Craft Residencies in United Kingdom

Beam

Chesterfield, United Kingdom

Beam, a cultural development organization based in Wakefield, North of England, offers a Socially Engaged Artist Residency in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. This residency aims to engage the community and visitors through creative participatory activities and animation, exploring unique and hidden stories about the town. The program runs for six months and provides an all-inclusive fee of £14,700 plus VAT. Beam supports artists with technical, administrative, and mediation assistance, offering a residency base in an empty shop in Chesterfield town center. The residency includes community engagement sessions, research, and creative outputs displayed in the town center. Beam emphasizes the importance of community involvement, cultural exchange, and the creation of high-quality public art.

Blackhorse Workshop

London, United Kingdom

Blackhorse Workshop, a social enterprise based in London, is committed to opening up access to making for all. The workshop offers a supportive environment for creative practitioners, particularly those early in their careers, who have a strong interest in wood and metal work. The residency provides free desk space in a shared studio, access to professional wood and metal workshops, and regular development support. With a focus on inclusivity, Blackhorse Workshop actively encourages applications from individuals with a strong connection to Waltham Forest, especially from underrepresented backgrounds in the arts. The residency culminates in a public presentation of the resident’s work, offering a valuable platform for emerging makers.

Bothy Stores

Grantown on Spey, United Kingdom

Bothy Stores is the trading arm of Bothy Project, a charity providing creative residences for artists, designers, and researchers. Profits support artist mobility and access to Scottish landscape residencies.

Craft AiR at University for the Creative Arts (UCA)

Farnham, United Kingdom

The Craft AiR program at the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) Farnham offers artists the opportunity to deepen their practice in Ceramics, Glass, or Jewellery & Silversmithing within a dynamic academic setting. This residency provides free access to state-of-the-art facilities, including dedicated workshops, kilns, fabrication tools, and digital labs. In exchange, artists contribute to curriculum support through technical workshops, talks, and community engagement, enriching both their CVs and the UCA craft community. The program encourages early and mid-career artists with either formal qualifications or professional experience to apply. While UCA provides exceptional workspace and resources, artists are expected to arrange their own accommodation, materials, and travel. The residency typically runs from September to August, with flexible start dates and a minimum 3-day weekly commitment. This is an ideal opportunity for practitioners who thrive in collaborative, educational environments. Open to UK and international applicants, the program supports a vibrant exchange of ideas in contemporary craft.

Createspace Wales

Ferwig, United Kingdom

Createspace Wales is an artist residency and studio space located in a converted barn in Ferwig, West Wales, designed to provide artists with a creative environment away from their everyday lives. The residency program, which ran for 5 years, has been put on hold as the organization now focuses on providing studio spaces for local artists. The facility welcomes painters, illustrators, sculptors, writers, designers, and makers to work in the beautiful countryside just two miles from the sea.

Fife Contemporary

St Andrews, United Kingdom

Fife Contemporary Art & Craft (FCA&C) is a contemporary visual art and craft organisation based in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland, that supports artists through residencies, exhibitions, grants, and community projects. Their artist residencies partner with Fife-based organisations to bring artists closer to communities and facilitate focused periods of artistic development. The programme also includes initiatives like summer schools and workshops to engage artists, makers, and the public.

Pier Arts Centre

Orkney, United Kingdom

Linkshouse – Orkney Arts Residency is a dedicated residential and creative space on the north-west coast of Orkney's Mainland, managed by the Pier Arts Centre. It serves as both a landing strip for visiting artists and a launch pad for local creativity, hosting artists across all media from around the world for periods ranging from 2 weeks to 2 months.

Royal Scottish Academy of Art and Architecture

Edinburgh, United Kingdom

RSA Residencies for Scotland is an artist-led scheme providing research and development opportunities for visual artists at all career stages across Scotland's centres of artistic excellence. Artists can apply for up to £5,000 in funding and are responsible for managing their own residency in collaboration with partner venues, with emphasis on research, production, skill development, and idea exchange.

Sarabande Foundation

London, United Kingdom

Sarabande Foundation, established by Lee Alexander McQueen in 2006, is a charitable foundation in London that supports creatively fearless artists and designers. It offers heavily subsidized studio spaces ranging from 50 to 350 sq. ft. at £1 per sq. ft. per month, including utilities and access to communal spaces and equipment. The foundation also provides business mentoring, pro-bono support from experts, and networking opportunities. Sarabande nurtures artists from various disciplines, including sculptors, fashion designers, jewellers, textile designers, painters, performance artists, and more. The residency program emphasizes community and collaboration, providing a robust platform for artists to develop their craft and connect with leading industry professionals.

Scottish Sculpture Workshop

Aberdeenshire, United Kingdom

Scottish Sculpture Workshop (SSW) is a rural artist residency in Aberdeenshire that supports artists through collective learning and experimentation with various materials and processes. The program offers highly subsidized group residencies where artists live and work together for four weeks, with access to specialized workshops including ceramics, metal fabrication, blacksmithing, and stonework, supported by skilled technicians and a programmed schedule of social and professional exchange activities.

The Art House

Wakefield, United Kingdom

The Art House in Wakefield offers fully funded, two-month international artist residencies in partnership with the Royal Over-Seas League (ROSL) for artists living outside the UK who have not yet exhibited or worked there. The program provides studio space, accommodation, materials budget, travel costs, mentoring, and professional development support, with artists encouraged to experiment and develop their practice without requirement to produce finished work.

Wasps Artists Studios

Glasgow, United Kingdom

Wasps Artists Studios is a Scottish charity providing affordable studio spaces to around 900-1000 visual artists, makers, arts organizations, and creative businesses across 20 buildings in Scotland, including several in Glasgow. It supports artists through studio rentals, exhibitions, workshops, professional development, and occasional residency opportunities, often in partnership with programs like RSA Residencies for Scotland. Facilities vary by location, such as The Briggait and South Block in Glasgow, focusing on long-term tenancies rather than short-term residencies.

West Dean College

West Dean, United Kingdom

The West Dean College Residency Programme at West Dean College of Arts and Conservation in the UK offers professional artists, writers, makers, and researchers onsite stays of one to three weeks (with occasional longer options like six weeks) to develop work, experiment with materials, and access workshops and facilities. Residents engage with students through tutorials, workshops, and presentations, continuing the legacy of founder Edward James in supporting early- to mid-career practitioners focused on craft, making, and sustainability. Various partnership residencies provide full board accommodation, studio space, and sometimes stipends.