A guide to curatorial residencies: from history to funding
Curatorial residencies, younger cousins to the better-known artist-in-residence initiatives, are important parts of curators’ professional development. Like many cultural practitioners working in the arts, they need to constantly develop and expand their knowledge. This can happen through formal training but also informally, through grassroot initiatives and independently. Residencies can provide the space and resources to do that. They have also proven to be a much-needed booster for many careers.
History of residencies
The history of curatorial residencies is complex and largely absent. While curating residencies lack their origin story, one of the earliest documented examples of an artistic residency in Western history is the Prix de Rome, a scholarship program for painters and sculptors established in 1663 by Louis XIV of France. This model dependent on patronage persisted until the brink of the 20th century when a more seclusive artist residency model was born. Creatives sought a break from industrial city life and formed the first artist colonies. In the decades to follow, curatorial residencies as we know them today evolved in parallel to the development of art practices rooted in social and political actions. Where more socially-engaged art making took place, more engaged curatorial practices were also present, and with them, the increased need for more research and development space.
What are curatorial residencies?
In our global day and age, curators can choose from residencies scattered around the world and browse through different contexts. Curatorial residencies take advantage of our potential for mobility and provide opportunities for curators to learn from new contexts and facilitate cultural exchanges. But what exactly are they?
In a nutshell, they provide opportunities for temporary residence. The idea behind artist and curatorial residency is to allow the participant a space to reside in. The definition of “space” can be relative but at its most rudimentary level, it can be understood as dedicated time for professional growth. At a practical level, many residencies provide accommodation, working space, research facilities, and mentoring over a limited time, or support in obtaining them.
Role & benefits for participants and hosts
Curatorial residencies play a crucial role in knowledge exchange between different organisations, communities and artistic scenes, allowing curators to move around the world, and enrich their practices. They might serve diverse purposes and benefit both participants and host organisations.
Certainly, curatorial residencies are beneficial for everyone involved. Those who are just embarking on their professional path might find that a residency will play a crucial role in enhancing their research skills, extending their networks and engaging with new art scenes and audiences. Likewise, for many experienced curators, a residency will provide the much-needed space to experiment, make breakthroughs in their research or just take the time and headspace to outline an idea. It can be an extremely formative time to advance one’s practice, narrow down a specialism or steer it in a completely new direction.
For hosting institutions and organisations, a residency programme might increase their profile on the international art world scene. It can also support their programme. Guest-curated series of events, talks, workshops and exhibitions enhance the hosts’ offer and add new perspectives on themes or issues significant to contemporary art and life. Further, for hosting institutions, curatorial residencies also act as spaces for the exchange of knowledge and experiences. They help them broaden their audiences and support the existing, local communities in challenging their existing viewpoints and providing new tools. Curatorial residencies can also promote and increase the profiles of regions and countries where they take place.
Funding
It is crucial to think about the funding needed to cover residency costs. There are no rules relating to this. For curators, these costs are sometimes covered by host organisations, at times specific expenses might be covered, and sometimes residencies are self-funded, and you will need to apply for funding yourself. For the latter, you can often receive support from hosting organisations, which may provide you with recommendation letters and help you with applications. A good place to start looking for funding is art organisations from your country of origin or permanent residence. Otherwise, there are many international foundations and charities which support creative development. It should be mentioned that applying for funding can be a laborious and time-consuming process which needs to be planned well in advance.
For host organisations, the funding models will vary depending on the financial infrastructure already in place. If you are thinking about initiating a curatorial residency programme, look for partners, both in the art world and beyond. This can include one-off partnerships, establishing long-term working relationships or creating global ecosystems, depending on your organisation’s capacity and ambitions. A good example of a support network already existing is the Triangle Network, which in the last 30 years was active in over 40 countries around the world and supported more than 4,500 creatives.
Staying up to date
At Call For Curators, we keep an eye on what is happening in the art world and carefully select quality opportunities for art professionals and workers. One way to never miss an exciting open call or job advert is to join our Members’ scheme. As a Members, you will receive the regular newsletter straight to your inbox.
Some other sources of information for curators include the mobility funding guides available at On The Move which cover over 60 countries and territories and are great tools for reviewing internal and external funding sources for different regions. Platforms such as Res Artis and Transartists are focused primarily on Artist in Residence programmes but it is worth keeping them on your radar as you might still come across valuable materials for curators too.
Summary
Lastly, one piece of advice is to define goals and ambitions for your residency. This is a crucial step before you start the process of looking for one. What would you like to achieve as a creative practitioner or an organisation? Is it a career boost, or the possibility to dive deeper into research? Would you like to attract specialist curators to support a niche programme or bring in their expertise to reach specific communities which are currently difficult to engage? Or maybe, you would like to treat a residency as a creative retreat? Once you identify the objective, it becomes easier to search for opportunities and filter the open calls you receive in our email, such as the Call For Curators newsletter. Having a clear aim in mind will also help potential host organisations to define their offer.
Undeniably, curatorial residencies can be very lucrative for both curators and hosts. However, they are by no means necessary in your curatorial journey. As with many other opportunities in the art world, residencies are highly competitive and might take a few tries before receiving an invitation. That said, it is definitely a unique and enriching experience which might lead to new developments in your practice. Do not let competitiveness discourage you, and try to find the perfect match for yourself and the host organisation.
References
Artlex.com. n.d. What is an Artist Residency and How Do They Work? – Artlex. [online] Available at: <https://www.artlex.com/blog/what-is-an-artist-residency/> [Accessed 12 September 2022].
residencies, A., n.d. Artist residencies. [online] Artquest. Available at: <https://artquest.org.uk/how-to-articles/artist-residencies/> [Accessed 12 September 2022].
Rosa, M., 2015. A collaborative space of change: the artistic and curatorial residency. [online] Academia.edu. Available at: <https://www.academia.edu/16618238/A_collaborative_space_of_change_the_artistic_and_curatorial_residency> [Accessed 12 September 2022].
TransArtists. n.d. What are residencies ?. [online] Available at: <https://www.transartists.org/en/what-are-residencies> [Accessed 12 September 2022].
wendy.network. n.d. The role and benefits of an artist residency. [online] Available at: <https://wendy.network/artist-residencies/> [Accessed 12 September 2022].
Image credit: Rupert building in Vilnius where Residencies are hosted. Image: Rupert.
