About DutchCulture | TransArtists

DutchCulture | TransArtists shares knowledge and experience on artist-in-residence programmes and other international opportunities for creative professionals to temporarily stay and work elsewhere.

We offer tools and services to artists, creative professionals, and policy makers on artist-in-residence programmes and related issues. Our tools and services are developed from the artists' perspective.

Our goal is to make the enormous worldwide residential art labyrinth accessible and usable to artists through our website, workshops, AiR collection, research and projects. To do this, we usually cooperate with a wide range of partners in all world regions.

Why?
Residency programmes have become intrinsic to many artists' careers. There is a wide variety of reasons for artists to engage in residencies, as well as a widening variety of artists who go on them. Many artists coming straight out of college and higher education see residencies as a first step into becoming an artist; more established artists take a ‘time out’ to go on a residency or see the residency as a mid-career break or step. DutchCulture | TransArtists develops its activities from the deep understanding and awareness of the importance that the phenomenon has for artists and, through them, for the Arts and the art world.

• Organises and participates in expert meetings on the AiR phenomenon
• Researches the AiR phenomenon
• Develops and/or partners with international thematic collaboration projects on residences.

• DutchCulture|TransArtists does not offer artist-in-residence programmes.
• DutchCulture|TransArtists does not offer guest studios.
• DutchCulture|TransArtists does not judge applications.
• DutchCulture|TransArtists does not supply grants.
• DutchCulture|TransArtists is not affiliated with any of the artist-in-residence opportunities or other institutions listed on this website. Please contact them directly if you have any questions about application procedures and other matters.

1997: Foundation of TransArtists in Amsterdam

 Launch of the database, with artist-in-residence opportunities worldwide.

1998: European Pépinières Program for Young Artists:

TransArtists becomes the Netherlands coordinator for the European Pépinières Programme for Young Artists: a triennnal competition that offers young artists working periods at residential art centers and art education institutes in Europe and Québec, Canada.

2001: Hosting Res Artis:

TransArtists starts to host the office of Res Artis, the international network of artist in residence centres and organizations. Trans Artists and Res Artis however are separate organizations. The difference is: TransArtists operates from the perspective of the use and users of AiR programs: primarily the artists. Res Artis represents the interests of the providers, the members of its own network, which are residential art centers themselves.

2004: TransArtists starts the AiR Platform NL

The platform for information and exchange among AiR programs and international guest studios in the Netherlands. Trans Artists serves the initiatives as their umbrella organization, helps them promote the importance of their work and also connects them to the international networks that Trans Artists actively participates in.

2009: Basic infrastructure of the arts

TransArtists forms part of the so-called 'basic infrastructure of the arts' of the Dutch Culture Plan 2009-2012.

2010-2012: ON-AiR

Together with 18 partner organizations throughout Europe TransArtists developed ON-AiR: a trajectory of workshops and training programs for artists about using artist-in-residence opportunities. In the course of one and a half year each partner will host a workshop, so 15 workshops will take place throughout Europe. The workshops will be adjusted to the regional needs of the artists. The ON-AiR project is funded with support from the European Commission.

2010-ongoing: Mutual Artist-in-Residence Impulse

With partners in other countries the TransArtists desk develops long-term international projects under the title 'Mutual artist-in-residence Impulse', shortly 'Mutual Impulse'. The aim of all Mutual Impulse projects is to exchange knowledge and experiences of artist-in-residence potential with other world regions.

2013: DutchCulture | TransArtists

From 1st of January 2013 TransArtists joined forces with the former SICA (Dutch Centre for International Cultural Activities) and MEDIA Desk to merge into DutchCulture, Centre for International Cooperation. This new organisation stimulates an extensive range of international cultural cooperation. It amplifies and stimulates international activities in the fields of culture, media, cultural mobility, and cultural heritage.

2011-2014: European Open Method of Coordination (OMC) working group on the mobility of artists and creative professionals

EU's Member States have been working together on the topic of artists' mobility since 2008 with the Open Method of Coordination (OMC), a light but structured framework of cooperation in the field of culture, facilitating the exchange of good practices and peer-learning. DutchCulture | TransArtists director Maria Tuerlings took part as expert in the OMC working group on behalf of the Netherlands. One key outcome was the publication Policy Handbook on Residencies (dec. 2014).

2014: Werkplaatsen platform

Platform Werkplaatsen was launched in October 2014 and is initiated by AGA, Beeldenstorm, [email protected] and AiR Platform NL in collaboration with the technical workspaces in the Netherlands.

2013-2015: Green Art Lab Alliance (GALA)

DutchCulture | TransArtists in partnership with Julie’s Bicycle developed a European wide knowledge-alliance dedicated to promoting environmental sustainability in the arts. It was a collaborative project with more than twenty cultural organizations in Europe and Georgia. The GALA project investigated what environmental sustainability implies for the visual arts and design, in close collaboration with designers, artists and scientists. This project was supported by the European Commission.

Maria Tuerlings, who founded TransArtists with the aim to help artists by creating the first information platform for artists on artist-in-residence opportunities worldwide. Maria has been active in many residency networks and organisations, among which Res Artis, TransCultural Exchange (USA), On-the-Move and the Thami Mnyele Foundation. Maria stepped down from DutchCulture | TransArtists as of June 1st 2015 and continues as independent advisor-consultant.

Over the years, many people have contributed to TransArtists that we would like to very warmly thank: Arda van Tiggelen, Marie Fol, Léon Kruijswijk, Erik Hagoort, Mareile Zuber, Yasmine Ostendorf, Denise Meijsing, Paola Pistone, Yeb Wiersma, Yuko Kotera, Ellen de Rijk, Peter Hey, Ragna Slingerland, Rutger Emmelkamp, Dave van de Sande, Leoni Bouwmans, Adri de Visser, Thomas van Aalten, Denise Hammer, Rian van Rijsbergen, Mirjam Beerman, Lonneke de la Mar.

Many thanks as well to our in-house researchers, interns and volunteers who have given us invaluable help: Nick Verginis (2023), Beste Sevindik (2022), Maëlys Moreau (2016), Amanda Schwalm (2015), Sandy Tu (2014), Eduardo Munoz Pozo (2014), Josje Hattink (2014), Nora Campfens (2014), Meagan Hughes (2013/2014), Agnese Slisane (2012), Toni Subira (2012), Mami Odai (2009), Jana Kukainen (2007), Chris Meighan (2007), Frans Teunisse (2007), Rijke Theunissen (2006), A. Wouda (2006), Lisa Russelman (2004), Jonna Vis (2002).