Last week I went to a talk about Artists Residencies. Here are some of the notes I took.
A good website to know about is by Alliance of Artists Communities.
There are 10,000 residency opportunities in the US, and it's very competitive.
Without naming the program names, here is what the four presenters shared with us:
Residency #1 - 9 weeks long summer only and they provide room and board, bring your own art materials. 10 slides in application. Follow directions on website.
Residency #2 - 3000 applicants/600 spots/55 each week. 15 full fellowships each month. Rare that people pay full price. Flexible schedule if you need to reschedule. Up to 20 images in application, show up to 4 initially, 4 seconds.
Residency #3 - Oct - May = 7 months, 1000 applicants/8 new fellows/8 returning. Studio and living space and stipend.
Residency #4 - 2400 applicants/250 accepted, 2-8 weeks. "artists excellence" "freshness" "uniqueness of voice" Project proposal, though you don't have to do it if accepted. They want to see focus. 8 images in application including 1-2 details/installation shots, 12 seconds, 4 images shown at a time. Recent work.
Misc comments:
"There's a pool of 200 artists who are making the acceptance decisions nation-wide. Think about who the people are who are looking at your app/images."
"We want you to succeed" call with questions.
Don't copy and paste your application about why you want to get in to a specific residency in every app. Customize it!
"Nothing is free" there's always a cost to attending any residency whether it's the cost of the residency, travel, art materials, loss of income, etc.
"Don't let $$$ stop you from applying."
"Keep applying"
In choosing a residency, think about:
What product will you be creating?
What process will you be working in?
Do you have a desired location?
Do you want to connect with other artists or be alone?
Do you want feedback about your art?
