With a 19th century former natural history museum and a contemporary white cube to fuel its engine, Talbot Rice Gallery is dedicated to exploring how the University of Edinburgh can contribute to contemporary art production today and into the future.

Since 2018 the Talbot Rice Residents have been a major part the Talbot Rice Gallery and Edinburgh College of Art community. Each year for five years, five new emerging artists from Scotland join the programme, which they then continue for two years, with the programme contributing richly to the ecology of Edinburgh’s visual arts context. Talbot Rice Gallery plays an active role in Edinburgh College of Art, working with students throughout the year, engaging them in the programme and curatorial vision. The annual Trading Zone exhibition hunts for distinct practices across all the schools and artforms of Edinburgh College of Art.

Talbot Rice Residents provides time and support for emerging, or re-emerging, artists based in Scotland within the unique context of Talbot Rice Gallery, Edinburgh College of Art and the University of Edinburgh. Residents receive year-round curatorial and technical support from the Talbot Rice team, as well as access to workshops, libraries and collections, and contact with the vast academic community within the University of Edinburgh. In addition to an annual Artist Fee, Residents receive an individual budget for production and travel, and meet at key points in the programme for masterclasses and workshops delivered by invited guests. The programme also includes national and international research trips and new commissioned writing.

Characterised by rigorous exploration, experimentation and risk-taking, Talbot Rice Residents are encouraged to make use of the resources on offer and undertake a significant period of research, whilst also actively seeking public moments to show work (or work in progress) throughout the programme. Residents are invited to consider and use the diverse estate of the University of Edinburgh, as well as the digital world, as potential sites for outcomes and will be fully supported by Talbot Rice to promote their work. The programme culminates in 2023 with an exhibition in London.

The Talbot Rice Residents programme is supported by the Freelands Foundation through the Freelands Artist Programme.