April 17, 2025 • 42 mins
Have you ever wondered what exactly an artist residency is and whether it might be the missing piece in your creative journey? In this comprehensive guide, Ty Nathan Clark takes you through everything you need to know about these transformative opportunities.
Artist residencies aren't just retreats—they're powerful creative accelerators that provide dedicated time, space, and freedom to focus exclusively on your work. From rural sanctuaries nestled in nature to dynamic urban studios, these programs offer artists the chance to step away from daily distractions and immerse themselves in their practice.
The benefits extend far beyond a change of scenery. Residencies foster creative growth through uninterrupted studio time, expose you to new perspectives in unfamiliar environments, build valuable professional networks, provide access to specialized equipment and mentorship, and can significantly enhance your artistic credibility. As one resident reflected, "I left with the certainty that I'm an artist with a commitment to the creative life that I've never since questioned."
Finding the right residency requires understanding what you need. Do you crave rural peace or urban energy? Are you seeking community or solitude? Can you self-fund, or do you need financial support? From fully-funded career-makers like Skowhegan and MacDowell to self-directed retreats, there's something for every artist at every career stage—you just need to know where to look and how to successfully apply.
Ty shares insider tips for crafting winning applications: be specific about your plans, showcase your strongest recent work, explain why this moment and this particular residency are right for you, and always follow application guidelines meticulously. For those who secure a residency, he offers practical advice on preparing materials, absorbing your surroundings before diving into work, and documenting your experience.
Whether you're considering your first residency application or looking to elevate your approach, this episode provides the knowledge and inspiration to take this meaningful step in your artistic journey. Ready to transform your practice through new experiences, connections, and creative freedom?
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@justmakeartpodcast @tynathanclark @nathanterborg
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
What in the world is an artist residency?
Have any of you out there everdone an artist residency?
I know we have gotten a numberof questions over the last two
years from artists all over theworld that're asking questions
about how do I get into anartist residency?
What is an artist residency?
Will an artist residency helpmy career?
(00:31):
There's so many questions on aregular basis.
So today I'm flying solo TyNathan Clark here as Nathan
Turborg is working steadily inhis studio back in Minneapolis.
I am here in my faux studio inmy garage while my new studio is
being built.
I know we talked about thatlast week a little bit, so we
(00:56):
are making do with our time asI'm waiting for my new space to
be finished and the loudconstruction that's going on
every day until sundown.
So I'm here with you today totalk about artist residency, so
we're going to go on a reallydeep dive into this subject.
That is certainly a part,should be a part and can be a
part of your artist life andcareer.
So if you have ever wonderedwhat exactly is an artist
(01:19):
residency, are residencies worthit for your art career, what
types of residencies exist outthere and how do you actually
land one, or what do I even doduring a residency?
Well, stick around, listen up,because I'm going to cover all
of these topics and more in thisepisode.
Let's start with the basics.
(01:40):
What actually is an artistresidency?
Well, it's actually a programthat's designed to give artists
like you time, space and freedomto just solely focus on your
work, often in a brand newenvironment, away from the
day-to-day distractions of yourusual life.
That could be somewhere in yourcity, it could be in your
(02:01):
county, it could be in anotherstate or country, often in a
brand new environment, away fromthe day-to-day distractions of
your usual life.
It's trying to take yousomewhere new, a place that
leaves all the distractions thatyou have at home in your studio
, with your regular life, andbring you into a new climate, a
(02:23):
new culture, a new place, a newlocation, a new space, all those
things.
So it's just giving you thatopportunity to bring new life
and new experimentation and newideas into your practice.
And so residencies are usuallyhosted by organizations like
galleries, museums, nonprofits,universities or even private
(02:45):
patrons that would be providingfor you, the artist, a studio,
possible living quarters, sharedor just for you.
Sometimes they'll cover mealsand food.
Possibly there are stipends orscholarships that help pay for
your food or your supplies, oreven travel reimbursements,
depending on the specificresidency, and in return,
(03:07):
artists might be asked tocontribute to the community
through talks or lectures.
Open studios where you allowthe community to come in and see
what you're working on.
Maybe you work with a localschool or art programs and do
classes for them in your studioduring your time.
Some offer exhibitions, somejust simply ask you to share in
(03:29):
the creative process, and partof this most times is the artist
also if there is some type ofstipend, fellowship or
scholarship involved, leaving awork of art behind from what
you've created as a donation tothat collection.
So, in short, a residency is aninvitation for you, the artist,
to come explore, experiment andevolve and grow in your work.
(03:51):
It's a great place to do that.
Let's take a quick look at thehistory of artist residencies.
They're not a modern invention.
Their roots date back forcenturies.
Ancient courts in China, egyptand India actually supported
artists who lived and worked inthe royal households.
That's how you get so many ofthe incredible ancient imagery
(04:13):
and artistry that has existed inthese massive mausoleums or
king's courts or emperor'spalaces and things.
A lot of times those weresupported artists that lived
there and created those thingsfor those households.
And then, in the 16th century,art academies like the Accademia
del Designo in Florence starteddoing residencies, and doing it
(04:37):
within the academy itself forartists.
And then move on to the 17thcentury and the French Prix de
Rome gave artists scholarshipsto refine their craft in Italy.
So they sent them over to Italyto refine their craft in Rome.
And then, if you move forward acouple centuries to the 19th
century, rural artists colonieslike Vorpsfeld in Germany
(04:58):
allowed creatives to gather,collaborate and draw inspiration
from nature.
And then in the 1960s, groupslike the UK's Artist Placement
Group were embedding artistsdirectly into industries and
institutions.
And then, in modern culture, aglobal boom in modern
residencies just exploded,designed not just for making art
(05:20):
but also for cross-culturalexchange and community
engagement.
That is the type of residencythat most of you will end up
taking part in, especially inthe early stages of applying for
residencies and actuallygetting accepted into them.
Here's the big question.
Here's the one that we get allthe time why should I apply to
(05:41):
an artist residency, and shouldI even be applying?
Artist residencies offer arange of personal and
professional benefits.
They're broad, they're all overthe map and we'll talk about
those in a minute.
And I would say, does aresidency help your career?
Well, there are specificresidencies that will absolutely
(06:01):
help your career, and thenthere are a whole heap of
residencies that will help yourgrowth as an artist.
I would never look at aresidency as a stepping stone
for you as an artist to get intogalleries and to get into
museums and things, becausethose residencies are really,
really small.
(06:22):
That's a short list, butthere's a massive list of
residencies that are out therefor you to apply to, to go,
actually grow in your work, bearound other artists and take
risks in a new place, in a newenvironment Something that
Nathan and I talk about all thetime.
That risk-taking and thatrisk-making and experimenting
(06:42):
Sometimes it's really hard to doin your own studio and it's a
whole lot easier to do in a newplace, a new location with new
people, new sites and sounds.
And so here's a few of thebenefits that a residency could
offer you.
Like I said, creative growth,that gift of uninterrupted time
and space right, we all knowwhat that means.
(07:04):
Interrupted time and spaceright, we all know what that
means.
It can take your practice fromconcept to completion.
Having time that is notinterrupted by your everyday
life, back at home, in anotherstudio, in another place, it
just opens up a freedom.
It's almost as if time doesn'texist.
In those moments, you don'thave to be somewhere, go
somewhere, take care of thisthing, you're just working.
(07:24):
You're just doing things.
Also, I truly believeresidencies will bring you a new
perspective.
I've lived all over the world,I've traveled all over the world
, I've done residencies all overthe world.
There's nothing greater thanworking in an unfamiliar
environment.
I just think it just opens upso many things and opens up our
(07:44):
imagination and shifts us,shifts our creative mindset,
into this new space.
I mean, if you're internationalin a place you've never been
before, you're going to have newfoods, new smells, new
languages, new views of nature.
I mean, all of that stuff willabsolutely work its way in and
(08:06):
give you new perspectives withinyour work.
It happens every time.
Here's a big one, here's amassive one, something we always
talk about.
The importance of networking asan artist.
Right, we know we need to buildour network, we need to know
other artists, we need to knowother people in the art world,
and this is a great great pieceof most residencies is that you
(08:27):
may be working with otherartists there.
So there are plenty ofresidencies that have five
artists there at a time, 10artists there at a time, three
artists at a time.
You're able to network and getto know artists from other
cultures and other communitiesin your time away you just can't
beat that and curators,gallerists, collectors,
(08:50):
sometimes critics depending onthe level of the residency, you
may have a mentor that isavailable to you for the entire
time of your residency that willspend time with you outside of
the studio or inside of thestudio critiquing work, talking
about work, talking about thatart world journey.
I mean that's pricelessSometimes, those moments that
(09:10):
build your network that lastsforever.
Experimentation Sometimes youhave access to specialized
equipment and, like I said,mentorship that can help you
learn new skills and techniques.
There are residencies that havemid-career artists connected
them who are either alumni orthey're connected to the network
(09:31):
within that residency and theyoffer their time to come work
with the artists hands-on in thestudio, trying to learn
something, getting that help.
I mean just knowledge andwisdom that you won't get on
your own.
Professional recognition when Italked about that small, short
list of the big residencies.
Getting a spot in a prestigiousresidency looks absolutely
(09:56):
fabulous on your CV and it willopen doors for future
opportunities.
If you get into one of the bigones, it will do something.
You're connected to an alumnigroup.
That is pretty true to theother alumni who have been a
part of that residency.
But oftentimes those programswill have visiting curators and
gallerists and authors, writers,critics that are coming in
(10:19):
during the time in the residencyjust to look at who's next.
Who can I offer a spot on myroster?
Who can I bring in?
Who can I write about?
So just know that the bigresidencies on the shortlist can
absolutely help you.
Personal transformation, as awriter, jhumpa Lahiri once said
(10:40):
about her residency experience.
I left with the certainty thatI'm a writer with a commitment
to the creative life that I'venever since questioned or
doubted.
I'm telling you, when you gointo another culture and you're
there just making art and reallyfeeling at one with that
culture and the language and thesites and the sounds and the
tastes and all that stuff,there's this constant certainty
(11:04):
that exists around you, thatreally fills into your soul.
I am an artist, I am doing this, I am in it.
I've just committed a month ofmy time, three months of my time
, six months of my time,whatever to just making art.
It really does fill you up withthat feeling of I am an artist.
I am doing this.
(11:26):
One other thing is a lot ofresidencies will have an
exhibition at the end and, evenif they don't offer an
exhibition at the end, ask ifyou can have an exhibition at
the end If it's connected to agallery or has a space.
Maybe they're connected to acafe or somebody who has a space
locally.
You just added another line onyour resume, so you already
(11:47):
added the residency itself onyour resume, and then you end up
adding an exhibition as well,possibly in another country.
That's fantastic.
You just got an internationalexhibition on your resume.
So, like we say all the time,you want to continue to fill
your resume with exhibitions,solo or group exhibitions.
(12:08):
You want those lines to fill.
Most of us have a real short,small CV.
It's tiny.
We want to fill those linesevery year with different things
.
All right, how do I apply foran artist residency?
Well, no, two artist residencyapplications are the same.
I will tell you that right nowthey are purposely all have
(12:30):
their own application process,and there's a reason for this.
They want to make sure that youare paying attention, that you
really want to be a part of thisprogram and that you really
will be able to fill the time inyour residency with a plan.
This is how they weed out thepeople who just want to go hang
(12:50):
out somewhere.
Most residencies have a certainnumber of people that accept
every year, could be everyquarter, could be every year,
maybe it's just once a year.
It just depends on the level ofthe residency.
Some are open all year.
We'll talk about those in aminute.
So the application process isgoing to be pretty stringent.
There's going to be a lot ofdifferent questions that they
(13:10):
ask you Artist statement, yourbio, why should you be at this
residency?
What is it about this residencythat drew you in?
What is your plan for whileyou're here?
And it's going to give you alimit of characters or words for
each one.
Now they want the people whoreally want to be there and can
really prove that they're goingto be able to create throughout
(13:32):
their entire time there and be agreat alumni for the program as
well.
So, number one be specific whenyou're filling out your
application.
Don't be vague when you'refilling out your application.
Don't be vague.
Residency jurors the personwho's going to read your
application and look at yourwork.
That could be a curator, couldbe a gallerist, it could be an
author, writer, it could bealumni, or it could be the
(13:54):
people who run the residency,the jurors.
They're the ones selecting.
They want to know exactly whatyou plan to work on during your
stay.
Don't just write I'm going topaint this, I'm going to sculpt
this.
No, really lay it out.
I will be working on a body ofwork that is titled X and
(14:14):
throughout this body of work,I'm experimenting with new ideas
.
These ideas have been this wayin my past work.
I'm moving on to the be reallyspecific.
If you're Nathan Turbor you'regoing to talk about while I'm at
the residency, I'm going to bescavenging the woods and looking
for bits and pieces of foundobjects that have been discarded
and laying in trash binsthroughout the city.
(14:35):
I'm going to be gathering thesethings and next I want my work,
while I'm here, to alsorepresent the city that I'm in
or the countryside where I'mstaying.
Represent the city that I'm inor the countryside where I'm
staying.
Explain all of those things ingreat detail.
You want to draw them in.
Then, when they look at yourwork which I'll talk about in a
minute because you'll beuploading work they can kind of
marry those ideas.
(14:56):
Oh, wow, they'd be a great fitfor this residency.
Focus on your work, not justyour resume.
Your portfolio will speaklouder than your CV, okay, so
upload your strongest work,whether it's sold before or
whether you still have it in thestudio.
They may ask for five images.
They may ask for 10 images.
They may ask for 20 images.
(15:16):
Make sure that you do all 10,all 20, all five.
Don't just do two.
When they ask for 10, do 10.
Show your strongest work.
Don't just do two.
When they ask for 10, do 10.
Show your strongest work.
Don't go back 15 years, don'tgo back eight years.
Show your strongest currentwork so they have a really good
idea of where you're going.
You're gonna have to explain tothem as well why now.
Why is this the right moment intime for you, the artist, to
(15:40):
embark on this residency?
This residency is a great fitfor Ty Nathan Clark right now,
because he is currently workingon this, and the community
guidelines that you talk aboutin your vision statement marry
exactly the way I work in thecommunity here and with artists
abroad.
Also explain why this residency.
(16:03):
Focus on them.
Do your research.
Don't just read it in thelittle caption that says this is
what it's about.
Go to the residency website.
Look at their past alumni.
Look at the type of artiststhat they're usually accepting
into the program.
What do they stand for?
What is important to them as aresidency or as a governing body
important to them as aresidency or as a governing body
(16:29):
?
Explain why.
Show that jury, why theirspecific program resonates with
your goals as an artist and becommunity-minded.
Many residencies are involvedwith shared spaces or
collaborative opportunities withthe community.
Show how you're open toengaging with their community
and the community abroad, andgive examples of ways you have
done that in the past.
I just applied for a residencythis week and they asked give us
(16:53):
an outline of communityengagement ideas that you would
do during the residency, becausethe residents need to give up
to four to six hours a week oftime to the local art community,
so they want to know what typesof things would you do to
engage with the local community.
Okay, here's the most importantpart.
I want you to really listen tothis carefully.
(17:15):
Follow the guidelines.
Follow every guideline, theword count, the materials, the
deadlines.
Follow them to the letter.
Being sloppy and not payingattention is a fast track to
(17:35):
rejection.
Take this to heart in anythingyou do.
If you apply to a group show,if you apply for a grant, follow
the guidelines.
If it says a one-page CV, donot upload a two-page PDF.
You may have to take stuff outto condense it to one page.
You can shrink your font,whatever you need to do.
Don't send two pages.
This is how a lot of places willweed out the big numbers.
(17:57):
Residencies don't have 15 or 20people that apply right.
Same thing with group shows andart shows.
There aren't just 20 peoplethat apply to group shows.
Sometimes there's 200,sometimes there's 2000,
depending on the competitivenessor the nature of the call being
once a year, twice a year,whatever.
So if you don't followdirections, most times your
(18:20):
stuff won't even be looked at.
Corrections most times yourstuff won't even be looked at.
It'll just go in the trash andit will save that jury time from
going through 200 applicationsand weeding it down to 140, 150.
Make sure word count that says200 words don't have 400 words.
Most will cut it off and won'tlet you do, but some will just
be open, follow it, so you mayhave to have different
(18:40):
iterations of your artiststatement, a short version of
your bio, all those things.
Deadlines Don't apply after thedeadline.
They all have deadlines.
Every single residency, everysingle show that you apply for
has a deadline.
Pay attention so that if it'ssomething you really want to
apply for, you're not applyingthe night of or the next day.
Here's a big one Labeling yourartwork.
(19:04):
Sometimes in the instructionsnot all the time, but most times
it will give you detail onexactly how they want your file
labeled.
Okay, normally, if you don'tlabel your files after you
upload your photo of yourartwork and label up the title
and the scale, which I do mostof the time Anytime I edit a
(19:25):
photograph and it goes into afolder on my computer, it has
the title and then it has anunderscore and then it has the
scale.
That way I can find it easily.
A lot of times residencies willask for it to be in the order
of last name, first name, titleof work.
This way, when they'redownloading everything, they
know where Ty Nathan Clark'spaintings are that go with this
(19:47):
application.
So make sure you pay attentionto that.
If you do not know how to labelyour images that are probably
65WZ4.jpg, look it up.
Do a quick Google search.
It'll show you how to go inthere and relabel your artwork
so that you are following thedirections.
Because I'm telling you, if yousend, if you upload 20 pieces
(20:09):
and there isn't a next page thatlets you label each one and it
says please label your work likethis and you don't do it, going
in the trash bin.
Moving on to the next artist.
So follow the guidelines, paystrict attention to everything.
I already said this above, butI'm going to say it again
research and ask questionsbefore you apply.
(20:30):
Understand the residency'smission and offerings and make
sure you're a good fit.
Why it costs money to apply toresidencies?
They're usually between 1515and $45.
That's an average Actually, Iwould say that's the majority is
in that range.
There are some that are more.
There may be specific reasonsthat they're more.
(20:52):
They shouldn't be more, butthere are residencies that are
more.
So just so you know beforeapplying, understand that you're
paying.
Don't apply to something you'renot a good fit for.
If you're a beginning artist,do not apply to a residency that
is accepting mid-career artistsyou will not get in.
Don't waste that money.
(21:12):
I know money is thin for a lotof us artists, so, applying to
things, we either have itbudgeted or it's kind of a risk
right, it's really a financialrisk for us to do it.
So, please, research,understand everything that goes
into that residency, from thestudio space, from the living
quarters.
Do they give stipends that theyoffer things?
(21:33):
Do they match financialassistance in any way?
Do they have scholarships forthose that have financial
hardships?
Yes, a lot of them do.
So make sure to research and askquestions.
If you don't understandsomething, send an email and
just ask.
Reach out to some of the alumniwho have been there before.
Most residencies link to theartists who have been alumni.
(21:54):
Ask questions about it and alsopractice your interview skills.
There's a possibility that youcould have to have an interview
stage for a residency.
They don't all do this.
The bigger ones do.
If you are a emerging artist orsoon to be mid-career artist or
even mid-career artist, justknow, if it's a big residency,
(22:15):
there's probably an interviewstage and there may be two or
three.
There may be a virtual studiovisit or a physical studio visit
before they accept you.
So practice with your friend.
Practice with somebody and havethem ask you questions.
Do a virtual studio visit withanother artist.
I mean, I think it's a greatthing for you to do anyways is
practice talking about your work.
(22:36):
Set up your studio, have one ofyour friends come in and ask
you questions.
You walk around and have workready to show and talk about the
work, just like it's maybe acurator or a residency director
or a gallerist doing aninterview with you to see if
you're a right fit.
Once they narrow down, someresidencies will take those 200
or 2000, narrow it down to 10,and they're picking five.
(22:57):
Practice.
It's always great to practice.
Okay, choosing the rightresidency for you.
Not all residencies are the same.
They are all different All ofthem.
Some offer solitude, othersthrive on community interaction.
Do you not like solitude?
You probably want to dosomething that has a lot of
(23:19):
community.
Do you not like community anddoing a lot of things with a big
group of people?
Then you might want somethingthat offers solitude.
There are some that areself-directed and others that
have structured programs.
What does self-directed mean?
That means you fly in, you getto the space, they show you
around.
Then you're on your own for thewhole month.
You're doing everythingyourself.
(23:41):
There's no mentoring, there'sno help.
You have a space to stay.
You got a place to live, aplace to work and it's just you
making art, self-directed.
You're leading yourself onceyou're there.
Others have structured programswhere there may be five artists
that are there in the studioand in the apartment and staying
there with you, and everymorning you meet for breakfast
(24:02):
and you talk about work and yougo through the things.
Then maybe you have studio timeand then lunch.
Then after studio time there'sa mentor or a speaker, somebody
that comes in and talks to thegroup or visits individual
studios, and so there'sstructure and then at the end
there's an exhibition andeverybody curates the exhibition
, as the artist in the residencyor somebody else does.
(24:23):
So some may have researchstructures or writing structures
.
It just depends on theresidency.
That's why you have to researchthem and look at them.
When you're researching, askyourself, what do I prefer?
Do I want rural peace somewherein the country or mountains, or
I want that urban energy, theenergy of a city?
I'll thrive in the city, but Ialso love being by the river or
(24:45):
the ocean and up in themountains.
Am I seeking community or do Ineed quiet?
Do I just need a couple ofweeks of solitude where there's
just nobody bothering me, causeI live in the thriving city and
I just need to get out?
It's going to help my wellbeing.
I need that.
Do I need financial support?
Can I cover this residency?
Okay, some residencies havecosts Most of them do.
(25:06):
You're almost always going tohave to pay for your travel.
If it's one of the majorresidencies that's on that short
list, they may have a travelrefund, but most of the time
you're going to pay for yourtravel and then, if you have a
place to stay, you're probablygonna have to pay for your food
and get your supplies there.
Yes, you're gonna have to takeyour supplies, unless they're in
a city and you can buyeverything there, but then, once
(25:27):
you're done with your work,you're either gonna have to ship
your work back home or fly withit.
So those are definite majorthings to think about.
Am I willing to self-fund this?
Maybe there's an artorganization locally near you
that will match your funds.
You can apply for a grant,possibly with that local art
organization.
Not always, but can I supportmyself doing this?
(25:50):
That's a great question to askand always, always, double check
the fine print aboutaccommodation, equipment and any
expectations that the host mayhave, like those open studio
days or artist talks.
Okay, so make sure that you'relooking at everything.
Research, research, research sothat you know.
(26:11):
Check those terms, check theexpectations of the artist.
There are some that require youto work two days a week in the
garden because they're actuallyproviding your food, and what
they expect for you when they'reproviding the food is for you
to work two days a week in thegarden because they're actually
providing your food, and whatthey expect for you when they're
providing the food is for youto help in the garden or help on
the ground, something like that.
Everybody has some sort ofexpectations, especially if
(26:32):
they're paying for a portion ofyou to be a part of their
residency.
So residencies themselves comein multiple sizes.
Right?
I talked about the differentones that might be run by
organizations or galleries ormuseums.
So your basic level residencyis going to be fully funded by
the artist You're paying forevery cent of it.
(26:54):
Most of these residencies areopen all year long.
They're basically like aglorified Airbnb for artists.
They can be anywhere.
They can be in Greece, on amountain looking over the ocean.
They can be up in Italy andFlorence, somewhere in the hills
, some maybe the Alps.
They could be in New York City,and it's basically you're
paying for your own room andboard and your own studio and
(27:16):
you're self-directed.
You're doing it on their own.
It's somebody that's providinga place.
A lot of times these could beartists who just have extra
space.
It could be a group of friendswho just love art and they've
created this space for artiststo come and work, but they can't
afford to pay for the artiststo come.
The next level is going to besomething that has some type of
funding and it's usuallyconnected to an arts
(27:40):
organization.
It could be a smaller gallery,it could be a curator or an art
dealer.
It could be an artist who's hada lot of success and they're
going to pay for your room stay.
They'll give you an apartmentor maybe it's a house and they
give you a studio to work in.
You're covering everything else.
You're covering your travel,you're covering your food and
your supplies.
Another level would besomething that is maybe
(28:01):
connected to a bigger museum ormaybe a bigger arts organization
.
It could be government funded,depending on the country that
has a big arts governmentsubsidy, and so they are
connected to different things,and those usually will match
travel pay or will give you astipend, maybe a little bit of
money every week to help forfood or to reimburse you for
(28:24):
travel.
Those will usually have anexhibition at the end.
A lot of those the biggest oneout there is going to be a fully
funded residency.
Every single bit of it isfunded by the organization.
I'll name a couple of these inthe end here they're the big
dogs.
They're the ones that willabsolutely build your career.
The network, the community, thementors, the alumni, the
(28:45):
teachers and instructors and thestaff.
They're all the type of personthat has the gusto in the art
world that can help take yourcareer another level.
Residencies, mentorship,guidance and every form of art
world function is a part ofthose residencies, and they're
fantastic.
I apply to them all the time.
(29:05):
I've never gotten in one yet,but I'm going to apply until I
do.
How in the world do I find theseresidencies?
This was a big question that Ihad years ago, so I got online
and I did my due diligence andresearch so that I could share
it with you today.
It took me forever.
What I did is I found everylittle site I could find that
(29:27):
had residencies listed.
And what did I do?
I went through every single oneof them, from A to Z, and I
created a spreadsheet that hadall of the residencies that I
would love to get into somedayand I made notes.
Location, length of theresidency Residencies can be two
(29:59):
weeks, one week a month, threemonths, six months a year.
Plenty of universities andcolleges around the world that
are doing year-long residenciesto be there and you're going to
teach classes or you're going tohave open studios and you're
going to feed into the studentnetwork and the student body
there and do some instructionand community building.
They exist.
There are three or residenciesout there.
A lot of those are researchwhich.
There are research residenciesout there.
(30:19):
If you're a curator, if you arean art writer, if you are an art
critic, there are residenciesfor you.
Art writer, if you are an artcritic, there are residencies
for you.
There's a residency foreverything in the arts sculpture
, dance, photography,installation, video, I mean, you
name it film.
There are residencies out therefor everything.
You just have to search forthem.
(30:40):
So, anyways, I made my list andI'm going to share with you
right now, my favorite person.
There are plenty of great onesout there, but these are my
personal favorite resources forfinding artists' residencies.
Okay, artendanet, this is myabsolute favorite resource for
artists' residencies, so I foundit a few years ago.
(31:02):
I subscribe.
There is a subscription fee.
It is not that much monthly.
It's really low.
But the thing that I love aboutit, as you can see, you have
all the opportunities herelisted, so you have competitions
, art grants, fellowships,residencies, open calls, public
art projects.
You can go through and selectany one of those.
So I'm going to go to residenceseries here.
I'm just going to show you realquick and I can select any
(31:25):
field.
Right, like I told you heretextile art, sound photography,
ceramics, graphic literaturethere's residencies for
everything.
But I love that I can go aheadand look at these residencies
from deadline first, which mostwill have, but I can add them to
my agenda so I can save themfor later.
That's one hard thing with alot of the other sites is,
(31:47):
unless you have a subscription,you can't really save it.
So I used to add them to myspreadsheets.
I don't want to pay to save anyof them, but if I add it to my
agenda and I go to my agenda.
I can now go through and lookat everything that it tells me
about this residency, where itis the eligibility for residents
of the US.
(32:08):
Only it will tell youGerman-speaking artists, only
French-speaking artists.
Only It'll tell you theconditions previous alumni
documents.
You need the address.
It's a one-year residency.
You get a studio.
Rent is free.
It gives you all thatinformation.
Then you can go to the websiteand check it out.
(32:29):
Research Do your research, readall this.
Then go through and go to thelink and check it out before you
apply.
Another site that I loveTransArtists Great database here
.
Find your residency database.
Here.
Find your residency.
(32:50):
You can search by themedeadlines, open calls.
You can pull up a map, right,and you can view the whole map
and look at any region aroundthe world.
And then you can go here from A.
Like I told you, I've done this.
I've gone from A to Z and I'veopened up every single one of
these and I've looked at themall.
Resartist another great one.
You can go ahead and exploreopen calls here for residencies.
You can choose by country.
They're in the middle.
If you'd like to, it's going tolist them all by photo.
(33:14):
Another easy way to rule outones that you may not be
interested in.
If you thought, oh man, thisroom looks comfortable, I'd love
to stay here.
You find one that doesn't looktoo fantastic, you can go ahead
and skip that.
I also keep all my inventoryand artwork archive and they
actually have a call andsubmissions over here on the
left ruler guide, on the leftside, and they will have a bunch
(33:37):
of opportunities and thingsover here and so I can go to
find calls and I can startlooking at all the residencies
that are listed over here on theleft art fairs, competitions,
all that stuff.
That saying, there are plentyof sites with a lot of fantastic
information.
So a lot of places to do yourresearch, a lot of places to
(34:01):
kind of get a good grip on whatresidencies are out there.
Artendanet is my favorite thatI subscribe to.
I absolutely love it.
I'm probably on it every week,but res artists, trans artists,
are fantastic.
Artist Communities Alliance isanother one.
There are numerous out there.
All you have to do is look upartist residencies on Google and
(34:22):
just scroll through.
But I love Artenda.
So I just want to give you alittle bit of closing advice
here before I move on to myfinal thoughts.
If you land a residency, I'vehad a lot of artists in the past
say well, what do I do?
What's the best way to reallyget the most out of the
residency?
And I'll say a few things here.
(34:42):
Number one if you're doing amonth or three month residency,
don't start working the secondyou get there.
A lot of artists will just gettheir setup and just start
working right away.
I have found for me that if I'mgoing to a new location, a new
country, a new place that I'venever been before, I want to
feel it.
I really want to feel the soulof where I am.
(35:05):
I was in a residency with a fewof my former mentees last year
south of St John's, newfoundland, in a little town called Pooch
Cove, right on the coast.
And that's one of the thingsthat I advise to everybody Feel
free to get your stuff set up,but don't start working right
away.
Go on some hikes.
Go sit by the ocean, spend sometime writing and smelling the
salt and the ocean air andfeeling the wind on your face,
(35:27):
watching the white caps crash onthe rocks.
Take some hikes in the woods.
Spend some time just feelingand existing.
Let's go eat some local food.
Let's do some things as acommunity before you really
start creating Cause I canguarantee you what you think
you're going to do and you'llget there with shift.
I'm not saying your work'stotally going to shift, but you
may have ideas that completelyshift.
(35:48):
You want those new experiencesto really fill you in a way that
it comes out in your work, inthe studio while you're there.
So spend some time.
Spend some time walking alone,solitude and silence, just
thinking about where you are.
If it's in the city, go cruisethe city at its busiest point.
Go find the places that arepopping and just observe.
(36:11):
Sit at a cafe, have a cup ofcoffee and just watch.
If you're in the country, getout in nature.
Do some hikes.
Go sit amongst the trees, feeleverything, feel the grass, feel
the trees.
Walk barefoot, do something,just feel your surroundings.
It will influence your work.
So that's my big tip forresidencies.
Also, if you are traveling, Iprep.
(36:34):
I've been prepping canvasbefore I go, especially if I'm
going to work bigger.
I have a snowboard bag and Iprep all my canvases and I roll
them up.
I've brought stretcher bars inthe middle of the canvases
rolled up.
I've bought stretcher bars atplaces middle of the canvases
rolled up.
I've bought stretcher bars atplaces where I've been.
I bring a few things that Ireally need, a few of my brushes
and tools that I really want touse that I'm not sure they may
(36:55):
have, and then if they have anart supply store there, I'll go
get some supplies when I getthere, or you can always ship
supplies to that location.
But just know, no matter whereyou go to a residency, you're
going to have to bring work backwith you, unless you plan on
leaving it all there.
Or if you're like my friendFrances Beattie, she does
(37:15):
everything that's site-specific.
So 90% of the projects that shedoes at a residency stay there.
They're all site-specific andshe uses found materials to
create them and they either gettorn down or they remain where
they were, where she createdthem, on site.
Plenty of ways to do what youwant to do, but I'm sure that
those of you who are painters,you're going to want to bring
work back with you.
So it's really easy to roll andbring work back with you,
(37:38):
unless you want to work small,but you still got to get it back
on a plane If you're in Europeor if you're in the US and you
have the ability to drive to aresidency, that is a great
option because you can takeeverything with you and bring it
all back, so things to reallythink about, and take a lot of
pictures when you're there, takevideo when you're there.
You want to remember it, youwant to bring it home with you.
(38:00):
All right.
A few final thoughts.
Artist residencies are morethan a place to just make art.
They can be powerful growthaccelerators.
Whether you're hoping to justpush creative boundaries, make
some new experiments and changesin your work, build a network
or gain life experience, theright residency can be a game
(38:22):
changer for your work and foryou as an artist.
I just want you to know youreally need to start with
clarity about doing a residency,know your goals, research
carefully, apply with purposeand be ready to embrace the
unexpected.
If you're not watching this onYouTube, I do share the screen
(38:42):
in this and kind of walk througha few of those websites.
You heard me say I'm going toshare my screen, so that's what
I'm doing on our video.
Also, on Spotify, we have videoas well.
I hope this was helpful.
If you have any questions,always send us a DM, you can
message us on Instagram, justmake art podcasts.
You can send us messages onYouTube or you can email us.
(39:02):
Whatever you want to do, reachout to us individually or me
individually.
Nathan's working on hopefullygetting some residencies soon,
in the next year or two.
Right, nathan?
Maybe you and I should do one.
Oh, one more residency I wantto mention I totally forgot
about this If you want to dojust your own residency, if you
want to get an Airbnb out in thewoods or in a city you really
want to travel to, you can dothat and call it a residency.
(39:27):
If you're going to work on work,it's just a self-directed
residency.
It's another form ofself-directed.
I've had plenty of artistfriends who have done that.
They just get an Airbnbsomewhere or they have a friend
that has a cabin or whatever andthey just go out there and they
bring all their art suppliesand they just go work for a week
or two weeks or three weeks andit can go on your resume
self-directed residency 2025,Skowogan, massachusetts.
(39:51):
Whatever you want to do, that'sfine.
That totally works.
All right, I told you I'd namesome of the major residencies
out there when I talked aboutthat short list.
Now these are all over theworld.
There are residencies all overthe world that are massive
career builders.
Most of our listeners are herein the US, majority of our
(40:12):
listeners, although we havelisteners, I think, in 170
countries now I mean, that'sinsane, that astounds me, that
floors me.
But for those in the US, andeven international because you
can apply to any of these in theUS as well these are the big
ones.
Skowhagen school of paintingand sculpture that's in
Skowhagen, maine.
I love Maine.
Want to do a residency in Maine?
Yeah, go the Chinati foundationin Marfa, texas, where I will
(40:36):
be participating, actually, atthe Marfa invitational coming up
in May.
So I cannot wait to visit theChinati foundation when I'm
there and see the work andDonald Judd's work and I'm so
excited.
The Whitney Museum of AmericanArt Independent Study Program
that's in New York.
The McDowell Colony, petersburg, new Hampshire.
The Oxbow Artists and WritersResidency that's in Saugatuck,
(40:59):
michigan.
The Bema Center forContemporary Arts in Omaha,
nebraska, are a few.
Those are a few of them.
There are more.
I've applied to every singleone of those except for the
Whitney, multiple, multiple,multiple times.
And I've applied to, I think,all of those except for the
Whitney this year as well.
So they're very competitive,but those are some game changers
(41:22):
right there.
Those are some game changers.
So, anyways, I hope, I hopethat you decide to apply to some
residencies and if you do andyou get accepted, let us know,
celebrate it.
Let us celebrate it with you.
They are one of the mostincredible life breathing,
storytelling experiences thatI've had, and I've done some in
(41:44):
the States and I've done someabroad in Europe.
I'll be in Poland this Septemberwith the residency.
I'm so excited I'll be there inthe hometown of one of my
former mentees and one of myclosest friends, kasia Krakicka,
in Poland, and so I willdefinitely be dropping down to
Berlin while I'm there as well,because I'm pretty sure Berlin
Art Week is in the first weekthat I am in Poland, so I plan
(42:07):
on going down that weekend tosee some art in Berlin.
If you're in Berlin, give me ashout.
I'd love to hang out.
If you're in Poland, give me ashout.
I'm going to be going to Warsawand Krakow to see some art, for
sure, and some galleries, so Iwould love to hang out with you
and grab some coffee or a glassof wine For Nathan Turborg and
Ty Nathan Clark.
Go make some art.
Any questions you have, we'dlove to answer them, and thank
(42:28):
you for being a part andlistening to the Just Make Art
podcast.
Bye.
What in the world is an artist residency?
Have any of you out there everdone an artist residency?
I know we have gotten a numberof questions over the last two
years from artists all over theworld that're asking questions
about how do I get into anartist residency?
What is an artist residency?
Will an artist residency helpmy career?
(00:31):
There's so many questions on aregular basis.
So today I'm flying solo TyNathan Clark here as Nathan
Turborg is working steadily inhis studio back in Minneapolis.
I am here in my faux studio inmy garage while my new studio is
being built.
I know we talked about thatlast week a little bit, so we
(00:56):
are making do with our time asI'm waiting for my new space to
be finished and the loudconstruction that's going on
every day until sundown.
So I'm here with you today totalk about artist residency, so
we're going to go on a reallydeep dive into this subject.
That is certainly a part,should be a part and can be a
part of your artist life andcareer.
So if you have ever wonderedwhat exactly is an artist
(01:19):
residency, are residencies worthit for your art career, what
types of residencies exist outthere and how do you actually
land one, or what do I even doduring a residency?
Well, stick around, listen up,because I'm going to cover all
of these topics and more in thisepisode.
Let's start with the basics.
(01:40):
What actually is an artistresidency?
Well, it's actually a programthat's designed to give artists
like you time, space and freedomto just solely focus on your
work, often in a brand newenvironment, away from the
day-to-day distractions of yourusual life.
That could be somewhere in yourcity, it could be in your
(02:01):
county, it could be in anotherstate or country, often in a
brand new environment, away fromthe day-to-day distractions of
your usual life.
It's trying to take yousomewhere new, a place that
leaves all the distractions thatyou have at home in your studio
, with your regular life, andbring you into a new climate, a
(02:23):
new culture, a new place, a newlocation, a new space, all those
things.
So it's just giving you thatopportunity to bring new life
and new experimentation and newideas into your practice.
And so residencies are usuallyhosted by organizations like
galleries, museums, nonprofits,universities or even private
(02:45):
patrons that would be providingfor you, the artist, a studio,
possible living quarters, sharedor just for you.
Sometimes they'll cover mealsand food.
Possibly there are stipends orscholarships that help pay for
your food or your supplies, oreven travel reimbursements,
depending on the specificresidency, and in return,
(03:07):
artists might be asked tocontribute to the community
through talks or lectures.
Open studios where you allowthe community to come in and see
what you're working on.
Maybe you work with a localschool or art programs and do
classes for them in your studioduring your time.
Some offer exhibitions, somejust simply ask you to share in
(03:29):
the creative process, and partof this most times is the artist
also if there is some type ofstipend, fellowship or
scholarship involved, leaving awork of art behind from what
you've created as a donation tothat collection.
So, in short, a residency is aninvitation for you, the artist,
to come explore, experiment andevolve and grow in your work.
(03:51):
It's a great place to do that.
Let's take a quick look at thehistory of artist residencies.
They're not a modern invention.
Their roots date back forcenturies.
Ancient courts in China, egyptand India actually supported
artists who lived and worked inthe royal households.
That's how you get so many ofthe incredible ancient imagery
(04:13):
and artistry that has existed inthese massive mausoleums or
king's courts or emperor'spalaces and things.
A lot of times those weresupported artists that lived
there and created those thingsfor those households.
And then, in the 16th century,art academies like the Accademia
del Designo in Florence starteddoing residencies, and doing it
(04:37):
within the academy itself forartists.
And then move on to the 17thcentury and the French Prix de
Rome gave artists scholarshipsto refine their craft in Italy.
So they sent them over to Italyto refine their craft in Rome.
And then, if you move forward acouple centuries to the 19th
century, rural artists colonieslike Vorpsfeld in Germany
(04:58):
allowed creatives to gather,collaborate and draw inspiration
from nature.
And then in the 1960s, groupslike the UK's Artist Placement
Group were embedding artistsdirectly into industries and
institutions.
And then, in modern culture, aglobal boom in modern
residencies just exploded,designed not just for making art
(05:20):
but also for cross-culturalexchange and community
engagement.
That is the type of residencythat most of you will end up
taking part in, especially inthe early stages of applying for
residencies and actuallygetting accepted into them.
Here's the big question.
Here's the one that we get allthe time why should I apply to
(05:41):
an artist residency, and shouldI even be applying?
Artist residencies offer arange of personal and
professional benefits.
They're broad, they're all overthe map and we'll talk about
those in a minute.
And I would say, does aresidency help your career?
Well, there are specificresidencies that will absolutely
(06:01):
help your career, and thenthere are a whole heap of
residencies that will help yourgrowth as an artist.
I would never look at aresidency as a stepping stone
for you as an artist to get intogalleries and to get into
museums and things, becausethose residencies are really,
really small.
(06:22):
That's a short list, butthere's a massive list of
residencies that are out therefor you to apply to, to go,
actually grow in your work, bearound other artists and take
risks in a new place, in a newenvironment Something that
Nathan and I talk about all thetime.
That risk-taking and thatrisk-making and experimenting
(06:42):
Sometimes it's really hard to doin your own studio and it's a
whole lot easier to do in a newplace, a new location with new
people, new sites and sounds.
And so here's a few of thebenefits that a residency could
offer you.
Like I said, creative growth,that gift of uninterrupted time
and space right, we all knowwhat that means.
(07:04):
Interrupted time and spaceright, we all know what that
means.
It can take your practice fromconcept to completion.
Having time that is notinterrupted by your everyday
life, back at home, in anotherstudio, in another place, it
just opens up a freedom.
It's almost as if time doesn'texist.
In those moments, you don'thave to be somewhere, go
somewhere, take care of thisthing, you're just working.
(07:24):
You're just doing things.
Also, I truly believeresidencies will bring you a new
perspective.
I've lived all over the world,I've traveled all over the world
, I've done residencies all overthe world.
There's nothing greater thanworking in an unfamiliar
environment.
I just think it just opens upso many things and opens up our
(07:44):
imagination and shifts us,shifts our creative mindset,
into this new space.
I mean, if you're internationalin a place you've never been
before, you're going to have newfoods, new smells, new
languages, new views of nature.
I mean, all of that stuff willabsolutely work its way in and
(08:06):
give you new perspectives withinyour work.
It happens every time.
Here's a big one, here's amassive one, something we always
talk about.
The importance of networking asan artist.
Right, we know we need to buildour network, we need to know
other artists, we need to knowother people in the art world,
and this is a great great pieceof most residencies is that you
(08:27):
may be working with otherartists there.
So there are plenty ofresidencies that have five
artists there at a time, 10artists there at a time, three
artists at a time.
You're able to network and getto know artists from other
cultures and other communitiesin your time away you just can't
beat that and curators,gallerists, collectors,
(08:50):
sometimes critics depending onthe level of the residency, you
may have a mentor that isavailable to you for the entire
time of your residency that willspend time with you outside of
the studio or inside of thestudio critiquing work, talking
about work, talking about thatart world journey.
I mean that's pricelessSometimes, those moments that
(09:10):
build your network that lastsforever.
Experimentation Sometimes youhave access to specialized
equipment and, like I said,mentorship that can help you
learn new skills and techniques.
There are residencies that havemid-career artists connected
them who are either alumni orthey're connected to the network
(09:31):
within that residency and theyoffer their time to come work
with the artists hands-on in thestudio, trying to learn
something, getting that help.
I mean just knowledge andwisdom that you won't get on
your own.
Professional recognition when Italked about that small, short
list of the big residencies.
Getting a spot in a prestigiousresidency looks absolutely
(09:56):
fabulous on your CV and it willopen doors for future
opportunities.
If you get into one of the bigones, it will do something.
You're connected to an alumnigroup.
That is pretty true to theother alumni who have been a
part of that residency.
But oftentimes those programswill have visiting curators and
gallerists and authors, writers,critics that are coming in
(10:19):
during the time in the residencyjust to look at who's next.
Who can I offer a spot on myroster?
Who can I bring in?
Who can I write about?
So just know that the bigresidencies on the shortlist can
absolutely help you.
Personal transformation, as awriter, jhumpa Lahiri once said
(10:40):
about her residency experience.
I left with the certainty thatI'm a writer with a commitment
to the creative life that I'venever since questioned or
doubted.
I'm telling you, when you gointo another culture and you're
there just making art and reallyfeeling at one with that
culture and the language and thesites and the sounds and the
tastes and all that stuff,there's this constant certainty
(11:04):
that exists around you, thatreally fills into your soul.
I am an artist, I am doing this, I am in it.
I've just committed a month ofmy time, three months of my time
, six months of my time,whatever to just making art.
It really does fill you up withthat feeling of I am an artist.
I am doing this.
(11:26):
One other thing is a lot ofresidencies will have an
exhibition at the end and, evenif they don't offer an
exhibition at the end, ask ifyou can have an exhibition at
the end If it's connected to agallery or has a space.
Maybe they're connected to acafe or somebody who has a space
locally.
You just added another line onyour resume, so you already
(11:47):
added the residency itself onyour resume, and then you end up
adding an exhibition as well,possibly in another country.
That's fantastic.
You just got an internationalexhibition on your resume.
So, like we say all the time,you want to continue to fill
your resume with exhibitions,solo or group exhibitions.
(12:08):
You want those lines to fill.
Most of us have a real short,small CV.
It's tiny.
We want to fill those linesevery year with different things
.
All right, how do I apply foran artist residency?
Well, no, two artist residencyapplications are the same.
I will tell you that right nowthey are purposely all have
(12:30):
their own application process,and there's a reason for this.
They want to make sure that youare paying attention, that you
really want to be a part of thisprogram and that you really
will be able to fill the time inyour residency with a plan.
This is how they weed out thepeople who just want to go hang
(12:50):
out somewhere.
Most residencies have a certainnumber of people that accept
every year, could be everyquarter, could be every year,
maybe it's just once a year.
It just depends on the level ofthe residency.
Some are open all year.
We'll talk about those in aminute.
So the application process isgoing to be pretty stringent.
There's going to be a lot ofdifferent questions that they
(13:10):
ask you Artist statement, yourbio, why should you be at this
residency?
What is it about this residencythat drew you in?
What is your plan for whileyou're here?
And it's going to give you alimit of characters or words for
each one.
Now they want the people whoreally want to be there and can
really prove that they're goingto be able to create throughout
(13:32):
their entire time there and be agreat alumni for the program as
well.
So, number one be specific whenyou're filling out your
application.
Don't be vague when you'refilling out your application.
Don't be vague.
Residency jurors the personwho's going to read your
application and look at yourwork.
That could be a curator, couldbe a gallerist, it could be an
author, writer, it could bealumni, or it could be the
(13:54):
people who run the residency,the jurors.
They're the ones selecting.
They want to know exactly whatyou plan to work on during your
stay.
Don't just write I'm going topaint this, I'm going to sculpt
this.
No, really lay it out.
I will be working on a body ofwork that is titled X and
(14:14):
throughout this body of work,I'm experimenting with new ideas
.
These ideas have been this wayin my past work.
I'm moving on to the be reallyspecific.
If you're Nathan Turbor you'regoing to talk about while I'm at
the residency, I'm going to bescavenging the woods and looking
for bits and pieces of foundobjects that have been discarded
and laying in trash binsthroughout the city.
(14:35):
I'm going to be gathering thesethings and next I want my work,
while I'm here, to alsorepresent the city that I'm in
or the countryside where I'mstaying.
Represent the city that I'm inor the countryside where I'm
staying.
Explain all of those things ingreat detail.
You want to draw them in.
Then, when they look at yourwork which I'll talk about in a
minute because you'll beuploading work they can kind of
marry those ideas.
(14:56):
Oh, wow, they'd be a great fitfor this residency.
Focus on your work, not justyour resume.
Your portfolio will speaklouder than your CV, okay, so
upload your strongest work,whether it's sold before or
whether you still have it in thestudio.
They may ask for five images.
They may ask for 10 images.
They may ask for 20 images.
(15:16):
Make sure that you do all 10,all 20, all five.
Don't just do two.
When they ask for 10, do 10.
Show your strongest work.
Don't just do two.
When they ask for 10, do 10.
Show your strongest work.
Don't go back 15 years, don'tgo back eight years.
Show your strongest currentwork so they have a really good
idea of where you're going.
You're gonna have to explain tothem as well why now.
Why is this the right moment intime for you, the artist, to
(15:40):
embark on this residency?
This residency is a great fitfor Ty Nathan Clark right now,
because he is currently workingon this, and the community
guidelines that you talk aboutin your vision statement marry
exactly the way I work in thecommunity here and with artists
abroad.
Also explain why this residency.
(16:03):
Focus on them.
Do your research.
Don't just read it in thelittle caption that says this is
what it's about.
Go to the residency website.
Look at their past alumni.
Look at the type of artiststhat they're usually accepting
into the program.
What do they stand for?
What is important to them as aresidency or as a governing body
important to them as aresidency or as a governing body
(16:29):
?
Explain why.
Show that jury, why theirspecific program resonates with
your goals as an artist and becommunity-minded.
Many residencies are involvedwith shared spaces or
collaborative opportunities withthe community.
Show how you're open toengaging with their community
and the community abroad, andgive examples of ways you have
done that in the past.
I just applied for a residencythis week and they asked give us
(16:53):
an outline of communityengagement ideas that you would
do during the residency, becausethe residents need to give up
to four to six hours a week oftime to the local art community,
so they want to know what typesof things would you do to
engage with the local community.
Okay, here's the most importantpart.
I want you to really listen tothis carefully.
(17:15):
Follow the guidelines.
Follow every guideline, theword count, the materials, the
deadlines.
Follow them to the letter.
Being sloppy and not payingattention is a fast track to
(17:35):
rejection.
Take this to heart in anythingyou do.
If you apply to a group show,if you apply for a grant, follow
the guidelines.
If it says a one-page CV, donot upload a two-page PDF.
You may have to take stuff outto condense it to one page.
You can shrink your font,whatever you need to do.
Don't send two pages.
This is how a lot of places willweed out the big numbers.
(17:57):
Residencies don't have 15 or 20people that apply right.
Same thing with group shows andart shows.
There aren't just 20 peoplethat apply to group shows.
Sometimes there's 200,sometimes there's 2000,
depending on the competitivenessor the nature of the call being
once a year, twice a year,whatever.
So if you don't followdirections, most times your
(18:20):
stuff won't even be looked at.
Corrections most times yourstuff won't even be looked at.
It'll just go in the trash andit will save that jury time from
going through 200 applicationsand weeding it down to 140, 150.
Make sure word count that says200 words don't have 400 words.
Most will cut it off and won'tlet you do, but some will just
be open, follow it, so you mayhave to have different
(18:40):
iterations of your artiststatement, a short version of
your bio, all those things.
Deadlines Don't apply after thedeadline.
They all have deadlines.
Every single residency, everysingle show that you apply for
has a deadline.
Pay attention so that if it'ssomething you really want to
apply for, you're not applyingthe night of or the next day.
Here's a big one Labeling yourartwork.
(19:04):
Sometimes in the instructionsnot all the time, but most times
it will give you detail onexactly how they want your file
labeled.
Okay, normally, if you don'tlabel your files after you
upload your photo of yourartwork and label up the title
and the scale, which I do mostof the time Anytime I edit a
(19:25):
photograph and it goes into afolder on my computer, it has
the title and then it has anunderscore and then it has the
scale.
That way I can find it easily.
A lot of times residencies willask for it to be in the order
of last name, first name, titleof work.
This way, when they'redownloading everything, they
know where Ty Nathan Clark'spaintings are that go with this
(19:47):
application.
So make sure you pay attentionto that.
If you do not know how to labelyour images that are probably
65WZ4.jpg, look it up.
Do a quick Google search.
It'll show you how to go inthere and relabel your artwork
so that you are following thedirections.
Because I'm telling you, if yousend, if you upload 20 pieces
(20:09):
and there isn't a next page thatlets you label each one and it
says please label your work likethis and you don't do it, going
in the trash bin.
Moving on to the next artist.
So follow the guidelines, paystrict attention to everything.
I already said this above, butI'm going to say it again
research and ask questionsbefore you apply.
(20:30):
Understand the residency'smission and offerings and make
sure you're a good fit.
Why it costs money to apply toresidencies?
They're usually between 1515and $45.
That's an average Actually, Iwould say that's the majority is
in that range.
There are some that are more.
There may be specific reasonsthat they're more.
(20:52):
They shouldn't be more, butthere are residencies that are
more.
So just so you know beforeapplying, understand that you're
paying.
Don't apply to something you'renot a good fit for.
If you're a beginning artist,do not apply to a residency that
is accepting mid-career artistsyou will not get in.
Don't waste that money.
(21:12):
I know money is thin for a lotof us artists, so, applying to
things, we either have itbudgeted or it's kind of a risk
right, it's really a financialrisk for us to do it.
So, please, research,understand everything that goes
into that residency, from thestudio space, from the living
quarters.
Do they give stipends that theyoffer things?
(21:33):
Do they match financialassistance in any way?
Do they have scholarships forthose that have financial
hardships?
Yes, a lot of them do.
So make sure to research and askquestions.
If you don't understandsomething, send an email and
just ask.
Reach out to some of the alumniwho have been there before.
Most residencies link to theartists who have been alumni.
(21:54):
Ask questions about it and alsopractice your interview skills.
There's a possibility that youcould have to have an interview
stage for a residency.
They don't all do this.
The bigger ones do.
If you are a emerging artist orsoon to be mid-career artist or
even mid-career artist, justknow, if it's a big residency,
(22:15):
there's probably an interviewstage and there may be two or
three.
There may be a virtual studiovisit or a physical studio visit
before they accept you.
So practice with your friend.
Practice with somebody and havethem ask you questions.
Do a virtual studio visit withanother artist.
I mean, I think it's a greatthing for you to do anyways is
practice talking about your work.
(22:36):
Set up your studio, have one ofyour friends come in and ask
you questions.
You walk around and have workready to show and talk about the
work, just like it's maybe acurator or a residency director
or a gallerist doing aninterview with you to see if
you're a right fit.
Once they narrow down, someresidencies will take those 200
or 2000, narrow it down to 10,and they're picking five.
(22:57):
Practice.
It's always great to practice.
Okay, choosing the rightresidency for you.
Not all residencies are the same.
They are all different All ofthem.
Some offer solitude, othersthrive on community interaction.
Do you not like solitude?
You probably want to dosomething that has a lot of
(23:19):
community.
Do you not like community anddoing a lot of things with a big
group of people?
Then you might want somethingthat offers solitude.
There are some that areself-directed and others that
have structured programs.
What does self-directed mean?
That means you fly in, you getto the space, they show you
around.
Then you're on your own for thewhole month.
You're doing everythingyourself.
(23:41):
There's no mentoring, there'sno help.
You have a space to stay.
You got a place to live, aplace to work and it's just you
making art, self-directed.
You're leading yourself onceyou're there.
Others have structured programswhere there may be five artists
that are there in the studioand in the apartment and staying
there with you, and everymorning you meet for breakfast
(24:02):
and you talk about work and yougo through the things.
Then maybe you have studio timeand then lunch.
Then after studio time there'sa mentor or a speaker, somebody
that comes in and talks to thegroup or visits individual
studios, and so there'sstructure and then at the end
there's an exhibition andeverybody curates the exhibition
, as the artist in the residencyor somebody else does.
(24:23):
So some may have researchstructures or writing structures
.
It just depends on theresidency.
That's why you have to researchthem and look at them.
When you're researching, askyourself, what do I prefer?
Do I want rural peace somewherein the country or mountains, or
I want that urban energy, theenergy of a city?
I'll thrive in the city, but Ialso love being by the river or
(24:45):
the ocean and up in themountains.
Am I seeking community or do Ineed quiet?
Do I just need a couple ofweeks of solitude where there's
just nobody bothering me, causeI live in the thriving city and
I just need to get out?
It's going to help my wellbeing.
I need that.
Do I need financial support?
Can I cover this residency?
Okay, some residencies havecosts Most of them do.
(25:06):
You're almost always going tohave to pay for your travel.
If it's one of the majorresidencies that's on that short
list, they may have a travelrefund, but most of the time
you're going to pay for yourtravel and then, if you have a
place to stay, you're probablygonna have to pay for your food
and get your supplies there.
Yes, you're gonna have to takeyour supplies, unless they're in
a city and you can buyeverything there, but then, once
(25:27):
you're done with your work,you're either gonna have to ship
your work back home or fly withit.
So those are definite majorthings to think about.
Am I willing to self-fund this?
Maybe there's an artorganization locally near you
that will match your funds.
You can apply for a grant,possibly with that local art
organization.
Not always, but can I supportmyself doing this?
(25:50):
That's a great question to askand always, always, double check
the fine print aboutaccommodation, equipment and any
expectations that the host mayhave, like those open studio
days or artist talks.
Okay, so make sure that you'relooking at everything.
Research, research, research sothat you know.
(26:11):
Check those terms, check theexpectations of the artist.
There are some that require youto work two days a week in the
garden because they're actuallyproviding your food, and what
they expect for you when they'reproviding the food is for you
to work two days a week in thegarden because they're actually
providing your food, and whatthey expect for you when they're
providing the food is for youto help in the garden or help on
the ground, something like that.
Everybody has some sort ofexpectations, especially if
(26:32):
they're paying for a portion ofyou to be a part of their
residency.
So residencies themselves comein multiple sizes.
Right?
I talked about the differentones that might be run by
organizations or galleries ormuseums.
So your basic level residencyis going to be fully funded by
the artist You're paying forevery cent of it.
(26:54):
Most of these residencies areopen all year long.
They're basically like aglorified Airbnb for artists.
They can be anywhere.
They can be in Greece, on amountain looking over the ocean.
They can be up in Italy andFlorence, somewhere in the hills
, some maybe the Alps.
They could be in New York City,and it's basically you're
paying for your own room andboard and your own studio and
(27:16):
you're self-directed.
You're doing it on their own.
It's somebody that's providinga place.
A lot of times these could beartists who just have extra
space.
It could be a group of friendswho just love art and they've
created this space for artiststo come and work, but they can't
afford to pay for the artiststo come.
The next level is going to besomething that has some type of
funding and it's usuallyconnected to an arts
(27:40):
organization.
It could be a smaller gallery,it could be a curator or an art
dealer.
It could be an artist who's hada lot of success and they're
going to pay for your room stay.
They'll give you an apartmentor maybe it's a house and they
give you a studio to work in.
You're covering everything else.
You're covering your travel,you're covering your food and
your supplies.
Another level would besomething that is maybe
(28:01):
connected to a bigger museum ormaybe a bigger arts organization
.
It could be government funded,depending on the country that
has a big arts governmentsubsidy, and so they are
connected to different things,and those usually will match
travel pay or will give you astipend, maybe a little bit of
money every week to help forfood or to reimburse you for
(28:24):
travel.
Those will usually have anexhibition at the end.
A lot of those the biggest oneout there is going to be a fully
funded residency.
Every single bit of it isfunded by the organization.
I'll name a couple of these inthe end here they're the big
dogs.
They're the ones that willabsolutely build your career.
The network, the community, thementors, the alumni, the
(28:45):
teachers and instructors and thestaff.
They're all the type of personthat has the gusto in the art
world that can help take yourcareer another level.
Residencies, mentorship,guidance and every form of art
world function is a part ofthose residencies, and they're
fantastic.
I apply to them all the time.
(29:05):
I've never gotten in one yet,but I'm going to apply until I
do.
How in the world do I find theseresidencies?
This was a big question that Ihad years ago, so I got online
and I did my due diligence andresearch so that I could share
it with you today.
It took me forever.
What I did is I found everylittle site I could find that
(29:27):
had residencies listed.
And what did I do?
I went through every single oneof them, from A to Z, and I
created a spreadsheet that hadall of the residencies that I
would love to get into somedayand I made notes.
Location, length of theresidency Residencies can be two
(29:59):
weeks, one week a month, threemonths, six months a year.
Plenty of universities andcolleges around the world that
are doing year-long residenciesto be there and you're going to
teach classes or you're going tohave open studios and you're
going to feed into the studentnetwork and the student body
there and do some instructionand community building.
They exist.
There are three or residenciesout there.
A lot of those are researchwhich.
There are research residenciesout there.
(30:19):
If you're a curator, if you arean art writer, if you are an art
critic, there are residenciesfor you.
Art writer, if you are an artcritic, there are residencies
for you.
There's a residency foreverything in the arts sculpture
, dance, photography,installation, video, I mean, you
name it film.
There are residencies out therefor everything.
You just have to search forthem.
(30:40):
So, anyways, I made my list andI'm going to share with you
right now, my favorite person.
There are plenty of great onesout there, but these are my
personal favorite resources forfinding artists' residencies.
Okay, artendanet, this is myabsolute favorite resource for
artists' residencies, so I foundit a few years ago.
(31:02):
I subscribe.
There is a subscription fee.
It is not that much monthly.
It's really low.
But the thing that I love aboutit, as you can see, you have
all the opportunities herelisted, so you have competitions
, art grants, fellowships,residencies, open calls, public
art projects.
You can go through and selectany one of those.
So I'm going to go to residenceseries here.
I'm just going to show you realquick and I can select any
(31:25):
field.
Right, like I told you heretextile art, sound photography,
ceramics, graphic literaturethere's residencies for
everything.
But I love that I can go aheadand look at these residencies
from deadline first, which mostwill have, but I can add them to
my agenda so I can save themfor later.
That's one hard thing with alot of the other sites is,
(31:47):
unless you have a subscription,you can't really save it.
So I used to add them to myspreadsheets.
I don't want to pay to save anyof them, but if I add it to my
agenda and I go to my agenda.
I can now go through and lookat everything that it tells me
about this residency, where itis the eligibility for residents
of the US.
(32:08):
Only it will tell youGerman-speaking artists, only
French-speaking artists.
Only It'll tell you theconditions previous alumni
documents.
You need the address.
It's a one-year residency.
You get a studio.
Rent is free.
It gives you all thatinformation.
Then you can go to the websiteand check it out.
(32:29):
Research Do your research, readall this.
Then go through and go to thelink and check it out before you
apply.
Another site that I loveTransArtists Great database here
.
Find your residency database.
Here.
Find your residency.
(32:50):
You can search by themedeadlines, open calls.
You can pull up a map, right,and you can view the whole map
and look at any region aroundthe world.
And then you can go here from A.
Like I told you, I've done this.
I've gone from A to Z and I'veopened up every single one of
these and I've looked at themall.
Resartist another great one.
You can go ahead and exploreopen calls here for residencies.
You can choose by country.
They're in the middle.
If you'd like to, it's going tolist them all by photo.
(33:14):
Another easy way to rule outones that you may not be
interested in.
If you thought, oh man, thisroom looks comfortable, I'd love
to stay here.
You find one that doesn't looktoo fantastic, you can go ahead
and skip that.
I also keep all my inventoryand artwork archive and they
actually have a call andsubmissions over here on the
left ruler guide, on the leftside, and they will have a bunch
(33:37):
of opportunities and thingsover here and so I can go to
find calls and I can startlooking at all the residencies
that are listed over here on theleft art fairs, competitions,
all that stuff.
That saying, there are plentyof sites with a lot of fantastic
information.
So a lot of places to do yourresearch, a lot of places to
(34:01):
kind of get a good grip on whatresidencies are out there.
Artendanet is my favorite thatI subscribe to.
I absolutely love it.
I'm probably on it every week,but res artists, trans artists,
are fantastic.
Artist Communities Alliance isanother one.
There are numerous out there.
All you have to do is look upartist residencies on Google and
(34:22):
just scroll through.
But I love Artenda.
So I just want to give you alittle bit of closing advice
here before I move on to myfinal thoughts.
If you land a residency, I'vehad a lot of artists in the past
say well, what do I do?
What's the best way to reallyget the most out of the
residency?
And I'll say a few things here.
(34:42):
Number one if you're doing amonth or three month residency,
don't start working the secondyou get there.
A lot of artists will just gettheir setup and just start
working right away.
I have found for me that if I'mgoing to a new location, a new
country, a new place that I'venever been before, I want to
feel it.
I really want to feel the soulof where I am.
(35:05):
I was in a residency with a fewof my former mentees last year
south of St John's, newfoundland, in a little town called Pooch
Cove, right on the coast.
And that's one of the thingsthat I advise to everybody Feel
free to get your stuff set up,but don't start working right
away.
Go on some hikes.
Go sit by the ocean, spend sometime writing and smelling the
salt and the ocean air andfeeling the wind on your face,
(35:27):
watching the white caps crash onthe rocks.
Take some hikes in the woods.
Spend some time just feelingand existing.
Let's go eat some local food.
Let's do some things as acommunity before you really
start creating Cause I canguarantee you what you think
you're going to do and you'llget there with shift.
I'm not saying your work'stotally going to shift, but you
may have ideas that completelyshift.
(35:48):
You want those new experiencesto really fill you in a way that
it comes out in your work, inthe studio while you're there.
So spend some time.
Spend some time walking alone,solitude and silence, just
thinking about where you are.
If it's in the city, go cruisethe city at its busiest point.
Go find the places that arepopping and just observe.
(36:11):
Sit at a cafe, have a cup ofcoffee and just watch.
If you're in the country, getout in nature.
Do some hikes.
Go sit amongst the trees, feeleverything, feel the grass, feel
the trees.
Walk barefoot, do something,just feel your surroundings.
It will influence your work.
So that's my big tip forresidencies.
Also, if you are traveling, Iprep.
(36:34):
I've been prepping canvasbefore I go, especially if I'm
going to work bigger.
I have a snowboard bag and Iprep all my canvases and I roll
them up.
I've brought stretcher bars inthe middle of the canvases
rolled up.
I've bought stretcher bars atplaces middle of the canvases
rolled up.
I've bought stretcher bars atplaces where I've been.
I bring a few things that Ireally need, a few of my brushes
and tools that I really want touse that I'm not sure they may
(36:55):
have, and then if they have anart supply store there, I'll go
get some supplies when I getthere, or you can always ship
supplies to that location.
But just know, no matter whereyou go to a residency, you're
going to have to bring work backwith you, unless you plan on
leaving it all there.
Or if you're like my friendFrances Beattie, she does
(37:15):
everything that's site-specific.
So 90% of the projects that shedoes at a residency stay there.
They're all site-specific andshe uses found materials to
create them and they either gettorn down or they remain where
they were, where she createdthem, on site.
Plenty of ways to do what youwant to do, but I'm sure that
those of you who are painters,you're going to want to bring
work back with you.
So it's really easy to roll andbring work back with you,
(37:38):
unless you want to work small,but you still got to get it back
on a plane If you're in Europeor if you're in the US and you
have the ability to drive to aresidency, that is a great
option because you can takeeverything with you and bring it
all back, so things to reallythink about, and take a lot of
pictures when you're there, takevideo when you're there.
You want to remember it, youwant to bring it home with you.
(38:00):
All right.
A few final thoughts.
Artist residencies are morethan a place to just make art.
They can be powerful growthaccelerators.
Whether you're hoping to justpush creative boundaries, make
some new experiments and changesin your work, build a network
or gain life experience, theright residency can be a game
(38:22):
changer for your work and foryou as an artist.
I just want you to know youreally need to start with
clarity about doing a residency,know your goals, research
carefully, apply with purposeand be ready to embrace the
unexpected.
If you're not watching this onYouTube, I do share the screen
(38:42):
in this and kind of walk througha few of those websites.
You heard me say I'm going toshare my screen, so that's what
I'm doing on our video.
Also, on Spotify, we have videoas well.
I hope this was helpful.
If you have any questions,always send us a DM, you can
message us on Instagram, justmake art podcasts.
You can send us messages onYouTube or you can email us.
(39:02):
Whatever you want to do, reachout to us individually or me
individually.
Nathan's working on hopefullygetting some residencies soon,
in the next year or two.
Right, nathan?
Maybe you and I should do one.
Oh, one more residency I wantto mention I totally forgot
about this If you want to dojust your own residency, if you
want to get an Airbnb out in thewoods or in a city you really
want to travel to, you can dothat and call it a residency.
(39:27):
If you're going to work on work,it's just a self-directed
residency.
It's another form ofself-directed.
I've had plenty of artistfriends who have done that.
They just get an Airbnbsomewhere or they have a friend
that has a cabin or whatever andthey just go out there and they
bring all their art suppliesand they just go work for a week
or two weeks or three weeks andit can go on your resume
self-directed residency 2025,Skowogan, massachusetts.
(39:51):
Whatever you want to do, that'sfine.
That totally works.
All right, I told you I'd namesome of the major residencies
out there when I talked aboutthat short list.
Now these are all over theworld.
There are residencies all overthe world that are massive
career builders.
Most of our listeners are herein the US, majority of our
(40:12):
listeners, although we havelisteners, I think, in 170
countries now I mean, that'sinsane, that astounds me, that
floors me.
But for those in the US, andeven international because you
can apply to any of these in theUS as well these are the big
ones.
Skowhagen school of paintingand sculpture that's in
Skowhagen, maine.
I love Maine.
Want to do a residency in Maine?
Yeah, go the Chinati foundationin Marfa, texas, where I will
(40:36):
be participating, actually, atthe Marfa invitational coming up
in May.
So I cannot wait to visit theChinati foundation when I'm
there and see the work andDonald Judd's work and I'm so
excited.
The Whitney Museum of AmericanArt Independent Study Program
that's in New York.
The McDowell Colony, petersburg, new Hampshire.
The Oxbow Artists and WritersResidency that's in Saugatuck,
(40:59):
michigan.
The Bema Center forContemporary Arts in Omaha,
nebraska, are a few.
Those are a few of them.
There are more.
I've applied to every singleone of those except for the
Whitney, multiple, multiple,multiple times.
And I've applied to, I think,all of those except for the
Whitney this year as well.
So they're very competitive,but those are some game changers
(41:22):
right there.
Those are some game changers.
So, anyways, I hope, I hopethat you decide to apply to some
residencies and if you do andyou get accepted, let us know,
celebrate it.
Let us celebrate it with you.
They are one of the mostincredible life breathing,
storytelling experiences thatI've had, and I've done some in
(41:44):
the States and I've done someabroad in Europe.
I'll be in Poland this Septemberwith the residency.
I'm so excited I'll be there inthe hometown of one of my
former mentees and one of myclosest friends, kasia Krakicka,
in Poland, and so I willdefinitely be dropping down to
Berlin while I'm there as well,because I'm pretty sure Berlin
Art Week is in the first weekthat I am in Poland, so I plan
(42:07):
on going down that weekend tosee some art in Berlin.
If you're in Berlin, give me ashout.
I'd love to hang out.
If you're in Poland, give me ashout.
I'm going to be going to Warsawand Krakow to see some art, for
sure, and some galleries, so Iwould love to hang out with you
and grab some coffee or a glassof wine For Nathan Turborg and
Ty Nathan Clark.
Go make some art.
Any questions you have, we'dlove to answer them, and thank
(42:28):
you for being a part andlistening to the Just Make Art
podcast.
Bye.
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