Artists in Residence Programme Article by Lesley Samms
Pure Arts Group is a “not just for profit” Arts Marketing and PR business. One of the things we do, simply because we can and its good for all involved, is run an Artists-in-Residence (air) programme for our selected artist group.
The
Pureair programme is designed to encourage the creative, intellectual and personal growth of emerging and established artists, providing opportunities for developing their careers and practice.
We are very proud of this programme and our 2011/2012 residents have their own blog which you can follow:
www.pureartsgroupresidencies.blogspot.com
Residencies enable artists to take time out from their normal pattern of life and experience different environments, thus stimulating growth personally and artistically.
They have a history that stretches back much further than is often thought. Air programmes have not appeared out of the blue, they have been part of the international art world for over a century.
The first wave of artist-in-residence programmes came at the beginning of the last century. Take the Corporation of Yaddo, founded in 1900 by art loving benefactors and the Woodstock Guild/ Byrdcliffe Arts Colony founded in 1903, both established in the State of New York. The Corporation of Yaddo regarded offering guest studios to individual artists as a new kind of patronage. The Woodstock Guild was founded and run by artists on their own terms: a sense of community being very prominent. Both models were typical of many other air programmes which were set up during the first decades of the 20th century, both in the United States and Europe. The Corporation of Yaddo is still thriving today, a perfect testament to its foundation.
Yaddo
Amongst European examples is the artists’ colony at the small village of Worpswede near Bremen: founded in 1889 by, amongst others, the artists Heinrich Vogeler and Rainer Maria Rilke. They soon managed to draw attention to Worpswede internationally. In 1971 the colony was given a new boost with the foundation of Kunstlerhauser Worpswede, which has grown into one of the most renowned international residential art centres.
Another European example is the Gregory Fellowships, dating from 1951 and funded by the Yorkshire printer Peter Gregory. These fellowships placed painters, sculptors, poets and musicians in the University of Leeds. The University was, at that time, primarily a technical institution with very little arts activity, and the presence of the artists was intended to humanise the university. The Gregory Fellowships helped to set the framework for subsequent air schemes.
A new wave of artist-in-residence programmes emerged in the 1960s, adding two new models to the ones that already existed. One offered artists the opportunity to withdraw temporarily from a society which was considered bourgeois, to create their own utopia in seclusion. The other aimed for social engagement and greater connection with the public. Guest studios in villages and cities served as a base for society change. A significantnumber of new foundations elaborated on this new tendency during the seventies and the eighties.
During the nineties a third wave of residency programmes proliferated all over the globe: from Brazil to Taiwan, from Estonia to Zambia, from Japan to Vietnam. Characteristic of this new wave was the rich diversity of residency models: from minimum hospitality at one end of the spectrum, to almost commission-like projects at the other end of the spectrum. Because of its global expansion and its seemingly unrestrained popularity, these new air opportunities have attracted significant attention in the art world. However, we should not forget that new residency opportunities have their roots firmly placed in history and that established programmes are still offering their expertise, contacts, advice and support to the new opportunities.
The newest models of air programmes include cooperation between local government and a more capitalistic approach. The Village of the Arts in Florida (see Wikipedia) for example enables artists to live in homes with attached galleries located close to one another forming an artists community. This is the basis from which the UK Open studios programmes have developed.
About the Pureair programme:
Each
Pureair is unique and bespoke to each individual host. Air’s vary from single to multiple disciplines and are designed to ensure they have a lasting impact for both the artists and host. All of our residents are closely managed and monitored by Pure Arts Group, to ensure maximum value is gained by all involved.
Being an artist-in-residence is an invaluable experience for most artists, but we appreciate it does not suit all. The nature of a residency is that you have to be prepared to be flexible and adaptable; fit in with your host environment and enjoy the experience, the cultural differences and opportunities offered. You may not have everything you would ideally like immediately to hand, but, if you network with your fellow artists and explore your local environment, most residents are able to access most of what they need. Ultimately, a residency gives an artist time to think and often takes them down new, unexpected and interesting routes with which to develop their practice.
Pure Arts Group ask that each one of their air’s gift a piece of completed artwork to the host at the end of the residency. This gift is not intended for on sale.
About Pure Arts Group:
Pure Arts Group annually select approx 60 artists to support and promote for a 12 month period, alongside their invited group.
2011/2012 Pure Arts Group selection has now been completed. Call for entries will reopen on 1 Apr 2012. If you would like to register with us please email lesley@pureartsgroup.co.uk.
www.pureartsgroup.co.uk
