Artist-in-residence

Artist-in-residence (also Writer-in-residence), or artist residencies, encompass a wide spectrum of artistic programs that involve a collaboration between artists and hosting organisations, institutions, or communities. They are programs that provide artists with space and resources to support their artistic practice. Contemporary artist residencies are becoming increasingly thematic, with artists working together with their host in pursuit of a specific outcome related to a particular theme.

An artist residency is an opportunity provided by a host organisation that enables a guest artist to work in a new environment, often away from the restrictions and pressures of their everyday lives. Artist residencies are about providing the time and space for a guest artist to develop work and creatively explore new ideas.

— artsACT, Australian Capital Territory

Artist groups resembling artist residencies can be traced back to at least the 16th century Europe, when art academies began to emerge. In 1563 Duke of Florence Cosimo Medici and Tuscan painter Giorgio Vasari co-founded the Accademia del Disegno, which may be considered the first academy of arts. It was the first institution to promote the idea that artists may benefit from a localised site dedicated to the advancement of their practice. In the 17th century, the state of France funded the Prix de Rome, a scholarship financing artists to train for three to five years in institutions such as the Palazzo Mancini in Rome and the Villa Medici in Florence. During the 19th century in Europe, artist communities began emerging in the countryside, where the outdoor setting was considered a catalyst for inspiration and the collaborative development of artistic ideas among the communities. A century later in 1919, the Staatliches Bauhaus emerged as a "counter-reaction to the model of academic education, where the artist is isolated from society".

The mid-20th century saw a large wave of artist residencies, particularly during the 1960s. The Artist Placement Group (APG) is widely considered to be one of the earliest iterations of an artist-residency, and was the first of its kind in the United Kingdom. The APG was founded in 1962 by visual artists Barbara Steveni and John Latham. The group is significant to the history of artist residencies, as it was one of the first major residencies to introduce visual artists into institutions. Steveni conceived the idea of an artist residency program whilst sourcing material to use in her artistic practice from a factory. The visit led Steveni to consider what benefits might come from a program that directly engaged artists in private institutions. The APG's objective was to promote the influence of art on society, and the influence of society on art, by "bridg[ing] the gap between artists and people at work so that each may gain from the other's perspectives and approaches to an activity". The wave of artist residency programs emerging in Europe in the 1960s may be attributed to several factors, including: the emergence and growth of regional arts associations; government changes in arts policy framework; and a shifting preference towards "community arts". In the United Kingdom, the increase in artist residencies during the mid-1960s coincided with a new Labour government, and in particular the new government’s writing of the 1965 White Paper, Policy for the Arts: the first steps, and redrawing of the Arts Council's Royal Charter in 1967. According to arts academic Kevin Stephens, "the key change [in the new charter] was its reference to 'the arts' rather than 'the fine arts exclusively'". This shift away from the predominance of high arts encouraged more experimental practices, which were facilitated by the model of artist residencies. These artist residency programs consisted almost exclusively of visual arts residencies. Although throughout the 1960s residency opportunities for poets, composers, and musicians appeared, the scene was nevertheless dominated by visual artists.

During the 1970s and 1980s, residency opportunities became increasingly common. They began to develop similar tendencies, indicating an emergent field of artist-in-residence programs. During the 1980s and 1990s, increased globalisation allowed residencies to become more accessible to artists from overseas, with institutions opening up their residency programs to international artists. The expansion of the internet in the early 2000s further globalised artist residencies, as cheaper and more immediate forms of communication allowed the organisation and application processes of international artist residencies to become easier and timelier. By the 2010s, artist residencies had become widely considered by artists to be "an indispensable part of their career".

A survey conducted by the International Federation of Arts Councils and Culture Agencies (IFACCA) in 2013 studied the general motives and intended impacts of artist residency programs. Collecting data from 18 countries and six continents, IFACCA found the most popular motivations of respondents to be: "To provide a professional development opportunity for the artist (88%)", "To support the creation or development of new artistic work (75%)", "Cultural cooperation (31%)", and "To be part of a local community development program (19%)".

A study on the Artists in Architecture residency in Praiano, Italy, found that residents of the town expressed higher feelings of propensity to art, custody, social cohesion, and creativity in interviews conducted six months after the completion of the short-term residency. The study's researchers suggested that this finding supported the proposition that artist residencies, by linking art practice with a localised space, may greatly benefit the surrounding community. They suggested that in funding the residency, the town of Praiano demonstrated to its citizens a commitment to the arts, which may effectuate positive change in the wider community, through encouraging "the promotion of exhibitions, the activation of networks between the creative industries on a national scale, [and] the invitation of tour operators from the international market.".