ARTIST RESIDENCY
10.1. INTENT FRAMEWORK FOR A RESIDENCY MODAL No two artist-in-residence programs are the same. Each program has its own background and atmosphere. Some focus on artists from only one discipline of the arts, most offer facilities for any discipline: visual arts, literature, music, culinary arts, creatives, innovators, philosophers, performing arts, architecture, design, dance. The settings vary greatly from urban spaces, rural villages, container ships to deep in nature. Working periods also differ enormously: from two weeks to six months. The scale of these residencies can vary enormously from nano residencies hosting a single artist to large scale ones hosting upto 50 artists at a time. The purpose and aim of each residency is also laid out differently. The relationship between the resident and the host community is often an important aspect of a residency program. Sometimes residents become quite involved in a community - giving presentations, workshops, or collaborating with local artists or the general public. At other times, they are quite secluded, with ample time to focus and investigate their own practice. 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, other, more established artists take ‘time out’ to go on a residency or see the residency as a mid-career break. Hence, their expectations out of the program also differ largely. Thus, there is no single model of residency and it is necessary to elaborate on the above highlighted points to define a model of artist residency. The expectations of each residency out of artists also varies, some expect artists to produce outcomes such as exhibitions, performances etc. While some do not expect any such final product from the artist. Thus, all the above factors need to be addressed to define the modal of the residency to be proposed in order to decide the intent, user group and to formulate the program etc.
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