In January of 2013 a new online resource for artist residencies was born. I stumbled upon it at the tail end of that year and kept it to myself as though I had found buried treasure. I frequent it often and have continually wondered why more people don’t take advantage of it. There are plenty of websites designed to find opportunities in the arts, however, the search can be totally dreadful from deceptive “opportunities” that are sloppily listed or inefficiently advertised. Who doesn’t love a gimmicky invitation to pay a few thousand dollars for a residency?
So it’s time to stop being selfish and share this awesome resource.
Rate My Artist Residency was developed by visual artist and New York resident Katrina Neumann during her time in Germany last year. The website—ratemyartistresidency.com—runs as an organized, artist-supported platform for creatives who are looking for a residency that suits their preferences. Through a super-quick scroll you can know the location, cost, application fee, length of stay, benefits, deadline, etc. complemented by dreamy (or not-so-dreamy) photos of the residency itself. Everything is pleasantly straight-forward. There is also an option to search only fully-funded residencies, or those that offer fellowships and stipends—love that! The true brilliance of the site exists in the ability to rate and share experiences at the residencies—outstanding or abominable. As Ms. Nuemann explains, “The main impetus for beginning Rate My Artist Residency was to create clarity behind residency programs and allow artists to have a social platform to engage anonymously and exchange information about their experiences.”
Recently there has been a new development to the site—a crowd-funded grant on Indiegogo. The idea developed out of inspiration by grassroots efforts such as the once-was FEAST Brooklyn that funded artist project proposals through dinners where each patron would contribute by paying for a plate. This is Ms. Neumann’s first attempt using crowd-sourcing to build funding for artists, and as she professes, “It allows artists and patrons to become part of the grant-making process; subsequently making the grant process transparent as compared to most that are murky or built in an ivory tower.” I’m sure this will resonate in the minds of many. The grant, titled Artists Helping Artists (AHA), is currently for need-based artists within the U.S. who have been accepted in to a residency program. There are future dreams to expand to international applicants.
At the moment there are less than twenty days until the funding window closes. The goal is set quite humbly at $2,180. With each donation comes a sweet perk—whether that be good karma, recognition, a waived application fee ($10) for the grant, a piece of the winning artist’s work, or your name as a sponsor of the grant.
By donating, you can help an artist help you to help artists (or yourself).
