Workshop experience at Kunstenaars & Co
by Yasmine Ostendorf
Trans Artists is an expert on residency opportunities. And the good thing is, Trans Artists is not afraid of sharing its expertise! That's why we frequently organize workshops for artists.
As a newcomer at the Trans Artists office I was of course very curious what all the workshoptalk was about. All my collegues seemed to be travelling over the country and even over the world, informing artists about the opportunities they have concerning mobility and residencies.
On November 2, 2009, my collegue Bojana Panevska gave a workshop at the Amsterdam based Kunstenaars & Co, a Dutch service center for artists. This was my opportunity to find out what is was all about I arrived 5 minutes before the workshop started, and it wasnt hard to see where the workshop was going to be. Outside Kunstenaars & Co on the Nieuwe Herengracht, there were already people waiting, having their last cigarette before the 3 hours workshop was going to start.
Together we filled the auditorium of Kunstenaars & Co to the maximum capacity! Approximately 20 artists were in the room, ready to be informed about all the possibilities concerning residencies. Bojana Panevska told us about what Trans Artists does, about the history of residencies and she gently guided us all through the massive database of the Trans Artists website. This was quite necessary, as the database contains almost 1000 residencies! Also she was so kind to already prepare some suitable residencies for artists, matching with their disciplines and interests.
This was very useful, as some residencies are equipped with certain tools (such as machines to work with wood) and for some residencies you need to have been publishing work, for instance. But not only that; the residencies also vary in costs. Some residencies provide you with a budget, some residencies you have to pay for.
For AiR opportunities you have to pay for, Bojana Panevska informed us all about the possibilities for funding. She had a checklist for if you are almost ready to apply for a residency, and a very interesting brochure stuffed with advice, experiences and useful contacts. My head was full with all the information! Luckily she also showed some videos of artists telling about their residency experiences. These were real people, people like you and me, telling about their work and travels! This must mean I could do a residency too. I am not even an artists and I couldn't wait to get home and just wander through the database an dream of all the places I would love to go. I can only imagine how triggering that must have been when you actually are an artist.
