New York Times
Sunday October 24 2021
creative place page31
« Artist Residencies are thriving »
……A residency is an intentional form of social distancing, different from what we have become used to, affording an artist time and space to contemplate, or complete work in progress without other distractions, often in the company of creative peers.
Studios, workshops, tools and specialized equipment; a staff to provide skilled assistance; sometimes three square meals and housekeeping: this form of arts funding has been a breeding ground for prominent artists, including the monologuist Spalding Gray at the MacDowell in New Hampshire; the composer Lea Bertucci at the Bemis Center for Contemporary Arts in Nebraska; and the artists Rashaad Newsome at Eyebeam in Brooklyn, and Danai Anesiadou at Fogo Island Arts off Canada’s eastern coast.
That definition of retreat changed drastically last year as many of these spaces shut down. According to Res Artis, a global database of residencies, which conducted a Covid-19 impact survey, 54 percent of planned residencies were canceled or postponed, and one in 10 organizations supporting artists closed indefinitely.
Their updated March 2021 report also notes that 65 percent of artists surveyed were compelled to pursue work outside the arts, while 12 percent considered quitting entirely. Emerging artists were disproportionately affected.
read the entire article: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/20/arts/artist-residencies-pandemic.html