This page captures some of the discussion concerning the purpose of artist residencies, explored during the Building A Better Residency conversation event. The initial prompts offered to the room for discussion included the following questions:
- What does a flexible residency look like?
- Residencies with outcomes vs. residencies with no expectations of a result
- How do residencies relate to commissions and other funding?
- How can an international residency be authentically imbedded?
Click here to return to the main overview of the day.
| When and why are we specific? | Residencies for producers | How to know about residencies? – Creative Scotland ops – Arts Admin – LAUK |
| Intensive commitment to project / or element | Time away from capitalism | I hate insta[gram] but I feel like I hold into it because so many opportunities are advertised on it |
| Part-time residencies? | ‘Checking in’ not always helpful, optional is best. Some artists not ready to interact till the end | There can be a fetishisation of the development process |
| Could they be used to gain new skills? | Re-negotiation of the residency as ‘essential’ to the artistic process. Isolation / incubation / containment being both right and wrong | Live art approaches need flexibility with access and function |
| R&D or retreat? | Expectations of artists and what to expect good to include in callout | Helpful for flexibility in organisations saying they’re production house or lab – can support with what do you need to work? |
| Ask the artist – do you need a deadline, schedule, someone to watch you, to be alone? Big audience? | Organisations should commit less to a style of support | Partnerships? Multiple strands of support |