Earlier this year I participated in an artist residency. It was a positive experience that left a lasting impact on my art practice. It inspired the body of work that I am currently working on, and this residency may lead to future opportunities, including another artist residency. Many artists choose to do a residency for many different reasons and like the artists who participate in these residencies, no two art residencies are the same; each one is unique. There are many different types of artist residencies that are offered. They can be found across the world or local to where you live.
This month we will look at artist residencies with a questions and answers section, and I will share my own experiences and advice that may be helpful to you, if an artist residency is something that you want to consider.
What is an Artist Residency?
According to Wikipedia and artsACT (at the time this article was written), an artist residency is an opportunity provided by a host organization that enables a guest artist to work in a new environment, often away from the restrictions and pressures of their everyday lives. Artist residencies are about providing the time and space for a guest artist to develop work and creatively explore new ideas.
Artist-in-residence, or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs which involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organizations, institutions, or communities. They are programs which provide artists with the space and resources to support their artistic practice. Contemporary art residencies are becoming increasingly thematic, with artists working together with their host in pursuit of a specific outcome related to a particular theme (Wikipedia).
As previously mentioned, there are many different types of residencies offered. Some will offer a space to work in either locally or abroad. Some opportunities are fully funded - they include everything from food, art supplies and materials, as well as a studio space with living and travel arrangements all covered. Partially funded opportunities often will have a studio space and perhaps a bit of funding such as a stipend, grant or allowance (which is a fixed amount of money to cover some of the artist’s cost while they are there). Not all of these opportunities include living arrangement, which may be an additional expense for the artist; Parameters in this category often vary with each host organization. No funding at all is exactly that. There is an opportunity to participate in an artist residency and the artist has to pay their own way for everything.
The length of an artist Residency can range from a few days a week during a set amount of time (for example, during the summer), others could be in the duration of one week, a month or even longer depending on the opportunity. An artist residency can be offered to one artist or a group of artists can participate, depending on the type of residency. It can be an open opportunity with no parameters for the artist to adhere to, it could be research based, follow a theme, or work in a certain media (for example painting). Some require the artist to produce a work of art by the end of the residency, others require community engagement like an art opening or an activity. Some residencies are just for preparation - collecting materials and ideas to make artwork afterwards and others are completely open for artists to do what they wish during their time on the residency.
These are just a few types of artist residencies available. There are so many different opportunities and each with their own set of guidelines. It’s important that artists do their research on the art residency ahead of time, to find the one that will be the best fit and to ensure that you know what you are signing up for, and to make the necessary arrangements needed to prepare for the residency.
Why go on an artist residency?
An artist residency provides the artist with a unique opportunity to work, think and explore. They work in a new environment, often away from daily life and the restrictions and pressures that come with it. Artist residencies providing the time and space for an artist to develop work and creatively explore new ideas. This is one of the main reasons why many artists choose to participate in residencies. Often their practice can become stagnant and a residency can breathe new life into an art practice or offer a new direction for their work to explore.
However, this is not the only reason why artists go on residencies. Programs and activities offered during the residency, which may involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organizations, institutions, or communities can be inspirational and lead to learning opportunities, new ideas and new work. These programs provide artists with the space and resources to support their artistic practice.
Some artists will participate in Contemporary thematic residencies as it provides a challenge for the artist to make new artwork within a particular framework. The residency may also be an opportunity to network and meet other artists and/or key figures in the art world such as gallery directors, curators, and other important figures that can provide future opportunities. Some artists just want a quiet place away from the rest of the world to work alone. There are many different reasons why an artist chooses to participate in an artist residency.
What do artists do there?
This largely depends on the type of residency and the artist. Most artists will think, explore and make new work. Some do research, learn and gather ideas or plan out future work. Some arrive with an idea already in mind and focus on a specific project. Others buckle down and make, make, make as much work as possible in what little time they have, as this opportunity is precious and not likely to happen again for them anytime soon. If the residency is open with no need to produce work or anything at the end of it, there are some artists who do nothing! – Sometimes an artist is burnt out and needs the break, it’s a much needed change of pace and scenery. Enabling them to recharge and find energy, to start back up again, or to start over.
Where to find them?
When looking for an artist residency, I would say your best bet is online and word of mouth. They are likely the best options. Online art community boards and organizations like Akimbo, ArtRabbit, a-n (to name a few) have well organized websites that list many artist opportunities, residencies, and other calls to artists. Another great lead is to reach out and talk with other artists in your community. Expressing your interest in doing an artist residency can lead to other artists and arts professionals sharing with you their experience on artist residencies and their knowledge on where to look for these opportunities.
How to apply?
Some residencies are just an open call and if you contact them and express interest, you will be accepted. Others have a more in depth application process that can vary. Some require a bit of info about you and why you want to do the residency, while others require you to follow specific guidelines, filling out application forms, including your CV (resume), examples of your work, an artist statement, a letter of intent, an interview (in-person or on a video call) and more… These residencies that have many components to the submission process, are usually highly sought after and they can be much more difficult to be accepted into, due to the larger number of artists applying. In most cases, applications are done online or submitted by email, but again this can also vary depending on the type of artist residency and the hosting organization.
My experience and advice
To date I have participated in two artist residencies, each one was very different from the other. Both offered unique opportunities, they were wonderful experiences, and both had an extremely positive impact on my art practice.
The first residency I participated in was in London, England in 2017. It was called the Canary Wharf New District Residency (CWND). It was a 6-week artist residency with a minimum of 2 core days per week with 16 artists participating. It ran from August 22 – September 29, 2017 and the only requirement was that artists on the residency had to respond to the Canary Wharf Estate Environment. This was a construction site on the Isle of Dog, down on the waterfront of the River Thames. The construction site was building sky scrapers and the residency was underground in 2 rooms; a meeting room and a shared studio space. On the core days, all artists were expected to be present. On these days activities were planned including site tours, field trips, museum visits, guest speakers, group discussions, etc. On the other days you could come in during the week and make work.
I found out about the residency through school, an artist friend of mine was running the residency and a few other artists I knew, went on the residency the year before, or were also thinking of applying. I had just graduated from an MFA program and was unsure of where my art practice was going from there. I had just left an overwhelming academic environment, but I enjoyed being around other artists in the studio, so this environment seemed like a natural transition. It was my first artist residency and I was unsure of what to expect and what artwork I would make, as I was working in mixed media and collage at this point in my practice.
This residency was local to where I was living at the time and I participated a few days a week. This opportunity offered no funding, which was ok for my situation, because I didn’t really have many expenses for what I was doing.
As a result, I did a series of pencil rubbings on paper using various surfaces in this environment, all of which feature textures and patterns, which my practice has always been based on. I met artists that I didn’t know before and made stronger bonds with some of the artists that I was already familiar with. I took lots of photos on the site tours that we went on. This was the beginning of my love of photography, which is now the main media that I am working in. Afterwards, I was invited to participate in a fundraising exhibition with some of the artists from the residency. There were many positive things that came out of doing this residency and I have many happy memories of my time there.
The second artist residency was in the south of France near the small village of Gaja-la-Selve. It was an artist residency led by artist Lorraine Devine. The residency took place at Retraite Le Puget, which is a villa that mainly caters to spiritual and yoga retreats. There were 12 artists living together and making art in a large farmhouse for one week from May 26 – June 2, 2024. This residency included a studio space, and living accommodations, where each artist had their own room and private bathroom. The property was in the middle of beautiful farm country with hiking trails, ponds, and a nearby forest that was surrounded by wheat fields and the Pyrenees Mountains.
Also included on the property was a yoga studio, swimming pool, billiards, table tennis and foosball table. A small library, a large fireplace, an outdoor courtyard and horses in the fields. This was an open residency with no requirements to adhere to, and the opportunity offered no funding. Having said that, the cost for artists to participate was very reasonable for what artists received in return. Despite there being 12 artists on the residency, there was lots of space to work and relax, both inside and outdoors. There were a few small activities planned such as shopping in the market of Mirepoix – a nearby village, and an art critique that took place on one of the final days of the residency, to see and share what everyone was working on. We also went out for dinner to celebrate our time together on the residency.
I found out about this residency through an artist friend who was invited to participate. I reached out to Lorraine, who was running the residency and who I knew from my studies in the MFA program at UAL: Wimbledon College of the Arts. She encouraged me to come along and it all worked out. On the residency I knew most of the artists participating, which was comforting. This was another great opportunity to meet new people - other artists I did not know before. Everyone seemed to get along pretty well and it was a great experience. At the end of the residency, Lorraine encouraged discussion, she sent artists a survey to fill out, wanted feedback about this residency, and to see if artists were interested in participating in another one in the future.
For this residency, I decided to bring my photography gear to take photos on this trip. I arrived in France a few days before the residency began, to get over any jetlag and to tour around other areas in the southern France. I arrived in Toulouse and travelled east to Carcassonne beforehand, stayed at Retraite Le Puget for the residency, and after the residency, I went back to Carcassonne to continue travelling east to Montpellier. While on the residency I chose to do research, gather materials, and take lots of photographs in order to document the environment and to make a body of work after the residency had ended.
As a result, I am currently in the middle of making a new body of work, which grew from my time on the residency in France. There is the possibility of another artist residency taking place in future, I saw old friends I had not seen in many years, I have met artists that I likely wouldn’t have known otherwise, and I had a wonderful and relaxing time on this little getaway. I should also mention that after posting some images from this experience on social media, I have been approached by a few brands and companies that are interested in my work. There are many benefits for an artist to participate in an artist residency and you can never fully know what those benefits may turn out to be in the long run.
Because both my experiences of artist residencies were positive, naturally I would encourage other artists to go on a residency as well. But… As I have said before, in order to get the most out of an artist residency, it’s best to research the residencies ahead of time to ensure that you select one that is a good match for you as the artist and for your art practice, otherwise the results of the residency may not turn out to be so positive and enjoyable.
If you are interested in doing an artist residency or are currently on the hunt to find one that best suits your needs, I wish you the best of luck and I hope this blog was helpful to you in some way.
Below is a selection of images from my time on the artist residency in France at Retraite Le Puget.
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