Artist Residency Reviews

Riga is an awesome city to awaken your eyes and take photos.

Wilson is such a special place, people seem to be stopped in time, they are very friendly for photography. Th organizers are very helpful for any artistic need you may have.

My first art residency experience at Nectar surpassed all expectations. Set amidst stunning natural surroundings and rich history, the location serves as an incredible hub for inspiring creativity. The promoters not only provided access to their studio but also welcomed me into their home and family, making me feel at ease from the very beginning. Their unwavering support and guidance truly enriched every artistic decision I made during the program. I highly recommend applying and traveling to Vic to be a part of this exceptional experience.

The residency is perfect for the artist who has a sense of the work they want to make and needs the time and peace to make it. It was one of the most incredible experiences I’ve had. The beauty of the landscape and terroir, the loveliness of the facilitators, everything was perfect.

I have been to this space in Latvia more than seven times. They cannot provide funding for travel and can only pay a small stipend to cover your food expenses. However, the silence, the simplicity, the camaraderie of the other artists, are extremely conducive to your work. The staff there will bend over backwards to help you. I have worked on three books in this space.

Maison Dora Maar is a very welcoming space and covers both your travel costs and pays a per diem. There are only three people there at a time, and you can choose to interact or not. The public reading you are expected to give is attentively welcomed by the local audience. The view is spectacular and the house itself is amazing. Great for any self-directed work.

The environment is very helpful, and you are given a freedom to work, so my advise is to plan your working schedule properly, cos there will be many temptations of spending your time in many ways.

The ISSP Riga Residency provided an opportunity for artistic and personal growth in the form of reflection and research. The extended community surrounding the residency created a welcoming, insightful and thoughtful social space for exchange and discussion. Overall, the ISSP Riga Residency provided me with a holistic approach for the development of a new body of work.

My residency at ISSP put me in direct contact with some of the leading figures in contemporary photography in Riga. The scene there is small but mighty, and because of its scale, it felt manageable and intimate in a way that larger programs don’t. There is no pressure to produce, which is a relief compared to other programs, although it is encouraged, of course. I enjoyed teaching a 2-day workshop as part of the program and felt it was a highlight of my experience as it felt like a mutualistic way of giving back some of the generosity I had received.

I liked everything very much. All the conditions and the owners of the residence.

The staff is incredible, the creative community tremendous. Be sure to swim every day and meet as many local artists as you can! Key West is expensive and there is no stipend so be ready to cook your own meals!

Inspiring people and place. Very well-equipped studios. Beautiful Portugal. I definitely recommend this artist residency.

I was among the first year cohort of the La Baldi residency so they were some technical issues. I was able to rig a wifi connection, but this was minor. I had an absolutely amazing experience. The location is simply stunning and provides time, quiet and a distraction free environment. There was no studio available at the time. And the outreach to the local community was mostly on me. My experience was profound and beautiful. It helped me creatively and had me start a new unexpected project. I am profoundly grateful for having been given this opportunity and support. Time itself seemed to change shape Montegiovi.

I had a great experience and would recommend it. The people who run it are lovely, warm, and available to help solve any problems you run into. The town of Montegiovi is beautiful and intimate. There are no formal studios so you work either in your apartment or outdoors. The artists who were there at the same time became friends and were an important part of the experience. There is a restaurant in town that is walkable, but getting other food and supplies requires a long walk (a small part of which is on a busy highway) or a car to drive to bigger stores.

The city itself was my main inspiration. The studio apartment (the big one) is beautiful and comfortable. The studio is in the apartment and it was very beneficial to see the work from bed before going to sleep. There is another studio apartment, a smaller one, and it is nice to have a fellow artist residing with you, but in a separate though adjacent apartment. I had an exhibition that I arranged for myself after a recommendation of the residency manager.

Amazing location in Belgrade! Beautiful apartment and studio. I had lots of time and space to experiment during my time. It is a very solo residency, so not much collaboration or outside interaction. There isn’t really an on-site person or group facilitating any studio activities. The setup is basically an apartment with a studio room in a city building. There are two separate apartments with 2 artists. I also attended during the pandemic, so that played a role in my experience too; it may have been different otherwise! I loved the city of Belgrade, and it was a very inspiring environment for my practice. The studio was very spacious.

- Room in a shared house with semi-volunteer meal prep - Very isolated location in the mountains, VERY HOT (February), no air conditioning or pool, made it difficult to focus - Great group of fellow artists but extremely chatty/social, poor noise separation, no private studios (just tables set up here and there in communal spaces) - This "residency" is more like a holiday

-being among art students (mostly American undergraduates) was lively and inspiring. -the "casa" room was modern, bright and clean. -visiting artists are mostly left to structure their own time but invited to evening events in town. Siena is a lively cultural center with tons of art and music events. -springtime (April) residency: bring warm pjs and cozy clothes for your studio (especially if you're a writer and sit still for long stretches of time!).

Greatest benefit was time, space and quiet to focus on a project without interruption. There is a fee; however, this felt like a reasonable amount and worth the investment for the clarity I achieved and work I was able to create while on residency. I felt more supported by staff here than other residencies I have attended.

The Fiskars residency is a valid experience for established artists who are seeking visibility for a project or a product they have already developed. It has a high quality communication service and facilities were fair for a little village in the Finnish countryside combining a rural setting with an established name in the field which can help to get future residencies and contacts among the local art system. It is easily accessible with your own car or then arranging a picking service with the staff members. The workshop space is equipped with very basic tools, enough for a basic level of understanding of the tools and the materials.