What is an Art Residency, Anyway?

Outside the art world, we at Kestrel Fields Studio get asked this question a lot. At a networking event I recently attended with other business owners (of the non-art world) in Fort Collins, most people I spoke to were just mesmerized by the idea. Bewildering to me was that it was a brand new concept to many of them.  

Funnily enough, even artists are a little fuzzy on the details!

So what exactly is an art residency, and why should you (or your creative friend) do one?

The most basic definition of an artist residency is: time & space away from regular life to devote yourself to your craft. 

There are SO MANY residencies--in Colorado, in the USA, even the world. 

Want to paint by yourself on an island off the coast of Florida for a month? Totally possible. Want to engage with other artists in the Rocky Mountains during the coldest time of year for 10 weeks? Yes. Want to earn your keep by picking organic strawberries in the morning so you can throw pottery in the afternoon? Yep, that's out there too. 

Every residency is different, as different as the people who run them! 

Here are some things all residencies have in common:

• Unplugging from your regular life to focus on your art work or creative practice
• You make stuff
• Exploring new ideas
• Learning about yourself
• Moving old ideas forward, or retiring them for good
• Resting
• Thinking
• Practicing new techniques
• Playing with new supplies or materials
• Developing goals and dreams
• Sometimes, opportunities for collaboration

 In a work culture in which an artist's choice of career is often judged, trivialized, or called into question, a residency confirms that what artists do is important.  Interestingly, when you do a residency, we've noticed a distinct pattern about those who previously didn't take you seriously: they tend to shift their attitudes and their language about your work:

"Oooooh, I want you to meet my friend! They are an artist who just got back from a residency!" (Lol.)

You are ready for an art residency.