Artists in communities
Artist-in-residence programs
Collaborating with local artists or bringing in visiting artists can motivate community members to participate in arts and cultural activity. Artist-in-residence programs can occur in many forms including:
- provision of a space in which an artist can create new work
- a cultural exchange with an international artist
- a community cultural development project where the artist actively seeks to engage the community providing a creative process to highlight an issue, or to develop skills around a particular practice within a community.
Often there are material outcomes from residency projects such as the creation of new work for exhibition or performance. The duration of a residency project can vary greatly depending on available resources and the desired outcomes of the project.
The model involving community engagement is the most popular form in regional communities. This type of artist-in-residence program can be tailored to the needs of the community. Factors to consider include accommodation and studio facilities, as well as the human resource capacity of the community. Are there arts organisations or cultural workers to manage the program?