Art Life: About Artist Residencies in Madrid & beyond
About Art Residencies
There are many different types of Art Residencies for Artists to avail of. Some of them offer a live / work set up with a studio alongside housing while others only offer a studio option leaving the artist to source their own accomodation. Some Art Residencies pride themselves on offering a remotely located studio where artists can find peace and solitude. Other Art Residencies are based in an urban setting with their offering being that you can network and mix with other artists and creatives in a busy community setting. Ultimately it is up to each individual artist to seek out an Artist Residency that suits them and their art work goals and style the best. Artists can also treat Art Residencies differently with some artists seeing them more as “retreats” where they take time out from their current working studio to go to another space and think about their work before returning to their studio with newly formed ideas and inspirations for their work. So it’s really a case of each artist deciding what works best for themselves.
I’ve outlined below some recent experience I’ve had with Art Residencies and also give some tips and information that you can use when choosing an Art Residency that is best for YOU!
PIGSY in Art Residency
For me, I have just recently finished up an Art Residency in Malaga and following that one I am now participating in a different one in Madrid. The Malaga Art Residency was with La Casa Amarilla (LCAMalaga) and they provided a studio space for me to work in for 6 weeks. At the end of the 6 weeks LCAMalaga I held a solo pop up art exhibition as part of the Art Residency. The solo exhibition was really useful for my art practise as it gave me something to be the focus of my Art Residency.
And now I am on an Art Residency in Madrid. It’s a completely different situation from Malaga. It’s a live / work residency where I am living in the studio that I am creating art in. However, the main focus for this Art Residency is not the creation of art but in fact the business of art including marketing as an artist. This is something that I think is very relevant to me and the point that I am at in my art career. So for me this is a very beneficial Art Residency to be completing.
For further information about this art residency offered by Very Private Art Gallery, you can check out their website here which outlines what their Art Residency offers.
Where to find Art Residencies
If you are an artist (or a writer or other creative) information about Art Residencies can be found out through many different ways. Most Art Residencies host their information on their own websites and then there are other artist support websites that also provide information about residencies. If you are a member of a Visual Artist organisation, you will probably receive information from them about different opportunities including open calls and residencies.
See below for some of the websites (with clickable links) that provide info about worldwide Art Residency Opportunities
Art Residencies Costs & Funding
Costs and funding is something that you will need to consider when choosing your Art Residency. Some Art Residencies are free (particularly if the Art Residency just consists of a Studio Space) which is great!
However other Art Residencies may have costs associated with them. If the Art Residency consists of a free Studio you may then need to pay for accomodation close by to the studio. If the totality of of the residency is free (live/work space) you may still need to budget for travel costs, which of course can be sizable if you are travelling to a different country.
Also no matter what, you will need to eat during an Art Residency so you will have to of course budget for this, at the very least (although some art residencies do offer stipends which would cover things like art supplies and your dietary needs). Here’s a few ways you can considert in order to fund your Art Residency:
Self Fund or alternatively choose a free Art Residency
Apply for Grants - many countries have Arts Councils that offer grants
Crowdfund or Patreon
Link with an organisation that will provide funding because of the specific theme of the focus for your Art Residency
Plan on selling art at the end of the residency if an exhibition is part of the proposal
If you can think of other ways to fund an Art Residency, put a comment below!
Benefits of an Art Residency
Artists choose to participate in Art Residencies for many different reasons and there are many benefits to participation. I’ve listed some of the benefits below - but feel free to add more in the comments!
Opportunity to work in new environments can open up fresh ideas and inspirations for artists to invigorate art work and art practises
Art Residencies can bring about opportunities to network and meet new people in the Art World and beyond
Art Residencies may have connections to Art Galleries which may lead to new opportunities
Art Residencies can give a focus to an artist to produce work in a certain amount of time, particularly if they offer the goal of an exhibition at the end of the residency
Artists can be challenged by Art Residencies if they are pushed out of their comfort zones and what they have been doing in their art career prior to taking part in an Art Residency
Some Art Residencies focus on topics outside of art production and explore things like the business of art
Experience new cultures through travel because most artists travel outside of their own country in order to attend Art Residencies
Residencies are also offered to other creatives eg. Writers, Choreographers, etc.
As you can see there are many different types of Art Residencies for different artists, with many different benefits, and it is really a case of doing your research and finding the Art Residency that is the best for you at your stage of career.
So if your appetite has been whetted to participate in an Art Residency, it can be further whetted by checking out pictures below of me (PIGSY) on my current Art Residency here in Madrid. Or follow me on my PIGSY Art Instagram to see how I am getting on in this Art Residency and what I am doing after I complete it!
Artist Networking through Art Residencies
Networking for artists is critical for success.
Art Residencies can help with this becuse they can bring artists to a certain location where the artist can meet with art galleries, build artist network & communities, collaborate with others for creative success and show their art work to all further afield than where they are generally based. Complex networks of contacts, art galleries, art collectors and art creatives have great value for all artists, particularly those that do work in isolation. It also gives art collectors the opportunity to support living artists and show them recognition which for artists can be a measure of success. Artists’s aesthetic can be challenged and developed by their connections with other creatives and this in turn will further their artistic success.
Yet another reason for artists to see the value in art residencies!