Cultivating Global Creativity: Inside Our International Artist Residency
Sarvajanik School of Fine Arts, SUP_G 2019
Our International Artist Residency Programme offers artists the chance to immerse themselves in a creative, supportive environment where innovation and collaboration thrive abroad. Designed to help you push the boundaries of your work, the programme fosters meaningful connections with both the local community and culture outside the UK.
Our residency isn’t just about making art in isolation. It’s about inspiring and being inspired. It’s about creating, sharing, learning, and leaving a lasting impact. Whether you're an emerging artist or an established professional, we provide an environment where your artistic journey can flourish. Moreover, this residency offers a unique opportunity to explore a new culture in person, enriching your practice with fresh perspectives and experiences. So, what exactly can you expect from this experience? Let’s dive in.
Creating Innovative Art and Building Community Connections
First and foremost, our residency is about creating new, innovative artwork in a foreign country, outside the UK. You’ll have the freedom and resources to experiment with new techniques, explore different mediums, and dive into your creative practice without distraction. Being immersed in a new environment can also stimulate your creativity and expand your artistic thinking, offering fresh perspectives that may not emerge when working in familiar surroundings.
But it’s not just about the artwork—it’s also about engaging with the community. As part of the residency, you’ll lead a minimum of two workshops a week at host university, sharing your creative process and artistic techniques with students and the surrounding community. These workshops aren’t just about teaching skills; they’re an opportunity for collaboration and inspiration, where you’ll also have the chance to learn from others. It’s a two-way exchange, where ideas flow freely, and everyone has the opportunity to contribute something valuable.
Through these interactions, you’ll be fully immersed in the rich and diverse culture. The vibrant traditions, contemporary art scene, and unique local customs provide endless inspiration that you can incorporate into your work. Whether you're discovering traditional crafts, exploring festivals, or experiencing the island’s natural beauty, this residency offers you the chance to deepen your understanding of a culture that beautifully blends modernity with history. This cultural immersion often results in work enriched by cross-cultural influences, making your residency experience even more impactful.
Grace Gelder, SUP_G 2019
Documenting Your Journey and Leaving a Legacy
One of the most exciting aspects of the residency is the opportunity to document your experience and share it with a wider audience. You’ll be encouraged to capture your journey through social media, blogs, vlogs, and other digital platforms. This not only helps you track your progress and reflect on your creative process but also allows you to connect with a global audience who can follow along, engage with your work, and become part of your artistic journey.
As part of the residency, you’ll also create a legacy piece—something that will remain at the host university, the local municipality, or within the community. This could be a physical artwork, an online project, or even something more interactive. The goal is to leave behind a piece of your creative spirit, something that will continue to inspire future generations long after your residency has ended.
Fostering Collaboration and Celebrating Visual Language
Our residency programme is designed to celebrate international collaboration through the universal language of art. We believe that the best work often emerges when diverse perspectives come together, and this residency provides an excellent platform for those exchanges. By working with students, faculty, and the local community, you’ll have the opportunity to introduce new ideas while also absorbing the rich cultural context of the host country. Whether it's exploring local art forms, understanding historical traditions, or experiencing the fusion of Eastern and Western influences, the programme offers a unique chance to expand your creative vocabulary.
Collaboration doesn’t stop with the students—it extends into the wider community as well. Your presence at the host university serves as a gateway for meaningful discussions, where ideas about art, society, and culture are exchanged and celebrated. The residency creates an environment where topics such as social change, history, and identity are explored through art, making the programme not only an opportunity for professional development but also a journey of personal and cultural enrichment.
Workshop with Grace Gelder, SUP_G 2019
The Final Exhibition: A Celebration of Art and Community
At the end of your residency, you’ll collaborate with the hosting university and the students to curate a final exhibition that showcases your work alongside the group projects developed by the students. This event marks the culmination of your time in the programme, celebrating both your individual artistic practice and the collective creativity that has emerged from the workshops and collaborations.
It’s not just an opportunity for you to showcase your work—it’s a chance to see how your influence has shaped the students' artistic journeys and how your contributions have woven into the fabric of the local culture. The exhibition will serve as an open invitation for the community, faculty, and students to come together and experience the vibrant creativity that has emerged over the course of the residency. It will also highlight how your engagement with the local culture has informed and shaped the work you’ve produced during your time here.
Sarvajanik School of Fine Arts, SUP_G 2019
An Experience You Won’t Forget
At its core, our International Artist Residency Programme is about much more than just creating art. It’s about the journey. The exchange of ideas. The growth you’ll experience, both personally and professionally. The friendships and connections that will last long after you leave.
The cultural exchange aspect of the residency adds a profound layer of value to your experience. You’ll become part of a vibrant, diverse, and evolving art scene, gaining fresh insights into how art intersects with culture, society, and personal identity. As an artist, this is a unique opportunity to expand your practice by incorporating global influences and perspectives into your work.
In a nutshell, our International Artist Residency Programme offers artists the chance to create innovative work, connect with the vibrant culture, collaborate with local communities, and leave a lasting impact through workshops and a final exhibition. If you're excited to take your practice to new heights, immerse yourself in a new culture, and inspire the next generation of artists, we’d love to hear from you.