Artist Residency Reviews

Having participated in numerous artist residencies around the US and abroad, the program that Bemis offers is truly unparalleled—it is by far the most transformative and supportive residency I have done in my career. Bemis is unique in bringing incredible national and international artists in a collective cohort, all of whom I have a strong relationship to this day from our time together at Bemis. The facilities of Bemis’s incredible personal studios, housing, common areas for exhibitions and gatherings, sculptural facilities, sound studio, gallery space, and libraries offer an immediate landscape of ease and accessibility for artists to succeed while in residence. Bemis is by far the most organized, well-run residency, overflowing with resources to complete any project imagined—and, with the help of its warm staff, an artist can approach and workshop new ideas to execute during their residency. If it’s not available directly through the fabulous fabrication facilities, such as working in another material like glass, large-scale printing, bronze, their team will connect you to the greater Omaha creative community which is rich with makers from many backgrounds. Similarly, if you want to collaborate with a particular member in the Omaha community for your artist project, the Bemis team is available to help you channel those resources. I was able to continue my oceanic research with the Omaha Aquarium and created a podcast episode detailing my time with the scientists in their coral conversation lab and other restoration efforts that the aquarium was doing behind the scenes. In the greater Omaha community, Bemis is unique in bringing artists from around the world to connect and forge lasting relationships with local artists and creatives through their extensive public programing, such as music and sound art events in their Low End performance space. It was at a performance that I met many local artists and musicians who I continue to have deep friendships with to this day. One ceramist I connected to in my first week at a Bemis Center Low End performance has become an invaluable friend who assisted me in developing my first ceramic glazes. Because of the generous stipend an artist receives while being in residence, I was able to later hire her as my glaze technician to learn alongside her in the glaze laboratory at the University of Nebraska Lincoln.

Staff is amazingly supportive and all are fantastic creatives themselves. Beautiful rural landscape surrounding with necessary stores within comfortable distance. With the building structures being old repurposed barns and a huge grain mill, studios feel very home-y (not in a bad way, gets the job done with ample space and the facilities/tools necessary). Fair warning, you’ll definitely be getting your steps in with all the stairs.

They take really good care of you. I've always had meaningful change in my work when I'm there. It's way out in a rural area, which is what makes it great but also difficult to get around if you don't have a car. They do help out with that, however. The visit does cost money; it's a reasonable $800, but they are very forgiving and will work with you on a case-by-case basis.

The residency provided the perfect environment and materials to deeply explore pigment sticks and encaustic paints in new ways. In order to make the most of the experience, the artist should have a prior interest in working with these materials and processes, as well as have a fairly strong existing studio practice. Whilst the area boasts a large community of artists, it is very much up to the artist to engage that community beyond a few core members.

The folks at R+F are lovely; friendly, knowledgeable, communicative, helpful, and welcoming.

Residency feel very balanced. Good mix of studio visits, production time, social opportunities, etc.

One challenge is to stay focused on the work in this beautiful environment. You won’t like all peers, and you gotta be patient and kind with them. However, I found most of my peers there to be awesome.

The studios are not so comfortable, but the environment is beautiful and inspiring.

This residency was a perfect location to do focused, inspired work. The diverse ecosystems and natural beauty of Vancouver Island, and this residency's proximity to nature makes it particularly valuable for artists whose work is engaged with the natural world. You can walk to a lake, river, streams and many trailheads from the house, and drive to many other ecosystems and environmental wonders. The living situation is a comfortable house with different options for studio space, both shared and private, that will meet a wide range of needs; the town is walkable and convenient with groceries and other shops only a few blocks from the house. The host, Brad, is a multi-talented visual artist who offers optional training and professional development in his fields of expertise as well as studio visits and trips around the Island. Artists from all disciplines are welcome (I'm a musician and felt well-accommodated) and all activities are optional, so you have a lot of autonomy. The host does not live on site but is easily accessible for any questions. He and fellow residents create a lovely interdisciplinary artistic community for living and working.

A tremendous place to go off-grid, in every sense of the word, and connect with one's creative priorities. Both without external interference, but also in the company of other creatives from many walks of life and different disciplines. Created by two working artists, the campus is very inspirational and affords all residents ample personal space but also wonderful communal spaces to navigate this dialogue between personal and public development. The site is about as isolated as it is possible to be in Iberia, but well worth the effort to reach.

Incredible equipment, very kind, helpful, and passionate staff. It was a wonderful space and environment to dive into your craft and imagination.

Benefits: It was great to be with all the other artists and just be focused on art for a time. It was very meaningful for me to spend so much time in Crete. Challenges: We lost a lot of time to presentations of everyone's work and didn't have enough time for our own work. The residency is much more adapted to visual artists than writers. No one really knew what to make of me or how to support me. I was always an afterthought. Practical Advice: It's so packed with activities and workshops and trips, there really isn't much time for making art. I'd say choose a project that engages with the environment there and something you can do quickly without too much concentration. (From what I saw, the studio was very busy and overwhelmed by wind. A lot artists seemed to take their work back to their rooms.) Costs vs. Gains: I crowdfunded to be able to afford to go. I can't do that again and so, while I might enjoy being able to return (especially now that I've learned more Greek) I couldn't. Also - I'm not sure I got any measurable rewards. I mostly felt like the redheaded stepchild - though I did meet a lot of nice artists. The most reward-like thing I got out of it was the status boost back home of having gone to a residency.

I paid for studio space, and it was worth it. Having regular studio visits with professionals and connecting with artists from different backgrounds helped expand my ideas. Plus, events like visiting museums with fellow residents were amazing experiences too.

The setting, a mountain village with stone alleys flanked by wild grapevines and olive trees, is adventurous and inspiring. My accommodation was very pleasant. I met new artists who became my friends. The wind keeps things somewhat cool, but be prepared for heat and mosquitoes. The organizers are helpful and friendly. Participants should be prepared to be in a cohort of up to 17 artists, which is far too many. Be prepared for a lot of mandatory group time (two meals a day, PowerPoint presentations at night, and field trips during the weekend). In my session, there was an alienating and competitive art school vibe, and juvenile cliques emerged—which the organizers were not inclined to abate. There is an East Coast focus to the demographics (particularly Syracuse University Department of Art and NYC), with some West Coasters and a few international artists mixed in. The visual art studio is a shared room with desks, no running water, and only a few basic materials—visual artists should plan on a minimal setup. The environment is maybe better suited for writers, so consider applying with a writing project and skipping the studio if that resonates. Overall, this is a great setting to find inspiration and a good introduction to Mediterranean/Greek culture, but don't expect to complete a major project unless you hit the ground running. The food is good and the restaurant is charming (run by a family), but the fare is a somewhat limited sampling of Greek cuisine. The focus on group activities is risky if you don't end up with a supportive group, and I would be less inclined to recommend the residency to introverts due to the hours of daily group time. At $1,000+ per week with room and board, the residency is just barely a better value than an Airbnb, so applicants should consider what their goals are. When airfare is added, I would say extending your trip by a week or two is highly recommended, or you might regret missing out on Crete beyond a few field trips and two scheduled trips to the beach. If you do go, do yourself a favor and book a night at the Megaron Hotel in Heraklion that the residency recommends. The island and country are absolutely fascinating, and if you can swing it, the residency offers a fairly straightforward pay-to-play experience that works well as an intro to Crete.

I did the Uncool Residency in February 2023. I loved my time there, and felt like I made a tremendous amount of progress. I found the other residents there to be some of my favorite of the various residencies I've been a part of. I think this is due to the international nature of the program. There are group outings and studio visits with faculty and curators, which I found to be highly valuable. Overall I highly recommend it.

The Mudhouse is an artist residency located in the village of Agios Ioannis on the Island of Crete, Greece. During my residency, I worked alongside numerous impressive artists from the United States and abroad. The artist-run residency included shared lodging, two meals (authentic—fresh; many vegetarian options), and a day prepared by a local family who owned a restaurant and farm. Optional workshops and guided tours (recommend taking part), and evenings set aside for artists' presentations. A shared studio space was available depending on your artistic discipline.

Benefit is the unique location in a largely ruined and remote mountain village, best feature beauty of the ruined architecture and fantastic shared daily meals prepared for us by a local family. Cons: travel to residency can be grueling, highly recommend leisurely layovers in Paris then direct to Heraklion vs flying straight through to Athens then Heraklion then brutally slow bus for three more hours totaling 20 straight hours of travel. If driving the mountain road is narrow and full of terrifying blind corners.

Is a good context and environment. Good networking opportunities. I think it is a good program that can be a bit longer. It needs to be more concrete on the possibilities offered after the residency - which means the real possibility to project in the future.

There are simply none to very little international residencies in Vancouver Island, and that's why so many interesting artists come find this heaven in Cowichan Lake, Vancouver Island. Brad, the host and artist himself, is an amazing person and a professor teaching a variety fields of arts in the University of Victoria, and you can learn SO MUCH from him. The nature and surroundings are amazing also. It's sitting right at the point where TransCanada trail begins in addition to so many cool trails. There's even an amazing foresty trail hidden in the back of a big supermarket in town. Brad offers a car pickup/dropoff on demand (extra charge but very reasonable price) and arrange cool excursions around the Island based on the needs and interests of each residency cohort. We went to Avatar Grove, beach (forgot the name), Victoria and above all, Brad's cool art studios! And I also went on to a few more trips arranged with my fellow residents during my stay. Amazing sound artist, painter, and a writer. All great people!! And of course you are encourage to rent a car to take full advantages, but I felt absolutely fine and happy even without a car for 3 weeks of my stay. It's a big 2-story-house (very pretty blue house) and they have 4~5 private rooms with 2 full bathrooms and 2 kitchens. And equipment for digital artworks such as photography (they let you borrow their great digital camera), high-end computer for VR, AR, 3D modeling work if you are interested, and also 3D printers in a shared studio space downstairs. And you can learn how to use them from Brad if needed! Some traditional painters in previous cohorts learned these new technology during the stay and created a final artwork at the end of the residency. They also have easels and some tools for traditional paintings also. And A MUST READ for everyone - a book titled "All Sky, Mirror Ocean: A Healing Manifesto" written by Brad Necyk, a founder of the residency. You will find this place peaceful and fulfilling. And if you don't want to create arts and just relax and explore the nature - it's a perfect place for that too!

I think it is good to take into consideration that the hosts of the Residency do not lead crits and give constant feedback but instead they lead an independent Residency. The feedback they do give to you on request is brilliant and very thoughtful. I went on this Residency knowing no one and knowing little about it. The location is very remote, be prepared for a little amount of contact with other people unless you hire a car! However, the remoteness was exactly what I needed for my project. The houses they provided were very comfortable and gave opportunity to bond with the fellow residents on the programme. The weather, light and remoteness were challenging. I went during October/November so I expected typical beginnings of Winter Weather and became accustomed to the lack of light and high winds - added to the experience! The Fish Factory facilities are unique and you have so much space and help from the hosts to create anything you want with the supplies they provide/find. Make sure when booking this Residency to take note of the time of year you go because of the weather. Other than, enjoy the surroundings, the people, the fish and the Aurora...if they decide to show!