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Artists-in-Residence Programmes – More Than Just Mobility Promotion?
Artists-in-residence programmes are booming. Cultural policy makers and cultural events organisers see the establishment of such programmes as a chance to overcome boundaries and make a contribution to intercultural dialogue.
AiR programmes are not only an opportunity for artists from foreign countries; they always bring enrichment to the local cultural scene as well. The benefits of give and take are rarely immediate and visible, but in the long term a sustainable network of contacts, connections and cultural influences becomes established. Artists appreciate and value these programmes because they offer the opportunity to cross borders, to live and work in other cultural contexts and to acquire new contacts. For Šejla Kamerić from Bosnia and Herzegovina, who spent time in Vienna as an artist in residence, “working away from home facilitated a different kind of concentration and self-reflection. A different environment is stimulating and helps to develop new ideas.” And Alexandra Croitoru from Romania feels “that distance is always important”.
Foreign exchange scholarships often help artists to survive in times in which they find it less and less possible to support themselves by means of artistic work alone. Increasingly often, one finds artists bustling from one residency to the next.
It will be a number of years before we can judge how this affects artistic development and the creative process, and whether repeatedly immersing oneself in new social and cultural structures and contexts is conducive to concentration on the essentials or not.
At the same time, we must not forget those who are unable to participate in such programmes. Often these are artists who, for personal and family reasons, are unable leave their homes and their workplaces. Sometimes national borders and visa requirements make it difficult, if not impossible, for artists to participate in international programmes. After a short phase of liberalisation, it has become noticeable that artists from certain countries are again experiencing difficulties in obtaining visas.
Naturally, comfortable conditions for living and working are important and scholarships need to be high enough to cover the necessary costs. But it is also of primary importance to give artists in residence considerable attention and help them become integrated into their new environment. They need a platform not only for new contacts but also for the presentation and further development of their own work.
