Alistair Gentry, freelance artist and writer
Artists should be paid: Or at least compensated in some meaningful way. I have always been paid to do residencies; I've never paid do them ever. There has been a massive proliferation of so-called 'residencies' that are just short-term studio rental – you get no support, no guarantees, you pay for everything, and often the facilities will be so bad that you wouldn't put up with them if it was a holiday that you'd paid £1,000 to go on.
And that's what these 'residencies' are: bourgeois Butlins. Short-term studio rental is fine. Having a nice holiday in Italy and concentrating on your painting is fine. Arts organisations raising necessary funds is totally acceptable. But just call these things what they are.
It's not necessarily about a crude transaction of pay for work, but also right that an artist shouldn't be massively out of pocket as a result of taking up something that's offered as an opportunity. Everybody needs to recognise that venues and artists need money to function. Kudos, goodwill and opportunity don't buy our kids shoes, pay our rent, or keep the doors of community resources open.
A residency should be a beginning, not an end: Following one particular residency, I had a 10 year relationship with the venue. I worked with them many times subsequently and they supported me both pragmatically and in more emotional ways. To me this is absolutely a model of what a residency should lead to.
Rowan Geddis, residencies programmer, Gasworks
It's not always easy: Communication, clarity and understanding (things that make a residency great) can actually be very tricky, especially when dealing with so many different cultural and language differences and barriers. I'm talking specifically about the communication before the artist's arrival, in terms of managing their expectations and communicating what we can do for them, and what is expected of them in return.
Despite one's best intentions to be clear, there are sometimes expectations from the artists in terms of luxury and pampering, which it's just not within our means or within our remit to provide.
I guess many organisations are so familiar with their own set-up that it's hard for them to think what needs to be communicated to the artist ahead of time. I think both parties make presumptions based upon their previous experience, which can cause problems. It's certainly a constant learning process for us.
Do your research: The number one consideration for an artist interested in a residency would be to find the right match. There are so many different provisions and focuses, there's bound to be one that matches your practice, but to apply for everything regardless of a fit is just a waste of everyone's time. To thoroughly research the organisation and the model before applying is crucial – looking at the kind of artists selected previously is the best way to understand a programme.
Valentina Fois, director and curator, La Scatola Gallery
Mutual respect is the key. Diplomacy is also very important, reality is that we are all very different and it is impossible to like everyone all of the time! With so many differing cultures and habits and it is easy for one to lose their temper, however if you respect the other person and you have a positive attitude you can make the best out of a new experience such as a residency.
Top tips for the venue and artist: Build trust and respect each other; try to make the most out of a residency; look for a residency that suits your ethos; ask for feedback and evaluation when the residency terminates; be motived as often the budgets are very tight; and enjoy yourself!
Polly Bielecka, gallery director, Pangolin London
Be flexible: We certainly don't set out to micro-manage our artist's lives so we leave it entirely open to the artist to use the studio as often or as little as they like, and at any time of day. We would organise regular meetings to make sure both parties kept in touch and I think those help keep up the momentum. I suppose the meetings would happen with any exhibition we were organising, but they were perhaps more regular and being on site could easily happen at short notice.
Sam Underwood, sound artist and musical instrument designer
Know the benefits: Residencies vary a lot in terms of how long they are for, how they are structured and what resources and people are involved, but the main benefit I'd say is that they provide a space to work, sometimes physically but definitely mentally. Like anyone else we have other stuff going on in our lives and I certainly find it easier to remove such distractions from my day when I am formally on residence.
Fiona Ferguson, development director, Imaginate
Residencies are good for the sector as a whole: By stimulating new ideas and work, by supporting artists financially for a year which allows more experimentation and risk, by connecting artists more into the networks of that sector, by raising the profile of that sector, and so on.
Deirdre Nelson, artist
Some key considerations for artists: Understand the residency expectations before applying; choose suitable programmes that fit in with your arts practice and methods of working; be prepared to be resourceful and engage with diverse communities; develop ways of explaining your work to diverse audiences; be enthusiastic and positive about new experiences.
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