for creating a home with such powerful energy. I will never forget it. Much love to you, Dear Ioana.

    HIMA BATAVIA | PERFORMANCE ARTIST AND COMMUNITY DESIGNER | CANADA

  • "Toda Raba sister. Thank you for sharing with us your luminosity, your appetite for discovery and your guidance in this heart-opening, expansive journey. We've loved and deeply appreciated our time here, and our time with you."

    LISA & YOHAI | HERBALIST AND CHEF | CANADA/ISRAEL

  • "Taking a leap of faith, I decided to fly to Oaxaca for a month. On what felt like a deep calling, and trusting in an inner knowing. Ioana was incredible and connected me to a community of healers, who held beautiful sacred space for me to connect deeper aspects of my psyche and being. It was beautiful, at times challenging, and overall an incredibly transformative time that I felt very supported throughout. I spent a lot of my time in stillness, rest, and contemplation. The sunshine, the relaxed pace of life, the crisp air, the incredible mountain views, being greeted by each person who passed me on the street, and to not mention the incredible art, food and culture that folks were so generous in sharing. It's difficult to pinpoint what really made the experience for me. Creativity and magic flow through the valleys and streets of Oaxaca. One need only be open and receptive to allow it to sweep you off your feet. I left Oaxaca feeling a deep sense of aliveness again, presence, and a readiness to integrate all the learnings and experiences back into life at home in Canada. Very grateful to Ioana for having been a pivotal guide during my time there!"

    TALIA ERDAN | HEALING ARTS | CANADA

  • "Mujer fuerte, amable, generosa. Gracias! Este tiempo ha sido de reconexión y renacimientos. Tus cuidados y guia han sido fundamentales. Muchas gracias!

    MATILDE CERVANTES | PhD PHILOSOPHY, ARTS, HEALTH | MEXICO/CANADA

  • "Dear Ioana, Gracias por todo! I appreciate so much your openness, sharing your beautiful presence, home, connections, insights, offerings and care. This time in Oaxaca has been a journey–from Valley to Sierras to City to Coast. We flowed in a powerful way. I'm leaving feeling deep peace, gratitude, hope and presence, and I am so thankful for the good, caring, attentive curation and space you created."

    NICOLA WATTS | ARTS & HEALTH | CANADA

  • Bless you and your home. My time here has been deep, impactful, memorable and full of life and death. Thank you for the space, courage, and consciousness.

    NOOR KAYYAL, HOLISTIC WELLNESS, Saudi Arabia

2024 OPEN DATES

Open Call for Residency Applications