HOUSE GUIDELINES
La casita is centered on art exploration & education. The house is filled with local art, artisan-designed goods, and a selection of Latin American art books & magazines.
Residents stay in one of our three private rooms (sharing two bathrooms) and receive access to one of our individual desks and wall space. Residents also receive access to the kitchen and common spaces.
La Casita is yours for two weeks - someone was here before you and someone will come after you. Take good care of the space so everyone can enjoy it.
Resident’s Handbook
Only those who have registered for the artist residency program by GRACIA are permitted to reside in the GRACIA residency house.
Onboarding & Off-Boarding Procedures
⊹ The lockbox code will be provided to you through our final email. Inside you’ll find the key to enter the house. Your individual room key is on your room door.
⊹ Upon arrival, all residents must hold their valid passports to check in and will be guided on the onboarding process by staff members.
⊹ Use of the residency house for any purpose other than personal residence and art practice is not allowed.
⊹ Change of rooms without prior approval from management is not allowed.
⊹ Immediately after the termination of the program, residents need to have their rooms vacated and all personal property removed from the rooms and studio space. GRACIA will not be liable for any loss of or damage to such properties whatsoever.
⊹ Residents will give their house keys back and assist the management to finish the off-boarding procedure before they head out. Missing key sets will have an extra fee of Q75 or $10 USD.
⊹ When leaving at the end of your stay, please leave the key on your room door knob.
General
⊹ Most of the furniture, home decor and art is either custom-made, artisan-designed, or vintage; we ask you to take care of our casita so everyone can enjoy it. Please keep all spaces clean. In case of loss and/or damage, GRACIA reserves the right of charging for compensation. If you have any questions feel free to ask :)
⊹ Quiet hours are 10 PM to 7 AM. At all times, residents shall keep their noise level at a reasonable level so as not to cause nuisance to their neighbors.
⊹ Please turn lights and fans off when not in use. Turn all lights off at night.
⊹ Make sure the front door is fully closed when entering or leaving.
⊹ No smoking inside the house or studios. Open flames, including candles and incense, are not allowed in any part of the house.
⊹ Residents shall not bring any dangerous and forbidden drugs as defined in the Guatemalan law. No guns, explosive or poisonous articles are allowed.
⊹ No physiological, psychological, sexual or racial disturbance is allowed.
⊹ Commercial activities are not allowed in the premises without prior permission.
In Rooms
⊹ Please keep your room area clean. We have a cleaning service that comes weekly but are not authorized to clean rooms throughout residencies, just common areas and bathrooms.
⊹ Don’t flush anything down the toilet! The drainage system in the country is old. Toilet paper and everything else should go into the trash can. There are signs to remind you.
⊹ There’s a couple of laundry services we can share that will pick up and drop off.
⊹ As a general rule, be aware and do not let strangers enter your room. When leaving your room, please close the door. Residents shall accompany their visitors throughout their visits (7 AM to 10 PM) and be responsible for the acts of their visitors.
⊹ Please do not remove the WiFi extender from room Sol.
Common Areas and Kitchen
⊹ Hallways are to be kept clear of equipment, furniture, trash and any other objects as they will obstruct passage.
⊹ Please don't leave your dishes dirty or unsealed food anywhere, they will call insects into the house.
⊹ Keep the kitchen door closed whenever you’re not using it.
⊹ Books are for everyone to share. Keep them organized and do not take them to your room or outside the house.
⊹ Do not leave candles, incense, or the stove burning unattended.
⊹ Keep your food well sealed (in your box and in the fridge). If flies, ants, or cockroaches appear, it’s because someone hasn’t followed this rule. Please clean up after yourself.
⊹ Unplug appliances and tools when not in use.
Kitchen Layout
⊹ Everything on the top shelves is reserved only for our events - please don’t use those items.
⊹ Bottom right: cleaning and management supplies (please don’t use unless requested and approved through here).
⊹ Bottom left: shared art materials.
⊹ Center: individual food storage boxes + the shared food box.
⊹ Please keep all areas tidy and clean. Don’t leave dirty dishes.
⊹ Water filter is next to the sink it says Ecofiltro. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIAh54sVyiI only English video we found.
Studio Spaces
⊹ Each room has a personal pull-out desk for dry / clean media.
⊹ Outdoor individual desk are for wet media. The long one is not meant to be used for wet media, more as a place to get together, relax and have conversations.
⊹ Please don’t damage the pull-out desks inside the rooms - they came with the house and we want to preserve them.
⊹ If you make a stain, clean it immediately.
⊹ Absolutely no drilling or hammering on the walls is allowed.
⊹ It is not allowed for residents to go into other studio spaces but their own unless they have been invited. We are all artists so lets respect each other’s space and art.
⊹ Possessions of chemicals, explosives or highly combustible materials are strictly disallowed in the house.