Inclusive and accessible
Artist Residencies

1.Be openly and explicitly welcoming to all artists.

This includes but is not limited to: guidelines on welcoming artist parents (refer to ‘How not to exclude Artist Parents’ from Hettie Judah and the Freelands Foundation’.), removing age limits, working around significant holidays, physical accessibility.

2.Ensure the expectations, or lack thereof, is explicit with the artists involved from the start.

Give artists plenty of warning of expectations, themes and nuances of the programme. This includes removing pressures of last-minute changes, and confusion while on the programme.

3.Pay your artists.

This should be standard.

The majority of artists have a second job, and may even have to give this up or take a break depending on the Residency length.

Pay artists a Stipend for their time.

4.True accessibility is flexibility.

Work with your Residents to ensure the space, timeline and expectations are accessible to them. Ensure flexibility, and work around any potential barriers together.

5.Construct the programme around your artist, not for vanity.

As with accessibility requirements, speak openly and frankly with participating artists to adapt to the artist’s current situation and future goals. Work to accommodate them and have structures in place to accommodate their various responsibilities.

6.Build and ensure a relationship with artists before, during and after the programme.

Residencies should not begin and end in the new location. Work with your artist in residence to plan and prepare for a long term relationship with the programme.

7. Remove pressures.

Life as an artist can be a precarious existence. In their inception, Residency Programmes were created for ‘time and space’, removed of many external pressures.

Work with your residents to ensure the environment needed for the project.

8. Ensure a positive force for change.

Whether it be to support artists in need or refuge, desire to balance social inequalities and hierarchies in the art world or to educate artists, be clear of the ways your programming is fostering positive change in the arts.

9.Encourage peer to peer working and feedback.

Residencies are a perfect opportunity to encourage peer to peer feedback for self-assessment of one’s work. Ensure diversity of age, education, medium, background when possible.

10.Facilitate meaningful encounters.

Providing time, space and resources in the diverse residency communities and spaces produce powerful and altering experiences.

Introduce artists to the local community, to your broader network, and to other facilitators.