Research | Artist in residencies in Rotterdam

Access to materials, technical resources and space 
AIRs offer artists access to space in a time where this is becoming increasingly scarce. This space is often essential to the creative process. For example, at CORPO and Time Window, performance artists are offered freedom of movement by making larger empty spaces available to them. In addition, it gives the artist a useful change of scenery. In some cases, the location is leading for the works, such as in the house Elenbaas of Verhalenhuis Belvédère or at the Amarte residency of WORM.  

In addition, there are materials and technical means that they do not have or have less in their daily art practice. For example: vThrough the ceramic experiment, Cool Clay Collective offers access to the two small and two large ceramic ovens and a spray booth. (A)wake supports digital makers not only with space, but with access to a computer, VR glasses, audio studio, visual studio plus the necessary experts for support.  

Access to expertise, assistance and human support
All AIRs offer assistance and help in some form. Several institutions have experts in-house to support the artists with the technical side of their practice. Think of technical support for the construction, audio technology, digital visual programs and specific skills such as soldering, welding, wood and textile processing.  

Some AIRs offer curatorial support and constructive feedback. This can come from the community, as with Time Window, or from an appointed curator or during a public moment. Project leaders are committed to guiding the process from concept to prototype or final work in a financial and time-efficient manner. At larger institutions, external expertise is also brought in when needed.  

Network Expansion
AIRs are a strengthening element in an artist's network. Of the 21 AIRs interviewed, only one said they did not maintain contact with guest artists after the AIR. Most try to do so or even have fixed structures for this. For example, an alumnus is on the independent jury for Little Red Riding Hood's Hamburger Community.

Several AIRs actively work for the network expansion of the guest artist. All AIRs introduce the artist to their own community, through which they meet relevant contacts within Rotterdam or within a field of work or technique. Several AIRs mentioned participating in open studio days, studio visits to people from the same field of work, organizing drinks, dinners or cafés, public meet & greets, introducing the guest artist to art institutions, introducing the guest artist on social media and actively inviting curators and collectors.

Opportunities for the long term 
Network expansion gives artists more opportunities in the long term. In addition, they increase the discoverability of the artist by including them in public archives and publications. For example, at Waterwerken van Buitenplaats Brienenoord all AIRs are included in a booklet written by the curator. At V2, an artist retains visibility by being included in the digital archive, which is used by curators, artists and academics.

In addition, AIRs boost both the production process and the finishing of a possible final product. They do this through things like constructive feedback, technical equipment and support, fees, curatorial support and access to expertise and/or mentorship. V2 describes the effect of this. The investment during the AIR results in a sustainable income for the artist. The end product is sometimes used for tours for years and the development of the practice can be capitalized on. Although this happens organically, several AIRs have exhibitions of guest artists months or even years after their stay. As a result, not only the artists but also the organizations themselves reap the benefits of this investment.

Opportunities through inclusion
AIRs offer opportunities to artists and makers who receive fewer opportunities. Often the organizers take this for granted and it is not included in formal communication. Some even indicate that they take diversity into account in the selection. Sometimes this concerns artists from regions or with backgrounds that are less visible in the cultural sector. But usually it concerns open to artists from the LGBTQI+ community, of all genders and of all ages. A few AIRs are committed to being accessible to all levels of education, religious backgrounds and income levels. (Internal) events are also organised to discuss such topics.

Nine AIRs are fully accessible for artists with a mobility disability (wheelchair or crutches), seven institutions are only partially accessible and five are not at all. Most of them want to make adjustments for each request for help from the guest artist. For example, continuing to accommodate a guest artist with a mental health problem until the situation is stable. But also adjusting the AIR duration, providing help with mobility problems or thinking along with other difficulties that fall outside the art practice.

English is spoken in all AIRs. Dutch is spoken in 20 of the 21 AIRs. Six AIRs can offer German and four can offer French. In some cases, there is the possibility of communication in Spanish, Farsi and Arabic. This offers opportunities for both international cooperation and for artists who have only recently moved to the Netherlands.

Physical 
All AIRs offer presentation possibilities. The ways in which this happens are very diverse. The classic formula of an exhibition after an AIR period is common. At some AIRs the entire creation process is public. Others set interim presentation moments such as try-outs and tests. Many AIRs combine their presentation moments with other events to give the artist more visibility. Think of open studios, ART Rotterdam, Kunstblock, South Explorer and Art Index.

Digital 
Attention is also paid to digital presentation options, for example by including them in the newsletter, public archives or on social media. The latter is particularly the case at almost all AIRs. Some AIRs allow the guest artist access to their social media to determine the reporting themselves. At -1 of Nieuwe Instituut, the artist's works are shown on nine screens at the entrance. Some also pay attention and spend time on long-form, such as publishing interviews, podcasts or lectures. 

AIRs are not profit-making systems. There are costs for, among other things, living space, work space, material (compensation), PR, technical support, curatorial support, networking opportunities and presentation moments. Therefore, AIRs can best be seen as an investment in the artist and in the sector, more about this under the heading What do they offer?. The two largest financial flows are the institution's own income and funds/grants. Most of the financing comes from funds/subsidies. These are usually awarded to the institution as a whole and not specifically to the AIR program. Sometimes the AIRs help artists to submit applications to cover fees or production costs. These include: BKV funds, the municipality of Rotterdam, Cultuur Concreet, Stichting Droom en Daad, CBK Rotterdam, Wijkraden van Rotterdam, Stimuleringsfonds, Volkskracht and the Elise Mathilde Fonds. Own income comes mainly from ticket sales, catering and hall rental. These are not earned by the AIR itself, but by the institution or organization itself. In almost all cases this is only a small part of the income.

In some cases, it concerns a fixed and specific collaboration or support, for example the Amarte Fund that finances an AIR of WORM or the Young Blood Foundation that has an AIR at Brutus. In three cases, the costs of rent, energy and maintenance are paid by having the guest artist contribute. When the guest artist is asked for money, this is never used to make a profit or to pay for the work of the organizer. An exception regarding finances is the HUBSA of Artist in the World. There, the maintenance costs of the Rijnaak are financed by Airbnbing the house painted by artist André Smits.

It is important to keep in mind that none of these forms of financing are stable. The funds and subsidies rarely provide structural money and are dependent on the political and economic climate of the Netherlands. If subsidy pots are cut, AIRs, which usually do not receive “labeled” money, will suffer.

Smaller institutions depend on funds and subsidies that are requested repeatedly. CORPO indicated that for starting AIRs, the response time of funds can be a financial problem. When they repeatedly extend their response time by weeks or months, at some point the money for rent and energy runs out.

In addition, there is the often invisible financing of unpaid labor or labor out of passion. In almost all medium-sized and small institutions, people invest many hours of unpaid labor. In several cases, all labor is unpaid. Often, the people who provide this labor are artists themselves and they do this with a lot of passion and a big heart for the sector. In addition, smaller AIRs, such as Nieuw Charlois and Cool Clay Collective, lend their own equipment and means of transportation to the guest artists where necessary. 

Artists 
A third of respondents indicated that they cannot pay the artist for his or her work. For those who can, this is often not possible for all AIR programs or they find the artist's fee too low, because it does not comply with the Fair Practice Code. An example of this is a situation where the artist has to choose between an artist's fee and production money. An honorarium pot specifically for AIRs would help. BKV funds are often insufficient, because artists come from other countries or cities or because they live just outside Rotterdam due to the housing crisis.

Employees/volunteers 
Especially in the smaller institutions, without their own Cultural Plan, the AIRs largely rely on work out of passion. V2 adds that highly specialized AIRs also require highly skilled support staff. This is both difficult to find and train internally, but essential to providing the right support and growth. For this, the option of sending staff to external training or courses would be ideal. 

Creative freedom and over-demanding 
Several AIRs indicated that funds apply too strict frameworks. AIRs that focus on research practice in particular suffer from this. Buitenplaats Brienenoord indicated that most funds pay attention to social impact and audience reach, while this is often not (yet) the case with research AIRs. Time Window indicated that time and capacity for experiment are under pressure. 

Those who do meet the criteria for funding find it difficult to balance the creative space with getting the most out of it in terms of presentations. These AIRs indicate that they are often stuck by this pressure to perform from funds. They would prefer to give the artist more freedom of choice about, for example, public moments and when the work is suitable for presentation.

Lack of continuity 
Within this branch of sport there is little certainty. AIRs do not generate any financial income and several small AIRs function from subsidy to subsidy. Because voluntary labour is used to a large extent, many systems are vulnerable. When not enough volunteers are recruited or they stop due to financial problems, for example, most AIRs cannot continue or can only continue with difficulty.  The preservation of the location is also often uncertain. From the conversation it became clear that most institutions rent or borrow the space. Cool Clay Collective, for example, has just started, but already knows that in three years it will have to leave the building.  

Housing is the biggest challenge for most. Housing is scarce and renting and maintaining it is very difficult with small teams and limited budgets. For some AIRs this already affects the selection of artists. For others it is a brake on future expansion of residencies. Often there are also no financial resources to rent accommodation in the private sector. In addition, several AIRs that do own or have access to accommodation will stop or lose access. The Goethe Institut and Paviljoen aan het Water will disappear next year. The homes used by the self-managed NAC foundation will be demolished in 2027.  

• There is need for a network to on organizational level to exchange with each other. The network can be an online database, but an annual meeting is also appreciated. Organizations cannot handle this on their own in addition to their current tasks. Other examples were: organized tours, contact lists and newsletters. 

• Access to accommodation. Housing is scarce and is decreasing. There will be no immediate solution to this. However, accommodation, such as shared housing or funding for renting a home, would be essential for the maintenance and growth of AIRs. 

• In addition, there is a need for visibilityFor example, showing the guest artists present on the CBK website or publishing a map or brochure with all AIRs within the city. 

• Artist fees can pay or supplement. Several AIRs cannot or not sufficiently do this and would very much like to. A money pot comparable to BKV funds could be a solution for this. It is important that artists from outside Rotterdam and/or the Netherlands can also be paid.  

• Making unpaid work paid. In smaller organizations, almost everything is done without money for the organizers. To make AIRs less vulnerable, it is important that their hard work pays offThe possibility of external training of these specialized employees would also be an added value. 

• There is a need for more direct communication with funds and the municipality of Rotterdam. The conditions are often too restrictive and organizations are prepared to submit their goals and considerations to arrive at a desirable solution. 

SKAR sees the great need for work and living space for AIRs in Rotterdam. At the moment SKAR can only offer work space. There are several project studios that can be used for a few months up to a year. With an eye to the future, they are investigating the possibilities of a specific location where living space is also technically possible. This will require permission from the municipality. Should this become a possibility, SKAR will not run its own program, but will facilitate that of others.