Rijksakademie

Some great other residents, some not so great. Big airy studio with windows and light, one of the prettiest studios I've ever had...but no wifi or tech hookups. Living arrangements inside an industrial studio building so a bit like squatting, though not terrible. Upon arrival you are informed that health insurance is deducted from your already meager payment. Staff also made a mistake with my payouts and asked me for 1000 Euros back after I completed my multi-month stay. All in all they are a bit unprofessional about the funds. Some required meetings with artists that had nothing to do with my work. Street harassment from males in Amsterdam on a daily level. But nice museums, flowers, birds and paintings everywhere in the city. Truly met some lovely new people who I stay in touch with to this day. Many of my art peers were in Amsterdam so it was well-timed for me. As a guest artist my only required final project was a public lecture which was well promoted and attended. I also worked on a solo show in a nearby country and was able to bring in guests to stay. All in all one of the better residencies I've done, though I think it's better to live in an apartment in the city and only use the place as your studio, as many of the 2-year residents do. I also think a longer stay is actually more ideal to get value out of the studio space and many Netherlands art funds. Their budget use to be bigger and artists used to receive more out of the arrangement. But if you can make it work on what they offer, go for it.