Artquest

3.3.1 Before:

Having been awarded a residency place, there are a number of things you will want to clarify before you start. The process of applying for the residency should have helped you to be clear on what goals this residency will help you achieve, which may include:

• Better network of international / UK based artists
• A chance to work on your practice in a supportive environment
• Time away from your usual environment to concentrate on your work
• Materials, accommodation etc provided - a break from worrying about money on a daily basis
• More exposure of your work to potential buyers, writers, galleries and artists

With the above objectives in mind what do you need to start doing to ensure these objectives are met?

So what do I do today?

Break down these major goals into goals for parts of the residency - e.g. talks, exhibition, book and people you want to read or attend. Use the previous sections as a starting point to work out what promotional tools you want to make use of. Build them into a plan that runs before, during and after your residency.

You might also want to approach the residency managers to introduce you to artists who have done the residency before.

You can expect the residency manager to clarify the details of the contract / letter of agreement with you (see section 3.1.1). Many of them will be on this list:

• Start and finish date, with commitment of hours per week (if non-residential)
• Points in the contract when monies will be paid and any deadlines that must be reached (i.e. any payment upon delivery clauses)
• Restrictions on what the residency / fees can be used for
• Other costs that will be borne by the residency organisers - eg travel, accommodation, materials, insurance, exhibition costs - and budgets
• Assistance in kind (use of office, telephone etc) and when this will be available and for what it may be used
• Ways of working with any other funders involved or any assistance in applying for other funding
• How your dealer / agent will be involved (if at all) and whether they will receive any commission on sales or receive part of the residency fees
• Commission on sales that the residency providers take and what period of time this applies to (if you have a dealer or agent it will be worth discussing this with them)
• Where you will be working - is the residency residential or non-residential?
• What the role of meetings and discussions will be - updates on progress or mentoring and assistance
• Ownership of and exhibition rights for pieces of work produced during the residency
• If there will be an exhibition or other result of the residency (book published, talks programme etc); if so, what costs and effort for this will be covered by the residency managers
• Whether you are expected to give talks, show work or take part in educational activities during the term of the residency, and details and further fees for these

3.3.2 During:

With the above clear in advance you will have a good picture of what responsibilities and costs are involved in the residency. This will enable you to plan your time effectively. Deadlines and review meetings provide the opportunity to discuss the residency and work being made, and also ensure that the needs of the residency managers continue to be met by the work you are doing - important in the long term as you are likely to want to use these people as referees for other applications. They will also certainly talk about you to their peers working on programmes you may be interested in for the future.

So what do I do today?

Agree early in the residency a plan for your project with key dates and objectives. This should be detailed enough so that you and the residency manager feel comfortable about beginning. This should not be a definitive plan for the project, nor should it prevent slippage or miscommunications, but it does lay out some expectations that are agreed by both sides. Topics you could include in such a plan (with agreement about who will take responsibility for each item) might be:

• First press release announcing start of residency with details of other activities; indications of the work planned or area explored; who to contact for information and images
• Website content announcing start of residency (as above) and plans to update this during the course of the residency
• Dates for other activities such as talks, exhibition, private view etc
• Press plan - target publications and writers, editorial or listings, achieving coverage, confirmation of deadlines
• Press mailing list for mail outs
• Press pack for key journalists
• Invitation list for other activities
• Meetings / discussions with artists, curators, writers, buyers etc with whom the residency manager has links and could contribute to the project (or for networking)
• Archive / legacy of the residency to be held on site and made available after the residency ends
• In the case of a post-residency exhibition: invigilation; dates; transportation etc as in section 3.1
• In the case of a publication: print deadline; deadlines for structure and content; transportation of books; distribution; commission to artist; price; format etc.
• Final evaluation meeting date

You may be interested in the publications listings via the Media section above, website designers and domian name suppliers and printers.

3.3.3 After:

Having completed a residency you will want to maintain contact with both the organisation and the individuals who work there, particularly as people change jobs and bring new contacts and opportunities. There are a number of things still to gain:

• There may be further press articles and enquiries about the residency which will be sent to the residency managers. You want to keep abreast of these in case they require a response from you or so you can add copies of articles to your files.
• You may want to introduce or recommend your peers to the organisation (or warn them off)
• You may need a reference for a future application
• Residency managers may want to talk about you and your work, the role the residency you completed for them had in your development etc, so maintaining them on your contact / mailing list will make this easier for them and make you seem more professional.
• The residency may have other opportunities for you in the future - residencies for artists at later stages in their careers, for example. You may want to apply to other opportunities they offer. A warm application is always better than a cold call
• Since these people are now in your network, you are bound to bump into them. Aim to end the residency on a satisfied note for both parties rather than feeling like avoiding them

List of promotional materials you could use:

• Website (new site or updated content)
• Business cards
• Information on the work being made, progress of the residency, diary or 'blog'
• Publication summarising the residency
• Press releases throughout keeping people updated on your progress
• Postcards / flyers
• Talks programme
• Contact / mailing list gathering