10 of the Best International Artist Residencies Around the World

by John Lei

International artist residencies are essential to a successful career in the arts. Generally they offer opportunities to immerse yourself in the exploration of your unique art practice, away from everyday responsibilities. As can be seen, there are many types of art residencies around the world. All of them with different programs, a variety of formats, resources, spaces, structures and duration. Here are the 10 best international artist residencies you can join!

1. Black Rock Senegal

In 2019, well known international artist, Kehinde Wiley founded Black Rock. He named it after the volcanic rocks that blanket the beaches. Black Rock is a multidisciplinary international artist residency program. It brings together international artists to live and work in Dakar, Senegal for 1-3 month stays. https://blackrocksenegal.org/

2. Dar Yusuf Nasri Jacir for Art and Research

Founded in 2014, Dar Yusuf Nasri Jacir for Art and Research is a grass-roots independent artist residency run by artist. Located in a 19th century family home in Bethlehem it is a multi-faceted project devoted to educational, cultural, and agricultural activities. Dar Jacir functions as an experimental learning hub in Bethlehem and beyond, a place to ask questions, exchange ideas, dream and grapple with the contemporary world. https://darjacir.com/

3. Djerassi

Djerassi mission is to support and enhance the creativity of artists by giving them space and time to work, think, and engage in a setting of great natural beauty, and to maintain the land on which the program is located. Their resident artists program is recognized around the world for working towards offering the best possible residency experience for creatives of superior talent from a diverse range of backgrounds and locations around the world. https://djerassi.org/

4. Arquetopia Foundation

An arts and cultural organization on three continents, Arquetopia as has a world wide social scope. Its mission emphasizes critical thinking, a commitment to reciprocity and a sense of ethics at the core of all art practices. This worldwide foundation has an array of unique residency programs with important content rooted in local knowledge, critical academic perspectives. https://www.arquetopia.org/

5. Khoj International Artists’ Association

Khoj is a nonprofit contemporary arts organization based in New Delhi. Its programs support and nurture emerging, experimental and transdisciplinary creative practices and pedagogies. It is building global networks and solidarities, especially in India since 1997. Khoj believes art is necessary to as a crucial form of inquiry that provides unique perspective and drives change through affect. https://khojstudios.org/

6. Akademie Schloss Solitude

Akademie Schloss Solitude is an international Artist-in-Residence Program that has supported more than 1,700 young artists from more than 120 countries since opening its doors in 1990. It creates a tight global and transdisciplinary network of Solitude alumni that expands from year to year. The name Akademie Schloss Solitude unites the belief in artistic, scientific exchange with the notion of a refuge, a credo which has sustained Schloss Solitude from the very beginning.  https://www.akademie-solitude.de/en/

7. Proyecto´Ace

PROYECTO´ACE |´ACE PIRAR is an Artist-in-Residence International Program founded by Alicia Candiani in 2005, located in the Barrio de Colegiales in the city of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Basically Proyecto Ace acts as a space for production and reflection on contemporary artistic practices, and also a link between guest artists and the City of Buenos Aires´ rich cultural community. Through production, research and urban – community intervention residencies, it fosters relationships with other artists and contexts, facilitating exchange, discussion, experimentation and collaborative work.  https://www.proyectoace.org/en/residencies/

8. Kyoto Art Center

The Kyoto Art Center is a venue for promoting the arts which is located in the heart of Kyoto, Japan. The three-story concrete building, formerly the Meirin Elementary School, founded by the people of Kyoto during the Meiji era houses the center. It has a studio, gallery, auditorium, Japanese-style hall, free space, library, an information corner, Japanese-style tea room, the Maeda Coffee Meirin coffee shop, a common room and shops. Kyoto Arts and Culture Foundation manages the center, which aims to support artistic activities, act as a center for arts information, plan artist in residence programs and promote artists to the public. https://www.kac.or.jp/eng/

9. Anderson Ranch Arts Center

Anderson Ranch’s Artists-in-Residence Program fosters creative thinkers and professional growth for emerging and established visual artists. Residents have access to world-class facilities and studio time, free from everyday pressures. Residents can pursue different kinds of projects among a community of working artists, and gain feedback from important visiting Artists and Critics. The residency is designed to allow artists to take risks and pursue new projects and ideas, and concurrently the ranch setting is crafted to aid them in the production of their work. https://www.andersonranch.org/

10. Nafasi Art Space

Nafasi Art Space was founded in 2008 by a small group of Tanzanian Artists. Its aim is to improve access and expand participation in the visual arts in Tanzania. Different from other artist residencies, Nafasi has 20 studios, workshop spaces, multiple galleries but also performance platforms. Additionally its programs include training and workshops, art talks, and public events. These include film screenings, exhibitions, concerts, festivals, and also public art fairs. Nafasi’s space has created an organic ecosystem where the arts community can thrive. It allows artistic and cultural entrepreneurship for many young Tanzanians. https://www.nafasiartspace.org/