Res Artis Worldwide Network of Artist Residencies

Annual Report 2016

www.resartis.org

http://www.resartis.org/

-

Table of contents

OVERVIEW FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR __________________________3

ABOUT US________________________________________________________4

MISSION, VISION AND VALUES______________________________________ _5

DEFINITION OF ARTS RESIDENCIES _______________________________ _6

RES ARTIS STAFF & BOARD OF DIRECTORS______________________________7

OUR MEMBERS____________________________________________________8

MEMBER BENEFITS________________________________________________10

STRATEGIC PLAN 2015 - 2020___________________________________ 11

RES ARTIS MEETINGS & INITIATIVES ________________________________13

RES ARTIS ADVOCACY & VISIBILITY ________________________________15

COMMUNICATION_________________________________________________16

CUSTOMISED SERVICES FOR OUR MEMBERS_______________________ 18

2016 BUDGET & STATEMENT FROM THE TREASURER ___________________19

02

OVERVIEW FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

It is with great pleasure that I provide this overview of the 2016 Annual Report to you in my capacity as the inaugural Executive Director of Res Artis. I commenced the new role in November 2016, however I’m no stranger to the organisation having been a Board Member since 2012 and Vice-President from 2014. I have always been interested in the ability of art, and particularly international arts residencies, to break down borders and build bridges between different fields, different cultures, faiths and nationalities. In today’s complex political environment, residencies have never played a more crucial role.

2016 has been a milestone year for Res Artis within our 24 year history.

In October we farewelled Mark Vennegoor who served the organisation as Managing Director for more than 6 years. Mark contributed greatly to the business and structural foundation of Res Artis, and I very much look forward to building on Mark’s legacy. We introduced the role of Executive Director to Res Artis in order to best represent our members and be more visible and responsive to the rapid growth and development of the field. I will continue to be based in Australia, signalling a new direction for Res Artis in increasing our presence in different corners of the globe.

Last November Res Artis held our first ever meeting in the Middle East! This event strengthened ties between arts residency centres in the MENA region, and spurred interest from participants in setting up more arts residencies in Iran. For most attendees, it was their first experience of Iran and we hope the opportunity provides pathways to greater international collaborations for many years to come.

In late 2016 we appointed Lea O’Loughlin as Vice-President of the Res Artis Board of Directors. Lea manages Acme Studios International Residency Program in the UK and had served as the Board’s Secretary for the past 2 years. We also welcomed three new Board Members comprising Jean-Baptiste Joly of Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart; Kira-Simon Kennedy from China Residencies working between the US and China; and Tooraj Khamenehzadeh from Kooshk Residency, Tehran. These appointments ensure greater regional diversity and expertise are represented in the field on behalf of all Res Artis members.

Res Artis exists because of our members. You make up the collective pool of knowledge, skills and experience that is our network. As part of our 2015 – 2020 Strategic Plan, Res Artis looks forward to harnessing our member expertise for the benefit of other network members and the broader field. I look forward to working with you to strengthen Res Artis together and ensure we maintain our status as the peak worldwide body for the arts residencies field.

Eliza Roberts Executive Director, Res Artis

03

Res Artis is a 24 year old network of arts residency centres from around the globe. Our network comprises more than 600 members in over 70 countries. We are the worldwide professional body for the field, ensuring sustainability and growth by providing capacity building tools for our members. We connect, engage and promote our members through in-person meetings, our website and social media. We inform, educate and advocate the importance of residencies in today’s society, and provide recommendations towards international cultural mobility policy and research. Our unique composition of international members, staff, board members and partners ensures Res Artis is responsive to member needs around the globe and sensitive to cultural differences within the field and broader cultural landscape.

"Encounter the world in residencies"

04

ABOUT US

-

Mission

The mission of Res Artis is to: Enable sustainability by providing tools for professional

development.

Respect the regional, cultural and structural diversity of the artist

residency field through adherence to our core values.

Actively engage with and be responsive to members’ needs and

changes in the field.

Ensure transparency through clear communication with

members, the cultural sector and wider public.

Connect and promote members through face to face meetings

and the use of digital platforms.

Vision

We are the worldwide professional body for artist residencies, ensuring

sustainability and development of the field through enabling connection

and facilitating professional development for our member organisations.

Values

The Res Artis Board, Staff and Membership adhere to:

Professionalism:

We are committed to continuous professional development and

enhancement of knowledge and skills. We listen to each other and are

responsive to artists’ needs and changes in the field.

Diversity:

We value regional, cultural and structural differences by respecting

individuality.

Transparency:

We believe in the value of clear, accurate and proactive

communication between Res Artis, our member organisations and

visiting artists.

Sustainability:

We strive to improve the resources available to enable the longevity

of Res Artis, our members and the artist residency field.

05 06

-

Definition of Arts Residencies

Res Artis recognises that the field of arts residencies is rapidly expanding

and evolving in today’s fast-paced global and innovation age. Therefore the

definition of Arts Residencies should remain somewhat fluid and responsive

to new developments, contexts and times. Despite the fluidity and growth

in the field, Res Artis believes the following core principles are crucial to

the definition and success of any model and scale of Arts Residency.

Arts Residencies are:

Organised and sufficient time, space and resources

Enablers of the creative process

Reflective of their lexical meaning as ‘an act of dwelling in a place’

Based on clear mutual responsibility, experimentation, exchange and

dialogue

Engaged with context by connecting the local to the global

Crucial to the arts ecosystem

Bridging mechanisms between different arts disciplines and non-arts

sectors

Tools for inter-cultural understanding and capacity building

Essential professional and personal development opportunities

Catalysts for global mobility

Encounters with the unknown

Profile-raising with immediate and ongoing artistic, social and economic

impact

Important contributors to cultural policy and cultural diplomacy

06

Res Artis Staff & Board of Directors

Staff:

Eliza Roberts, Executive Director (Australia)

Mark Vennegoor, Managing Director (Netherlands)**dep. October 2016

Birte Gehm, Communication Manager (Germany/Netherlands)

Board of Directors:

Leena Vuotovesi (Finland) – President

Lea O’Loughlin (UK) – Vice-President

Francisco Guevara (Mexico) – Treasurer and Acting Secretary

Ika Sienkiewicz-Nowacka (Poland)

Kavita Shah (India)

Jean-Yves Coffre (France)

Kira Simon-Kennedy (US/China)

Jean-Baptiste Joly (Germany)

Toorak Khamenehzadeh (Iran)

Interns:

Quentin Gonot (France)

07

-

07

-

Our Members

As the worldwide network of artist residencies, Res Artis is the only truly global organisation in the artist residency field. Our goal is to be active in as many regions as possible. We strive to maintain our strong roots in Europe and members in North America, while simultaneously increasing membership and our presence in under-represented regions like Africa, the Middle East, Oceania and parts of Central and Southeast Asia. Res Artis comprises over 600 members in more than 70 different countries.

Res Artis membership composition by continent

Africa1%

Asia13%

Europe56%

North America18%

Oceania & Australia4%

South & Central America

8%

08

06

08

-

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Membership development

Maya Traditions

“I wish to encourage new residency initiatives. I wish to encourage art

professionals in making their dream come true. I wish to encourage

residencies to gain strength from collaboration. Res Artis is the

network offering tools for this global work, but more than anything,

Res Artis represents a goal that we all share: a way to an inspiring

residency encounter.”

- Leena Vuotovesi,

President Res Artis, Board of Directors

09

The Res Artis network comprises a multitude of different artist residencies of all shapes and sizes, ranging from artist-run initiatives and independent associations to programs that form part of a larger structure like a museum or university. In 2016, Res Artis counted a total of 605 members. Throughout the year we welcomed 111 new member and received 43 membership cancellations most of which due to residencies ceasing operations.

-

Member Benefits

In order to be inclusive to artist residencies from all corners of the globe and to offer our members value for money in their membership, Res Artis is pleased to offer the following Member Benefits:

Being part of a global community

Regional support and information (colleagues, peers, funding, guides, spotlight on region,

board contact)

50 % reduction in meeting registration fees

Free Visibility (online listing, open calls, social media). The Res Artis website currently receives

over 2,000 visitors a day, more than 115,000 followers on our Facebook Fan Page, and more

than 2,000 followers on Twitter.

Receive public & members only newsletter every three months and members are invited to

provide content

50% reduction in advertising fees (workshops, residency events etc.)

Professional development

o Online (Res Artis Artist Residency Handbook)

o In-person consultancy/training

o Meetings

o Meeting documentation and live-streaming (online)

o Thematic webinars (interactive)

Members only Facebook Group (Res Artis Node)

Members only online library and funding resources

Reputation and validation through membership and use of the Res Artis logo

Welcome pack outlining all benefits above

Membership survey to determine ongoing network improvements: conducted every five years

60% discount on the purchase of past and forthcoming editions of Mapping Residencies

10

Res Artis recently evaluated our membership fees and benefits in order to ensure value for money and a fair and inclusive approach for arts residencies from diverse backgrounds. We strive to maintain existing members, while simultaneously growing and improving the network. BUDGET YEARLY MEMBERSHIP FEE €0 - €4,999 €30 €5,000 - €49,999 €75 €50,000 - €99,999 €225 €100,000 - €199,999 €375

€200,000+ €450

https://www.facebook.com/Res-Artis-Worldwide-Network-of-Artist-Residencies-57312635896/https://twitter.com/res_artishttp://mappingresidencies.org/en/

-

Strategic Plan 2015 - 2020

(From left to right: Francisco Guevara, Leena Vuotovesi, Karol Frühauf, Kavita Shah, Lea O’Loughlin, Mark Vennegoor, Eliza Roberts, Birte Gehm)

In September 2015 the Res Artis board and staff came together in Štúrovo, Slovakia for

a week-long Strategy Meeting to outline the future direction of Res Artis through to

2020. The starting point for our planning was the results of a member survey conducted

in 2014 aptly titled ‘What do Res Artis members want us to be?’ In response to member

feedback, Res Artis identified priority areas over the next 5 years. The full ‘Strategic Plan

2015 – 2020’ can be found in the members only section of the Res Artis website. A

snapshot of these priorities is below:

Global approach through Regional Clusters

Res Artis, as the worldwide network of artist residencies, is the only truly global

organisation in the artist residency field. In order to be active in as many regions as

possible, Res Artis will introduce regional chapters that will be represented by board

members in liaison with member regional ambassadors. These regional chapters will

strengthen the residency field regionally, by addressing geographical concerns and

issues. The regional chapters will feed into the worldwide network and will aid in

highlighting activity in particular regions, funding and opportunities for collaboration. Res

Artis will work with existing regional residency bodies and networks to ensure this mode

of working is mutually beneficial.

11

11

http://www.resartis.org/gvcm/media/upload/image/Res_Artis_Strategic_Plan_2015-2020.pdf

-

Tools for Professional Development

At the very core of Res Artis is our vision to equip our members with the necessary tools

to succeed and sustain in the artist residency field. Res Artis took the first step towards

increased professional development tools for our members by releasing our ‘Res Artis

Artist Residency Handbook’ in November 2016. In the future Res Artis will use the

handbook as a basis for further developing each chapter in an online format

using case studies from our membership and interactive tools. Over the next 5

years Res Artis aims to interact with our members more closely and hardness

their tremendous collective skills, knowledge and experience to benefit other network

members and the sector at large.

Upholding Professional Standards

The field of arts residencies has grown exponentially over recent years, and with this

comes diversity in standards and professionalization. Res Artis prides ourself on the

quality and integrity of our members, and the support and opportunities they offer to

artists in residence. In response to member concerns about upholding quality standards,

Res Artis has introduced a more detailed application procedure to enable us to better

understand new member organisations. In addition, we ask that all existing and new Res

Artis members, board and staff adhere to our Vision, Mission and Values.

Flexible Meeting Models

Meetings have always played an important role in the history of Res Artis and there is

increasing interest from members in organising smaller meetings around geographical or

thematic concerns. In response Res Artis has dissolved our previous ‘General’, ‘Regional’

and ‘Thematic’ meeting categories to offer more flexible meeting models that will enable

higher frequency and greater accessibility for members. Res Artis will ensure a balanced

representation in our meeting schedule of diverse thematic concerns and geographic

regions. There will be content relevant to emerging start-ups as well as established arts

residencies.

12

12

12

http://www.resartis.org/en/about/about_res_artis/vision_mission__values/

-

Res Artis Meetings & Initiatives

Res Artis Meeting of Southeast Asian Arts Residencies

Rimbun Dahan, Malaysia 20 – 23 July 2016

The Res Artis Meeting of Southeast Asian Arts Residencies was a 4 day regional meeting of

arts residency representatives held at Rimbun Dahan outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The

participants consisted of 20 representatives from 19 residencies and organisations from 7

Southeast Asian countries, as well as outside SEA, from Australia and China. The meeting

was facilitated by Jean-Baptiste Joly, founding and artistic director of Akademie Schloss

Solitude in Germany, and Res Artis board member.

The idea for the meeting arose from a feeling of disconnectedness as an operating arts

residency within the Southeast Asian region, and was envisioned to foster stronger ties

with arts residencies in neighbouring countries and in the general region, which would in

turn strengthen ‘residency culture’ and its sustainability in Southeast Asia. Participants

presented different models of running residencies, shared their different cultural contexts

and traded ideas to troubleshoot issues and concerns. We hope the connections and

networks developed during the meeting feed back into the development of programs that

cultivate artistic talent and practice in the region, stronger and more productive external and

internal exchange programs, and into building ongoing resources for the development of

more residencies in the region.

98-B Collaboratory (Philippines)

Asialink (Australia)

Bundanon Trust (Australia)

East Coast Artist-in-Residency (ECAiR) (Malaysia)

Green Papaya Art Projects (Philippines)

Grey Projects (Singapore)

HOF + Surface Arts (Thailand)

HOM Art Trans (Malaysia)

JavaArts (Cambodia)

Komunitas Salihara (Indonesia)

Lostgens Contemporary Art Space (Malaysia)

Muong Air (Vietnam)

Red Gate Gallery & Residency (China)

Rimbun Dahan (Malaysia)

Sa Sa Art Projects (Cambodia)

Sasikirana Dance Camp (Indonesia)

sembilan residency (Malaysia)

Shalini Ganendra Fine Arts (Malaysia)

Toccata Studio (Malaysia)

W

O

LO

Re

si

d

en

cy

(M

al

ay

s

ia

)

Angela Hijjas, Founding Director of Rimbun Dahan opening the Meeting

13

http://www.resartis.org/en/meetings/past_meetings/july_2016_-_kuang_selangor/http://rimbundahan.org/http://www.akademie-solitude.de/enhttp://www.akademie-solitude.de/en

-

Res Artis Meeting Tehran, Iran

21 – 25 November 2016

Roots and Routes: Challenges and

Opportunities of Connectivity

Roots and Routes: Challenges and Opportunities

of Connectivity was a 5 day Res Artis meeting

facilitated by Kooshk Residency in cooperation

with Mohsen Gallery.

This meeting marked a significant milestone in the 23 year history of Res Artis, as our first ever

meeting in the Middle East! The concept for the meeting arose from the initiative of new Res

Artis Board Member and Curator and Program Manager of Kooshk Residency, Tooraj

Khamenehzadeh. It aimed to strengthen local cooperation between arts residency centres,

artists and cultural institutions in Iran and the wider Middle East region, while at the same time

providing an opportunity to forge international ties and collaborations.

Approximately 60 attendees from 21 countries were able to experience the local contemporary

arts scene in Tehran through dedicated meeting sessions and two days of cultural excursions.

In addition, international speakers presented different residency models and discussed the most

pressing issues in the arts residency field today through panel sessions, lectures, roundtables

and interactive workshops. Topics were diverse and included Sustainability, Funding the Field

and the Importance of Local and International Networks.

A major outcome was the announcement that Res Artis will again partner with Kooshk

Residency in 2017 to host a smaller more focused regional meeting to encourage greater

interaction, knowledge and skill-sharing between arts residency centres in the Middle East.

Watch a video of the Tehran meeting here!

14

Group photo of Tehran Meeting participants 2016

http://kooshkresidency.com/http://mohsengallery.com/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGDuW3_4kNo&feature=youtu.be

-

Res Artis Advocacy & Visibility

External Meetings & Events

In addition to our own meetings and initiatives, the Res Artis staff and board actively attend

and participate in external meetings and events in the arts residency field. This enables us

represent the voice of our membership and support development of the field on a public

scale. These external meetings are held by Res Artis members, partners or like-minded

cultural organisations around the globe. In 2016 we participated in 10 different meetings

and events world-wide:

MEETING/EVENT ORGANISER DATES IN 2016

LOCATION

Malta Retreat for European

Cultural Network Coordinators

Various 3 – 6 February Valletta, Malta

The Encounter of the

Finnish AiR Organisations 2016

(Suomen Residenssien Tapaaminen 2016)

Finnish Artists’

Studio Foundation

16 November Helsinki, Finland

Residencies Reflected Academy of Fine

Arts, Uniarts Helsinki, HIAP,

Frame Contemporary Art

Finland

16 – 18

November

Helsinki,

Finland

AIR Wro Talks AIR Wro 29 November – 1 December

Wroclaw/ Sokolowsko,

Poland

Qalandyia International: The Sea Is Mine

Ramallah Municipality

1 – 11 November

Ramallah, Palestine

The Major Stakeholder Conference:

Co-Creating Agendas for Culture in Europe.

Memory, Inclusion,

Creativity.

CulturalBase Project

11 – 13 May Barcelona, Spain

TransCultural Exchange

Conference:

TransCultural

Exchange

25 – 27

February

Boston, USA

Alliance of Artists Communities 2016 Annual

Conference

Alliance of Artists Communities

4 – 7 October Oregon, USA

Tilting Axis 2.0: Caribbean

Strategies

Conceived by

ARC Magazine

and Fresh Milk Art Platform Inc.

and hosted by Pérez Art

Museum, Miami

19 – 21

February

Miami, USA

Independent Art Spaces Beijing:

BE WATER 试水

I: project space, Institute for Provocation, LAB47,

ON SPACE

28 & 30 August

Beijing, China

15

http://www.resartis.org/en/meetings/external_meetings/

In total, we published 930 upcoming deadlines containing residency opportunities, communicating upcoming deadlines and open calls, directly from our members to the public.

362,379 creative persons visited and benefited from our website resources and our website was consulted 715,809 times, while registering 3,966,814 overall page views. We experienced immense growth on our social media channels where Facebook registered a yearly increase of 6%, Twitter of over 85% and LinkedIn of 26%. In November 2016 we launched our brand new Instagram account which at the end of the

year already counted over 100 followers.

11

Communication

A total of 111 new members joined our network last year contributing to our continuous growth over the past years. In 2016, our network comprised over 600 members in more than 70 countries. Our members are at the core of our network and we are proud of our strong and diverse membership. We thank our members for another year of hard work for the artist residency field!

We tried to keep up our communication efforts in 2016 as well. We sent out three Newsletters - all of them in English, Spanish, and French. A special thanks in this regard goes out to our dedicated volunteer translators. 27,000 subscribers received our Newsletters. The newsletters covered news about upcoming Res Artis events, opportunities for cooperation and mobility funding, and features about membership benefits and resources. Also our website as well as our social media channels registered an increase in visitors and followers.

-

16

http://www.resartis.org/en/residencies/upcoming_deadlines/https://www.facebook.com/Res-Artis-Worldwide-Network-of-Artist-Residencies-57312635896/https://twitter.com/res_artishttps://www.linkedin.com/company/res-artis?trk=nav_account_sub_nav_company_adminhttps://www.instagram.com/res_artis/http://www.resartis.org/en/news/res_artis_newsletter/res_artis_newsletter_archive/http://www.resartis.org/en/about/supporters/website_and_newsletter_translators/

Through our website and social media Res Artis can count on a global audience of artists and

creative people following our activities and engaging with the field of artist residencies. We pride

ourselves on this international community of followers.

Reach*

Likes during the

year 2016

-

18 17

Customised Services for our Members In addition to our general promotion efforts, we put a strong focus on providing our members with solid guidance and feedback regarding their Res Artis membership. The online survey revealed that online visibility is one of the most important aspects for our members. As a service to our members, we carried out profile screenings for our entire membership base in order to provide our members’ profiles with an effective online positioning. For 89% of our members we saw possible improvements and gave individual advice on how to improve their Res Artis public profiles. Not only does a more complete and attractive page express professionality but several profile fields also translate into parameters for our search filter. Complete and detailed profiles better position a page in our search engine and allow visitors to filter and find a residency.

Res Artis Node: We also reactivated our Members Only Facebook Group, the Res Artis Node, encouraging our members to join and become active in this unique discussion platform bringing together colleagues in the artist residency field from all over the world. In 2015, the Res Artis Node counted around 300 members. Group topics

were ranging from conferences and calls in the field of artist residencies, over resources concerning cultural mobility to discussions on structures of different residency places such as the special needs for writers in residence and the use of a residency garden.

Res Artis Artist Residency Handbook We launched a new edition of the Res Artis Artist Residency Handbook. The handbook provides emerging artist residencies with useful information on things to consider when starting an artist residency, while at the same time offering inspiration for improvement for more established organisations. It contains a multitude of examples we received from the Res Artis community providing our members with real-life experiences and hands on material from the field. The handbook is not for sale but only available to Res Artis members.

-

18

2016 Budget & Statement from the Treasurer

Dear Members and Supporters, This year has proven to be a very challenging one for international dialogue. It is clear that now more than ever the role of Res Artis is not only relevant but necessary. Complicated times always impact finances, budgets and funding opportunities around the world, especially in the cultural field, and 2016 has been no exception. Nevertheless we have made a slow but steady growth by increasing our membership and generating an income increase of 2.5% compared to the previous year.

A detailed breakdown of our budget can be viewed in the Members Only section of our website: http://www.resartis.org/en/member_area/res_artis_facts__figures/financial_reports/ Exciting structural changes have also marked this year and we are very happy to have appointed Eliza Roberts (Australia) as the inaugural Executive Director of Res Artis. Eliza’s experience, skills, and commitment to Res Artis in conjunction with the Board of Directors will expand our capacity as an international organization.

Thank you for your vote of confidence and your commitment to facilitate international dialogue and expand the notion of community.

Francisco Guevara Treasurer Res Artis

-

http://www.resartis.org/en/member_area/res_artis_facts__figures/financial_reports/

Connect with us www.resartis.org Subscribe to our Newsletter Become a fan on Facebook Follow us on Twitter Follow us on Instagram Connect with us on LinkedIn

Res Artis Sarphatistraat 470 1018 GW, Amsterdam The Netherlands Email : office@resartis.org Phone : +31 617135449 Website : www.resartis.org

19

http://www.resartis.org/http://www.resartis.org/en/news/res_artis_newsletter/subscribe_to_newsletter/http://www.facebook.com/pages/Res-Artis-Worldwide-Network-of-Artist-Residencies/57312635896https://twitter.com/res_artishttps://www.instagram.com/res_artis/https://www.linkedin.com/company/res-artismailto:office@resartis.org