Artist residencies–a different way to experience place

Several people have asked me how I use artist residencies – so I’ve penned a few words:

Artist residencies give me licence to experience a place as an artist and writer, which is different to my usual experience of being a traveller/tourist.

They encourage a more intimate exploration of a place – allowing me to experiment with my photography/writing and to share the experience with inspiring people.

Often these residencies are in incredible places and only available to artists and writers.

I try to do one every year.

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Applying for an artist or writer residency

There are thousands of residencies on every continent in the world, and each one is unique.

Most require you to have an art or writing practice, to provide a portfolio of work, and to propose how you would spend your time at the residency.

Many residencies accept of a mix of writers, visual artists and musicians.

You don’t need to be a prestigious artist or writer – I had no gallery exhibitions to my name when I applied for my first residency.

Residencies often do not require you to be productive - taking time out to think and generate ideas is fine.

Most provide you with a studio to work in.

Some residencies are more flexible and allow non-artists to apply - such as the Arctic Hideaway, which I discovered recently.

Residencies come in all shapes and sizes: a bothy on a remote Scottish Island, a villa in Rome, and a sailing ship in the Arctic.

Some are more difficult to get into, some easier.

If you are just starting, choose one that you will have a good chance of being accepted on.

How to find artist residencies

Google is your friend here.

Here are a few to get your imagination going:

Joshua Tree - USA

Labverde - Brazil

Albers Foundation - Senegal

Saruya Air - Japan

Costs:

Some residencies are free (such as the residency I did in Nevada)

Some are fully funded, including transport and food (such as the UAL residency I did in Spain)

Some pay your expenses and pay you a fee (such as the residency I applied to in Japan)

Some are self-funded, which means that you pay or raise funds through grants (such as my upcoming residency in Chile)

I am considering writing a PDF booklet with templates and tips on applying – let me know if there is any interest in this.

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My experiences as an artist in residence

Residency 1 - JOYA: arte + ecología in Spain

I first encountered artist residencies when I graduated from the University of Arts London with an MA in Photojournalism and Documentary photography in 2022.

As an alumni, I was invited to apply for one of the fully funded Art for the Environment Residencies - on offer were opportunities to live and work for a few weeks at residencies in Brazil, Italy, Senegal, Spain and the UK.

I chose to apply to the AER Residency at JOYA: arte + ecología in Spain as the arid landscape of Almeria would let me continue my ongoing project about arid lands.

To my surprise, I was awarded the residency and found myself riding a series of trains from my home in the Peak District, UK – via London, Paris, Madrid, and Barcelona – to Almeria in Spain.

I found myself with a group of international artists and writers in a wonderful setting - hosted by Simon and Donna (who subscribe to this Substack 👋), a British couple who have transformed an abandoned farmhouse into a climate-positive artist residency.

I spent my days wandering the surrounding land and experimenting with different photographic processes in the darkroom (read my UAL report here).

In the evening we would gather to watch the sunset with a beer, before enjoying wonderful food and conversation into the night.

I’m still in touch with the people that I shared a glorious two weeks under the Andalusian sun (Hi Rosie and Kay! 👋)

After the residency finished, I made the return journey via the Tabernas Desert, Granada, and Madrid.

Residency 2 - Montello Foundation, Nevada

Enriched by my experience at JOYA, I decided to apply to the Montello Foundation, a residency in the Nevada Desert.

This was a different experience to JOYA as it was a two week solo residency. The prospect of having my own cabin in the wilderness appealed to the Henry Thoreau / Edward Abbey in me.

I knew this residency would be more difficult to get into as they only offer it to 12 people a year – but I was offered a place, and booked my flight to Salt Lake City the next day.

My youngest daughter Mia decided to meet me in afterward to hike the Colorado Trail, which was bonus.

Montello was a profound experience and a great way to get to know the landscape of the American South West.

I will be writing about my time at Montello in The Revelry Collection magazine later this year.

Residency 3 - La Wayaka Current, Chile

For my next artist residency in September 2025, I will be in the Atacama Desert with a group of artists, writers, scientists, and ecologists. An exciting prospect!.

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Residencies where my application was unsuccessful

None of us can get everything we apply for:

I applied to the Bothy Project Residency on the island of Eigg in Scotland earlier this year, but I was unsuccessful.

But I have booked a stay at a bothy on Ulva, another island in Scotland, for April ;-)

While I was an artist in residence at Montello in 2024, I was offered an interview for the Zen Air residency in Japan. I found out this news after cycling 5 miles to a hill that had a mobile phone signal.

The residency wanted to conduct a video interview at a certain time, which was tricky to say the least. The thought of being interviewed by a panel of Japanese curators at 3 AM, while on a hill in Nevada with one (fluctuating) bar of signal was amusing but impossible, so I had to decline.

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I hope you found this post useful, please do let me know if you apply for a residency!

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