What is 'artist-in-residence'?
Artist-in-residence programs and other residency opportunities allow artists to stay and work elsewhere 'for art's sake'. They offer conditions that are conducive to creativity and they provide for working facilities, ready to be used by individual artists.
Residency Profiles
No artist-in-residence program is the same. Each program or guest studio, large or small, established or experimental, has its own background and atmosphere. Working periods differ enormously: from two weeks to six months or sometimes even a year. Some residential arts centers specialize in one discipline, others stimulate a great number of disciplines. There are also a lot of differences in financial resources, housing and studio facilities, application procedures, selection procedures, coaching and exhibiting.
Conditions and Selections
Many residential art centers lay down the terms guest artists have to comply with, such as an exhibition at the end of the period or a project, achieved by collaboration with other artists or cooperation with the public. However, many centers offer unconditional hospitality: the artist is free to use the residency for his or her own purposes, without any obligation towards the host. But even in those circumstances, total unconditional hospitality does not exist, although some residential art centers come close to it.
Application
Most residential arts centers on the Trans Artists website offer an application procedure which is open to artists from all nations, with or without deadlines. Usually artists are requested to send in documentation, a curriculum vitae, a motivation and if necessary a project proposal. Each institute has its own policy of adjudication. Participation is planned a long time in advance, usually six months, sometimes years ahead.
Getting there
Artist-in-residence programs are not handed to you on a silver platter. Application procedures take time, you need perseverance.
To avoid unnecessary disappointment, carefully study the information on the Trans Artists website and always check the information at the center itself.
Making a choice
When making a choice Trans Artists' advice is straightforward:
- get the information
- check the information
- match wishes and expectations.
Naturally Trans Artists cannot be held responsible for any outcome of applications.
