The conference, Creative Encounters: Reimagining Residencies, was hosted by Kyoto City and Kyoto Art Center in cooperation with the Agency of Cultural Affairs from February 6-8, 2019.
 
The 3-day meeting addressed the evolution of arts residency models and the rapid expansion of the field. Around 140 participants from over 40 nationalities made it to Kyoto and joined us in discussions around traditional ‘time and space’ models vs. new residency typologies that reflect our changing social economy. Nomadic, start-up, virtual and Airbnb residencies were all explored.
 
These key themes of the meeting were reflected in Kyoto, a unique city where traditional and contemporary arts co-exist. Like artists in residence encountering different places for the first time, participants experienced the rich culture of Kyoto by way of excursions, city walks and tea ceremonies that encouraged further dialogue and networking.
 
Through its long history of more than 1200 years, Kyoto has blended diverse cultures, and is called the spiritual home of the Japanese. Kyoto is not only a historic city; it is an academic research city, being home to universities and junior colleges, as well as an environmentally advanced city, which can be a role model for low carbon and recycle-oriented society. We express our sincere thanks to the entire team of the Kyoto Art Center, Kyoto City, the Agency of Cultural Affairs, countless volunteers and all participants for making this conference a success!

We are excited to announce the appointment of Frederik Hardvendel as the new Vice President and Vincent Liew as the new Treasurer of the Board of Directors. Having served on the board prior to their new appointments has given both a deeper understanding of Res Artis, ready to commence their new roles. Frederik and Vincent also attended our conference in Kyoto, Japan earlier this year where they had a chance to once more connect with our members and the arts residencies field.
 
Frederik Hardvendel, who has background as a graphic designer, is Director of the Danish Art Workshops. He has been managing creative enterprises in Denmark and abroad and has been Head of Design of the Danish Broadcasting Corporation. Frederik has been Chairman at the International Ceramic Research Centre and in the Steering Committee for interdisciplinary leadership in the Ministry of Culture. He has recently joined the board of Art Hub Copenhagen.
 
Vincent Liew is a published, multi-awards winning visual artist, educator and researcher. He had exhibited in major photo festivals and in more than 30 countries. Vincent also spearheaded numerous art and cultural projects and speaks regularly on photography. In addition to having strong experience in the strategic development of art organisations he also serves as the Curator of the gallery at the Selegie Arts Centre (Singapore), board member of The Photographic Society of Singapore, and holds several honorary fellowships from photography organisations across the globe. Vincent holds a Master in Business Administration and had previously held senior leadership roles with a fortune 500 company. He is currently pursuing an advance degree under a research scholarship at the Nanyang Technological University’s School of Art, Design and Media in Singapore.

Within the framework of our Res Artis Meeting Kyoto 2019, we included a session on evaluation led by Lea O’Loughlin (Res Artis President of the Board, Acme Co-Director, UK) and Marianne Magnin and Mafalda Dâmaso from the Cornelius Arts Foundation (UK).

The panelists developed a survey on “monitoring and evaluating residencies”. Please help us drive the research and development in the field and fill in the survey here.

From 7-11th April 2019, Res Artis Board Member Clymene Christoforou attended NORSE (Network of Residencies in South East Europe) in Ljubliana, Slovenia: “At the turn of this century, Kino Šiška was a disused cinema near the centre of Ljubljana - until that is, an energetic band of artists asked to use the space for their experimental practice and presentation.  A few years on and this publicly owned space has evolved into an exciting permanent venue for contemporary performance.
 
In early April 2019, Kino Šiška was host to NORSE (Network of Residencies in South East Europe), the 3rd International meeting of Nomad Dance Academy, a network of contemporary dance practitioners from across South East Europe, including some early occupiers of this building.
 
Supported by the City of Ljubljana, in the run up to their candidacy for the European Capital of Culture in 2025, the focus of this meeting was the need across the region for contemporary dance residencies and how these might bring value to the cities that host them.
 
Res Artis was asked to take part in NORSE to explore the relationship between the residency and the hosting city, and to bring to the table the wide experience of our members in developing and running different kinds of residencies. With days packed with presentations, workshops and performances, the delegates shared their experiences and outlined their ambitions.
 
From vibrant independent spaces in Belgrade (RS) and Skopje (MKD) to the temporary use of unused buildings in many cities, from the refurbished Old Power Station for Contemporary Dance in Ljubliana (SI), to the extraordinary international presence of dance professionals from Bucharest (RO) the picture was of a rich tapestry of contemporary dance practice woven together here by the Nomad Dance Academy.
 
Municipal officers, dance companies and practitioners represented thirteen cities from former Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary and Romania. From Podgorica (ME) to Sofia (BG) the cities ranged from those with little cultural infrastructure, to major cities with significant international and local cultural programme. They shared in their communist/socialist legacy, many publicly owned buildings, like Kino Šiška, which could be repurposed and they shared a still emerging public support for the independent NGO sector.
 
Some cities offered more public support than others, some had more political support, and the conversations inevitably turned to the more challenging areas of cultural policy or governance, and what networks can do to amplify the voices of their members. The success of this meeting was the bringing together of contemporary dance practitioners and city officials to ask questions in an open forum and share solutions.  It was a privilege to take part.”
 
Clymene Christoforou is a board member of Res Artis and a founding director of D6:Culture in Transit a not-for-profit organisation connecting artists, communities and policy makers through residencies, commissions and consultancies. Over the past 10 years, they have supported 51 international residencies contributing to the development of the artists’ practice, audience engagement and policy development.
 
Photo credits: C. Christoforou, Kino Šiška

Curatorial Intensive South Asia (CISA), in its third year, is a fellowship for young curators from South Asia. The program aims to develop a diversity of perspectives on the medium of the exhibition and to provide both a structured and an experimental inquiry into the possibilities of curatorial practice today. CISA aims to support creative thinking by building an institutional infrastructure for making and exhibiting contemporary art.
 
Res Artis MENASA (Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia) Cluster Coordinator, Maryam Bagheri, attended the first phase of the fellowship, a two-week intensive programme, at Khoj Studios in New Delhi, India from July 8 to 20. In the second phase the fellows will have the opportunity to independently develop curatorial projects over a period of six months during which they will be mentored by the programme leaders, culminating in exhibitions in December 2019.

Res Artis Communicatons and Operations Manager, Birte Gehm, attended the third edition of the European Networks Communications Meeting hosted by the European Choral Association in Bonn, Germany, July 9 and 10. Communication officers of European and International Networks came together for two days to exchange best practices and challenges with an inspiring speaker session by Amnesty International Deutschland on successful campaigning.

Partners present were:

European Music Council | International Music Council | Trans Europe Halles | Culture Action Europe | Caravan Circus | Europe Jazz Network | ARTCENA | ENCATC | IETM international network for contemporary performing arts | Network of European Museum Organisations

Our colleagues from Trans Europe Halles are organising their next meeting. The TEH #88 Camp Meeting is taking place in Timisoara, Romania, on 16-19 October and is hosted by AMBASADA. The theme of the meeting is GROW(?)(!). Discussions will centre around what growth means for all of us and if it is always worth striving for.
 
The Early Bird registration is open now, so get your ticket before 15 August!

TransCultural Exchange published a new book called “International Opportunities in the Arts” (Vernon Press, 2019).
 
This book is a compilation of papers derived from talks, presented at TransCultural Exchange’s 2018 International Conference on Opportunities in the Arts. The aim of these talks was to inspire artists to think across disciplines and cultures and to suggest other career models beyond the typical studio to gallery/museum model. Much of this content is unique in that it not only addresses the practical needs of artists but, even more importantly, it does so in the context of today’s global reality.
 
It is available to our members at a 24% discount. If you are a Res Artis member and interested in purchasing the book, please email us for the discount code.

The general objective of this call for proposals is for the selected organisations to develop and implement short-term individual mobility actions through the provision of financial support to artists and/or cultural professionals and produce recommendations to the Commission. The results of all projects will be taken into account by the European Commission in developing a permanent action under the Creative Europe Programme 2021-2017 dedicated to supporting the mobility of artists and cultural professionals.
 
Deadline: 27 September 2019.
 
For more funding opportunities from On The Move, please click here.

Trans Europe Halles (TEH) is looking for an enthusiastic and dynamic Capacity-Building Manager to join its international team in Lund, Sweden. Trans Europe Halles (TEH) is a Europe-based network of independent cultural centres initiated by citizens and artists with 118 members and associates in 34 countries. TEH has been at the forefront of repurposing Europe’s industrial buildings for arts, culture and activism since 1983. Our mission is to facilitate the sustainable development of civil-society initiated cultural and creative organisations based in repurposed spaces, by connecting and supporting them.
 
Deadline: 28 August 2019.