Project: Mutual AiR Impulse Russia

What about artist-in-residence in Russia?
DutchCulture|TransArtists desk found out for you. Artist-in-residence initiatives in Russia and the Netherlands gathered during an adventurous exploration (2010-2011) and a program of visits, expert meetings, and workshops in Russia & the Netherlands (2012-2013).
Mutual Impulse resulted in 4 programs, throughout 2012 and 2013.

• April 2012: Tendencies & Intentions (RU)
• November 2012: Center & Periphery (RU)
• September 2013: Convictions (RU)
• December 2013: Hosting the Hosts (NL)

Do you have questions, would you like to receive feedback concerning initiating cooperation with Russian artist-in-residence opportunities or share experiences? Don't hesitate to get in contact!

Please mail (mentioning Russia in the subject field) to: [email protected]

1 Tendencies & Intentions
April 2012
Moscow, St. Petersburg
How is the artist-in-residence concept applied to the Russian situation?
What's going on in the cultural capitals, Moscow and St. Petersburg?
In workshops and expert meetings anybody interested was invited to share thoughts on artist-in-residence models and practicalities in the Russian context.

Read more here

2 Center and Periphery
November-December 2012
Moscow, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Ekaterinenburg

What about artist-in-residence opportunities outside of Russia's cultural centers of St. Petersburg and Moscow?
In Ekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, and Krasnoyarsk fresh artist-in-residence initiatives are developing, striving for international cultural exchange.

Read more here

3 Convictions
September 2013, Moscow
DK-ZIL, Gridchin Hall, Guslitsa, Moscow Union of Exhibition Halls

No conviction - No residence. Convictions were at stake during a intensive working visit of Dutch and Russian artist-in-residence initiators to several artist-in-residence centers in the Moscow region.

Read more here.

4 Hosting the Hosts
December 2013, Netherlands
DutchCulture| TransArtists invited Russian artist-in-residence hosts to the Netherlands, 11-15 December 2013. They were hosted by artist-in-residence centers throughout the country. Read here more about this inspiring exchange of Russian and Dutch artist-in-residence potential, the discussions, visits and the Creart seminar "Shifting Artist-in-Residence Strategies".

Read more here.

Conclusions

In Russia an enormous eagerness exists to use the expertise from elsewhere, but in an independent way, in a way that suits and matches with the Russian, local contexts and ideas. This creates fruitful ground for mutual exchange and collaboration.

Some features of "the Russian artist-in-residence way" stand out:

• Private Initiative
  Most of the sustainable artist-in-residence programs are private initiatives: they are initiated and also sometimes funded with private money. The private ownership and initiative guarantees a degree of autonomy, a creative zone of relative freedom from bureaucracy and governmental interference. Private ownership works from conviction and also raises interesting questions concerning commercial use or financing of artist-in-residence.
   
• Tool
  Artist-in-residence is often regarded as a tool, not just as an artistic means in itself. AiR is seen as an instrument for development of an urban or a rural community, a heritage site, education, ecology, agriculture. This raises interesting questions concerning the value of the artistic endeavor and the freedom of the artist: how to find a balance between AiR as a tool and AiR as a free space for art?
   
• Connection
  Artist-in-residence is regarded as an important way to connect to the international world of contemporary art, not so much as an extra addition to the cultural infrastructure but as an essential part and even condition of the existence, and survival, of local cultural infrastructure.

Workshop and presentation at PRO ARTE institute St. Petersburg, 11 April 2012

Manual Mutual AiR Impulse

How is the artist-in-residence concept applied in Russia?
Download here the Russian manual, produced by Trans Artists and the Russian ArtresideRUS platform.

арт ресиденц свободное места
artist-in-residence = free zone

Tendencies & Intentions
Read here all about the current Russian artist-in-residence potential in an article by curator Georgi Nikich.

What about artist-in-residence potential in Russia?
In June 2010 a group of Russian artist-in-residence experts and initiators boosted the artist-in-residence potential in Russia by organizing an excellent, three-day symposium at Senezh and Moscow.
Artist in Residence:

• Tourism?
• Culture?
• Gentrification?

Trans Artists was invited to participate. The symposium generated the long-term Mutual artist-in-residence Impulse project 2012-2013. Read more here.

Collaboration
Mutual AiR Impulse was a collaboration of
DutchCulture|TransArtists with Russian
partners:

AMK, Association of Cultural Managers, Moscow
Gridchin Hall, Moscow
Guslitsa Art Center
PROEKT_Fabrika, Moscow
PRO ARTE St. Petersburg
NCCA Kronstadt residency
Zvizchi residency, Nikola-Lenivetz
Netherlands Institute St. Petersburg
Loft Project ETAZHI, St. Petersburg
Center for Independent Sociological Research, St. Petersburg
Center for Design Artplay, Moscow
Cultural Transit, Yekaterinburg
SPAR, Pushkinskaya-10, St. Petersburg
Siberian Center for Contemporary Art, Novosibirsk

Thank you!

Mutual AiR Impulse 2012-2013 was generously supported by:
         

The Russian Culture Fund of the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds
Netherlands Embassy, Moscow
Archpolis
Wilhelmina E. Jansen Foundation
Mondriaan Foundation
NLRF 2013