Residencies, workshops and whatnot, part 2
Understanding some more opportunities for artists and writers
Hello gentle reader,
One of the things I love to do is to help individual writers and artists with funding applications to Arts Council England’s DYCP grants and other opportunities. Over the 5+ years I’ve been doing this, I’ve noticed that sometimes people struggle to write an application that shows just how good their ideas really are.
Sometimes the issue is that they haven’t taken the time to fully understand their project and what they hope to get from it. But other times, it’s the specific language for arts opportunities that trips them up.
That’s no fault of the individuals. As I mentioned in the previous workshops post in this series, lots of the lingo has been codified in universities. Not having access to the common HE terminology can make things more confusing than they need to be.
And even more importantly, when it comes to residencies, residentials and retreats, if you’re not 100% sure what you’re getting into, it could end up costing you money.
So here’s my guide to the exciting, competitive and potentially expensive world of opportunities for artists and writers beginning with R.
Residencies
Lots of creatives want residencies, and it’s not hard to see why. Not only do you get the title of Artist-in-Residence, but you also get the prestige of having won a competitive process, and access to resources you otherwise might not get to have.
The particular make-up of each individual residency will be slightly different, but they almost always include studio or research facilities, the chance to share your work or make connections, and the support of the administrators.
During the residency the artist will use their time to work on a project. The project might be entirely their own, or it might be their interpretation of a set brief. Whichever it is, the artist will be working in a self-directed way.
Originally residencies were so-called because they provided peripatetic artists with somewhere to live for anything from a week to several months, and many still do. These days others are conducted as a part-time arrangement or virtually.
The crucial element of a residency is that the artist does not pay to do the residency. The artist receives pay for their time so they can do their creative work. If someone is asking you to pay them so you can do a residency, it’s not really a residency – it might be one of the other two things below.
You can even set up your own residency by asking an organisation to host you as their Artist-in-Residence. If you request a residency, you will either need to do it on a voluntary basis or apply for funding to pay you for your time. Either of these options can work, it just depends on your circumstances.
Residentials
These are usually totally different to residencies, despite the similarity in name. ‘Residential’ is short for ‘residential course‘, and most of the time anyone can, in theory, buy a place on one.
A residential course will involve living somewhere for a short time, usually one or two weeks. You will be tutored by one or more tutors, who will usually lead a series of workshops (see above) and one-to-one tutorials.
Residential courses can be great things, but they’re not the same as residencies. Often they’re self-selecting rather than selective, and while you might be doing some self-directed creative work, there are tutors to guide you through the syllabus.
The crucial difference is that you’re paying to be there, rather than getting paid, and you don’t get to call yourself Artist-in-Residence.
Retreats
These have gained in popularity, borrowing their name from spiritual and wellness equivalents. These are half-way between a residential and a residency.
Like residentials, you pay to be there, and you’re not a specially-selected Artist-in-Residence.
At the same time, there’s no tutor, so you’ll be working self-directed on your own project, more like a residency.
Muddying the waters even further, retreats are sometimes offered by the same organisations who offer residencies, as a way for them to generate income between funding cycles. So do make sure you know what you’re signing up for!
Some caveats
Just to make it even more blurry, there are selective programmes out there that include residential elements, and refer to those parts of the programme as ‘residentials’. However, this type of programme is selective, in that you have to apply for them, and they are subsidised, so that you don’t have to pay to attend.
And of course, you can apply for funding to pay for you to attend an open residential or a retreat. For something like DYCP, that can be a great way to use the funds wisely to develop your skill and make new work.
Do remember to seek funding to cover all your costs, though – don’t expect travel expenses or subsistence to be covered without checking with the host first.
To recap:
If you get paid and it’s self-directed, it’s probably a residency.
If you pay to be there and it’s tutored, it might be a residential.
If you pay to be there and it’s self-directed, it’s likely to be a retreat.
So there you have it, my guide to the knotty vernacular of opportunities for artists and writers. I hope this helps someone out there, and if you’d like more information about the artist support I offer on a sliding scale, don’t hesitate to contact me.
Until next time, I wish you happy creating,
Flo