panel session C2
A CREATIVE SPHERE: ARTIST RESIDENCIES I
THURSDAY MARCH 19, 1:45-3:15PM
KNOXVILLE CONVENTION CENTER LECTURE HALL
Session Chair: Nick DeFord, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Gatlinburg, Tennessee, USA
Email: ndeford@gmail.com
This two-part session will provide an opportunity to learn about residencies available to artists. Residencies provide time and facilities to pursue creative work and research. Proposals were encouraged from representatives from residency programs as well as reports from artists about their own experiences. Topics to consider: How does the location of the residency inform the program? What makes a successful residency proposal and how can artists make the best use of their time? How does one measure a successful residency? Are residencies primarily for emerging artists? What are the expectations of the institutions that offer residencies and those of the resident artists - and how do these expectations relate to one other? The second session will take place on Friday March 20th from 1:45-3:15pm in the same location.
Presenter 1: Jason Bige Burnett, Independent Artist, Bakersville, North Carolina, USA
Paper Title: Alternative Education
When selecting residencies begin by asking yourself, “What is it that I need?” Is it time, money, space to make work, location, or people to work alongside with? Being able to know what you need and establishing clear goals will make selecting residencies easier and time there much more successful. A residency is also a relationship. It is not only about what you can get out of a residency, but it’s also what you can contribute back into their institution. I have depended on residency programs to further my education and studio practice and am able to offer my insight on program-based residencies – residencies that provide opportunities to gain multiple types of experience beyond the studio and into galleries, teaching, facilitating and more.
Presenter 2: Laura Brown, Independent Artist, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Paper Title: From College to Career: Using Residency Experience to Emerge
Residency experiences have been invaluable in my early development as an artist. Through a variety of residencies, I have developed new work, a studio practice, and many professional relationships. Residencies can be a great step for new college grads to explore new media and develop a studio practice, whether it later leads to an MFA or gives a different direction to their careers.
Presenter 3: Masha Ryskin, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island
Paper Title: A Different Place: Making the Most of the Artist Residency
There are many considerations that one needs to think about when choosing a residency: length of time allowed, distance, expense, as well as differences in the institutions’ mission, facilities, and flavor. Each residency has particular strengths that appeal to the artist’s individual needs and expectations. Understanding each program’s particularity is crucial in finding a residency. The successful experience depends both on the quality of the residency program’s facilities and the ability of the artist to adapt to inevitable particularities of a given place. The degree of interaction between the artists at the residency, contacts with the local community, the studios, and creature comforts are all components that lead to a productive and meaningful residency. This presentation will focus on my experiences at a variety of artist residencies, examining the different strategies of studio practice that works for different programs.
