Greetings all. Today I thought it would be a good thing to see if any of you had come up with some creative ideas about funding residencies, both in your own country and abroad. My most frequently asked question is: Are there any grants out there to help pay for travel and expenses, etc. once I get accepted to an artist residency? I've addressed this a little in these two posts: http://miraslist.blogspot.com/search/label/FAQs%3A%20RESIDENCIES but I am always looking for new ideas. I'd like to open this up for discussion to all of you. If any of you have come up with great solutions to help fund your residency (money for travel, expenses, and keeping up with household bills while you are gone), please write in the comment section below so others can benefit from your past experience. Thanks!
Cheers,
Mirabee
5 comments:
I was awarded a partial scholarship (1/2 the costs approx.) to the Vermont Studio Center last May and was short the airfare and the balance of the costs due. A friend of mine held a fundraiser for me--inviting friends and friends of friends. At first I was embarrassed by this idea. And then I got into the spirit of it--making it a party worth attending. We had an auction of art jewelry contributed by a sculptor friend, a reading by me of the work that got me into Vermont, a home made meal and killer desserts contributed by a gourmet cook and baker--and much more. The theme was, "Buddy Can You Spare a Dime" and all the music was put together by me from the 1930s depression era. I raised the money, the party was a big hit and I very gratefully got away to write for a month. Community is amazing and sometimes you get by with a little help from your friends. The Vermont experience was certainly an endorphin high for me--with lots of love and help from my friends.
Thanks for your input Sally. Great idea! I did something similar years ago when I was trying to fund an extended trip overseas. I'm so glad you made enough to go to VSC.
Anyone else?? Please leave a comment!
Thanks!
Mira
Hey Mira (& others),
I don't know if this answer will be useful to everyone, but here's my experience, for what it's worth.
For a while I was going to a LOT of artist colonies -- 6 over a two-year period -- and I found working for a temp agency to be an absolutely perfect combination with colony-hopping; temping gave me the money that I needed to get to the residency program & keep body & soul together between residencies, but because I was always being hired on a short-term basis, I felt completely free to work for three or four months, quit, go to a residency, and then come back home and start making money again.
If anything, my temp agency (Woods & Associates, in Seattle) seemed to appreciate the fact that I was always up for short-term assignments, and that unlike many temps, I was not interested in being hired away from them on a permanent basis.
Of course, it helps to have a really cheap apartment.
Thanks for running this site, Mira. I come here a lot & I really appreciate your willingness to share what you know.
James Arthur
St. Louis
"Of course, it helps to have a really cheap apartment."
I love that. Sadly, a big part of the picture for putting residencies together is money management. (I say sadly because I'm not good at it.)
Last summer I did a residency at a Haslla museum, in Korea, and one thing I was very happy to find was when at the residency and focused on the work, my spending was zero. I think that level of focus could be applied to saving for residencies, too.
Prioritizing spending is one way to help fund. Thanks for the fundraising party idea, too, I like it.
Hi,
About the topic "How to fund your artist residency" I suggest you to contact the association "artistay" that I created with my partner, for artists looking for a residency in France.
A bientôt.
Christophe
website is www.artistay.org
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