Artist Residency Reviews

The working space is enormous. You can work in Necia and also in Pocoapoco. Really for me it was a great experience. I worked very hard the time I was there. I am very pleased with my artistic growth. Beware of spicy food. Oaxaca is a very powerful place energetically; take advantage of the experience and tour the city as much as you can.

Benefits: Highlight key positive outcomes for your art and career. Scholarship, I was able to focus on my creative process, and at the end, there was an open studio to show the results. Challenges: Although we didn't necessarily have to produce something, I decided to do it. The challenge was to do it in a month. Practical tips: It is a good residency to do pre-production; you can focus on your artistic practice without so many pressures. Costs versus profits: Active participation in the dynamics of the residency (an open and collaborative approach seems essential to me. If your profile is more closed, it could be difficult) vs. paid production and presentation of results.

Completely immerse yourself in local life and nature. It is deeply inspiring.

Benefits: incredibly supportive residency in a gorgeous historical garden/farm setting. Access to a treasure of rare books and objects in the library. Challenges: the setting is rural—having a car makes things easier, but the staff are very helpful about providing transportation for errands, etc. Practical Advice: aside from working in your own studio, you can volunteer in the gardens or on the farm and spend time in the library—I highly recommend doing it all, my experience was so enriched by working with the plants and getting to know the farmers, gardeners, librarians and staff there. Although slightly controversial, I read ‘Bunny Mellon: the life of an American style legend’ during my time there and I felt the historical background of the people and the place really changed the experience of being there. I felt I had a much deeper understanding of Oak Spring and what it means to be a part of Mrs. Mellon’s legacy.

Too bad expensive.

Beautiful building, newly renovated studios, spectacular location in downtown Cascais. Surrounding natural parks to be explored. I went during Covid, and there was almost no activities carried out—a bit disappointing after paying full price. It is a quieter residency, where you can work in solitude.

TSKW is beautifully located in the heart of old town Key West. So there’s lots of opportunities to engage in both townsfolk and tourists. It’s the opposite of a residency that separates the residence from the “real world.” If you prefer to have your focus on learning and engaging with other artists, TSKW may be a disappointment. With only four artists at a time, you may make great connections or very little. Artists are responsible for their meals. If the artists are mutually interested in sharing cooking and eating together, that’s can be wonderful. If there is a lack of interest in communal meals, eating can be isolating. But kudos to the staff. They were always most helpful and kind.

Nocefresca was exactly what I needed to refocus on my practice after several hectic years. A small rural village with great community support. I understood it did not have the technical workshops that I usually require, but it did not matter…. The quiet time was a relief. The fees included great shared accommodation and a small studio. The highlight was the local people, fellow artists, facilitators and feeling part of this community; this will stay with me forever. I would recommend a hire car if you want to get around Sardinia, the village is rural and bus services slow and infrequent.

A nurturing residency run by a family and community of people committed to forwarding artistic material knowledge. Beautiful facilities in upstate NY. Far from everything which may be good or bad depending on what you're looking for. Small cohort of three artists. Also may be good or bad depending on what you're looking for. Mentoring and connection to the Golden resources is ongoing. Once you're a resident you're always part of the Golden family!

The residency was online during the pandemic period. The hosts were super nice to reply quickly. The communication and all the arrangements were well organized and warm.

I have been to Arquetopia Puebla twice and Arquetopia Cusco once. I worked on self-directed projects all three times, and every experience was very bountiful in its own way. Part of the Arquetopia experience includes weekly meetings and readings meant to educate and engage participants and encourage thinking critically; however, it is not a strict academic setting. No one will be judged if they tried but didn’t manage to complete the reading due to time restraints. Their residency may also include some planned outings, which are quite informative, and I would also suggest exploring the surrounding location yourself or with fellow residents during weekends because there is so much worth seeing in those areas. I do recommend: reading their manual thoroughly beforehand, and learning some basic Spanish to be well prepared!

As another reviewer mentioned, this was a very isolating experience. If you don't have your own transportation, you can start to feel trapped—and there's so much natural beauty in the area that you miss out on because you're just stuck. The art studio is quite small. When I was there, another artist basically took up the whole thing with enormous canvases, so I didn't get to use the area. Each completed piece I posted was met with a message from the owner telling me they hoped to receive something "as beautiful" at the end of my stay—it felt like they were constantly reminding me that I owed them a piece of art for the residency. I will add that the apartment was lovely, and I enjoyed all of the village cats, but I wouldn't return here.

The Golden Foundation Residency was a wonderful experience! The residency is one half an intensive program and one half studio practice where you spend a week or two working with the Golden technicians, learning about the materials, and attending workshops then the remaining time working on projects. It’s a lot of information at once so my best advice is to walk in with an open mind, don’t have a particular project or imagery in mind, and be curious about everything there. During intensive week, spend that time experimenting that way it’s easy to narrow down what you want to focus on in the second half of the program. In terms of costs, there are scholarships available and, unless stated otherwise, the program provides all material needs. Everyone in the program is so incredibly supportive, gracious, and understanding. There is no pressure to create finished work, just to experiment, challenge ourselves and use.all.the.materials. I’m an emerging artist so the program was a huge benefit to me! Not just in forming connections but building a studio practice that worked for me and introducing materials/mediums I’ve never worked with before. Also, a year after the residency, the Golden Foundation hosts their annual Made in Paint show for the previous artists in residents. The program is a great experience but the highlight is everyone who works there!

Residency is in an incredibly beautiful place which outweighs any minor disadvantages. It is a very remote place and I loved it. I got the full funding for accommodation, transport and project expenses through their support program for artists from Nordic and Baltic countries. It was very inspiring, exceeded all my expectations and truly was one of the key points for my artistic development. The staff were friendly, open to experiments and helped to connect with the local community. I recommend bringing all the necessary materials with you as this is such a remote place, there are no specialised shops anywhere near. (I was there during pandemic and right after the landslides destroyed the workshop place. I believe it is better equipped now)

Golden Foundation is the place you want to go if you love paint and want to understand it on a deeper material level. The Golden family and all the Material Specialists at Golden Artist Colors (where they make the paint) will make you feel at home. 10 out of 10. Would go again.

Opportunities to consult with chemists and other paint experts are just a few of the generous offerings to resident artists.

The residency is not very professional oriented and the leadership is lacking. I did not receive any competent support and communication was vague, unclear and lacked direction. This was the one residency I have been to and would not recommend for anyone who takes themselves seriously as an artist to spend money on it. Too much headache with the woman that supposedly was the main contact and interviewed me then disappeared during the entire month. I have seen her twice.

The housing was beautiful, studios were beautiful, and the landscape can't be beat. I was there quite some time ago (2016-17) and I know a lot of the staffing has changed since then, but the people in my cohort are my friends to this day. I have many precious memories of exploring the coastline in between long studio sessions, foraging for mushrooms, and watching the neighborhood elk herd hang out in the field.

I participated in this residency five or so years ago with my friend who lives across the country, and loved that we could apply together to share space and time even though we weren't necessarily collaborating on a project. I was in the house, not the church, and there were four residents there so the housing itself felt pretty full, and it was very country cabin in vibes. The studio was spacious and architecturally interesting, and the surrounding countryside was beautiful. Lots of ticks (it's rural PA) so do frequent tick checks. The residency is pretty remote (even the two locations for studios/housing are a good distance from one another), and there are few residents there together, so it's not the most social residency. However, if you're looking for productive studio time in a beautiful place this is a great experience.

My preferred residency type is "go somewhere beautiful, meet some nice people, work like a dog for 16hrs a day in the studio", so keep that in mind throughout the review. I also make art specifically about gardens so it's no shock that Oak Spring Garden Foundation is my absolute favorite residency. I am constantly recommending it to any artist, musician, writer, dancer etc I meet who is working in an ecological vein of inquiry. UPSIDES: Funded residency, beautiful landscape, wonderful people, everything you need to be super productive. The best. DOWNSIDES: It's a residency designed to work and think, so if you're primarily trying to network this isn't gonna be it. OVERVIEW: The resources (library, garden, environment) are incredible, the staff are friendly and helpful, and the small cohorts of co-residents mean that you create lasting friendships if you tear yourself out of your studio for the occasional group meals and excursions. I received the Eliza Moore Fellowship (life-changing) but all of the residencies are free with funding for travel expenses. Residency periods range from 2-6 weeks depending on what you're applying for, which was helpful since I'm a parent artist and it's tough to be away for longer periods. The library has world class botanical illustrations, print ephemera, illuminated manuscripts, you name it - just check the catalog. Applications are getting more and more competitive, so be sure to do your research and write a thoughtful, very specific submission for this one. NUTS AND BOLTS: This is a mid-remote residency (don't expect to walk or bike for groceries) so I found a rental car helpful. If that's not an option, during the summer season you have the option of participating in their CSA, which provides you more beautiful vegetables than you know what to do with, and usually you can hitch a ride with another resident or the residency coordinator to get supplemental groceries. This is an environment and team of people that will give back your courtesy, respect, and friendliness tenfold - so be nice to the staff please (I love them). There are many small houses on the residency side of the property, each of which is usually given to one or two residents. You will most likely have a whole floor of the house to yourself, a private bathroom, and a pretty spacious bedroom, but you will be sharing a well-equipped kitchen, laundry, and social spaces. The wide open fields and farmland mean that there are a lot of bugs, especially ticks, in the summer months, so bug spray and hats are a must. Studios vary pretty widely but if you're clear about whether you need sinks, wallspace, etc they do a great job accommodating. Don't expect a lot of artmaking equipment - there are no ceramics, metalworking, or printmaking facilities, etc - but there is a dye and natural fiber garden that you can work with if you give advance notice or it's part of your initial proposal. The closest supply stores are in DC so bring all the specialized materials you need with you. FOLLOWUP: Reporting requirements are mellow - usually an exit survey. Keep your funding info for tax season but they don't require a specific reportable outcome. If you receive an initial Interdisciplinary artists residency you may also be invited to apply to their Perennial Residency program, which is designed so alumni can come back for short (2 week) periods and continue work on their projects (or begin new ones engaging with the space and resources in different ways). These return residencies are great - I've now been twice at different times of year and both were really productive and wonderful experiences that strengthened my own practice as well as my relationship to the landscape, library, and people there.