Starting an artist residency program

Artist residencies use time and place as artistic methods to generate new ideas, experiences, and forms of knowledge. While residency outcomes may lead to the creation of new artwork, it is not always the primary goal. Most residencies are united by a shared commitment to supporting artistic research and creative development.

In their specific make-up, artist residencies vary greatly. They may be designed to provide opportunities for community and creative connection, collaboration and exchange, or they may offer protected time away from distraction and the pressures of daily life. Some residency programs focus on publicly visible outcomes such as exhibitions, performances, publications, or public programs. Others prioritise self-directed research or engagement with a particular archive, collection, building, environment, community, or context.

There are many different residency models, including those that provide:

• Residential accommodation
• Studio space (without accommodation)
• A stipend, fee, or research allowance
• Access to specialist facilities, collections, or archives
• Connections to peers, communities, curators, or mentors
• Structured professional development opportunities
• Online or digital spaces for research, collaboration or exchange

Spend some time considering how your residency might use time, place or other forms of connection to support artistic practice; what opportunities does your context offer that an artist could not access elsewhere?

Advocacy by peak bodies, including NAVA, promotes the fair remuneration of artists and creative workers. Good practice residency models provide artists with a fee calculated in accordance with NAVA’s Code of Practice, in addition to covering travel costs, accommodation, and per diems where appropriate. If seeking external funding or sponsorship, these costs should be included in project budgets from the outset. You may wish to consider what aspects of participation will be funded: travel, production, research, or all of the above? Also consider access costs and costs associated with caring responsibilities where relevant. These should be budgeted separately from the artist’s fee. Being clear about financial support from the outset promotes good governance and builds trust.

Consider who the residency is designed for and why. The residency might be aimed at a particular group, such as:

• Early career artists
• Mid-career or established practitioners
• First Nations artists
• Regional artists
• Parent-artists or carers
• Artists working in specific disciplines or fields of research

Be explicit about who the residency is for and ensure you have the resources, infrastructure, and expertise necessary to support participants appropriately. For example, can your residency accommodate families or carers? Are there cultural protocols, relationships or support structures that need to be established, including consultation with Traditional Custodians? Are there barriers that could prevent the intended participants from taking part? What access needs can the residency accommodate, and have these been considered in the program budget and design?

Residency hosts have a responsibility, or duty of care, to ensure participants are properly supported throughout the residency period. This includes considering work health and safety, insurance, appropriate facilities and equipment, access needs, orientation, regular communication and processes for raising concerns. Good practice also includes the payment of appropriate fees, and having a written agreement with the artists-in-residence                                   . 

Ensuring you have adequate resources, including time, funds and community endorsement, to support an artist in residence is part of your duty of care.

Many residency programs operate through open calls or expressions of interest.

Applications often request the following:

• A brief statement outlining the applicant's interest in the residency 
• A proposal describing how the applicant intends to use the residency opportunity
• A biography or curriculum vitae
• Examples of previous work

Consider how widely the opportunity will be promoted and whether the application process is accessible and proportionate to the scale of the residency being offered. Consider whether applicants can provide information in different formats and whether all of the information requested is necessary to assess the application. Where possible, avoid making the application lengthy and complicated for artists who are contributing their unpaid creative labour to apply. When designing an open call process, you may wish to consider: 

• What selection criteria will be used to identify the successful participant?
• How will equity and accessibility be addressed?
• What access support is available to applicants?
• How will conflicts of interest be managed?
• How will applicants receive feedback, if at all?

A diverse advisory or assessment group can provide strategic guidance while supporting transparent and accountable decision-making. Applications may be assessed by:

• Internal staff
• An appointed panel of advisors
• Peer assessors
• Curators, artists, researchers, or community representatives

Where external artists or arts workers are engaged as assessors, they should be paid for their time.

Equitable application processes should be implemented through both the application and selection processes. 

Hosting an artist-in-residence requires material and physical support. Some ways you might host include:

• Appropriate engagement with Traditional Custodians, including a Welcome to Country and/or paid cultural consultation where appropriate               
• Shared meals and opportunities to gather informally
• Introductions to local communities and networks
• Professional development opportunities
• Curatorial support and mentoring opportunities
• Access to collections, archives, or specialist facilities
• Public presentations, talks, or workshops

Clearly communicating available support helps participants understand what they can expect from the experience.

Evaluation can help understand the experience and impact of the residency for residents and other participants, improve future iterations of the program, demonstrate impact, and strengthen future funding applications.

Questions to consider:

• What outcomes are you hoping to achieve?
• How will participants be invited to reflect on their experiences?
• How will you gather and respond to feedback?
• What indicators of success matter most, including to participants?
• How will learning be shared with stakeholders, funders, and communities?

Both qualitative and quantitative measures can be useful, including participant reflections, audience engagement, partnerships developed, research outcomes, and longer-term impacts on artistic practice.

Increasingly, residency programs are responding to ecological, environmental, and social sustainability concerns.

Questions to consider:

• How can travel impacts be reduced or offset?
• Can local resources and partnerships be prioritised?
• How accessible and inclusive is the residency model?
• Is the program financially sustainable over the long term?
• Does the organisation have sufficient staff time and resources to support the residency properly?
• How does the residency contribute to the wellbeing of artists, communities, and environments?

Thinking about sustainability from the beginning can help ensure the residency remains relevant, responsible, and resilient into the future.

The most meaningful residency programs are often those that clearly understand their purpose, embrace their unique context, and provide artists with the time, support, and resources needed to undertake meaningful research and creative exploration.

It may be helpful to ask yourself: why does this residency need to exist, and what conditions can it create for artists that are not available elsewhere?

Irmeli Kokko, ed. Residencies Reflected. Milan: Mousse Publishing, 2024.

Jade Lillie, Kate Larsen, Cara Kirkwood, and Jax Brown, eds. The Relationship is the Project: Working with Communities Melbourne: Brow Books, 2020.

NAVA Code of Practice for Visual Arts, Craft and Design: Residencies and Studios; Access Rights for d/Deaf and Disabled People; Parenting.