Grants & Services for Artists
Cultural Exchanges
Artist Residency in Germany
About the Program
Every year, the Dresden Residency - a program of the Greater Columbus Arts Council and the Saxon State Ministry for Higher Education, Research and the Fine Arts - offers two Columbus artists the opportunity to undertake a residency in Dresden, Germany, lasting two to three months. Artists currently residing in Franklin County and intending to remain so are invited to apply for the residency if they meet the following eligibility criteria: they have either a) received an Individual Artists Fellowship in the Visual Arts from GCAC or b) have applied for the current cycle of Individual Artists Fellowships and been selected by the jurors as a finalist. Artists who have previously participated in any of GCAC’s international residency programs may not re-apply. Students enrolled in a degree- or certificate-granting program or planning to be enrolled in such a program during the residency period may not apply.
The residency program provides an artist with a period of time in Germany to concentrate on research and production, so that her/his artwork significantly benefits—it is considered an extension of the artist’s professional making and (re)searching and should not be viewed as vacation time. Any artist selected for the residency must be comfortable working flexibly in a self-sufficient and foreign environment. Some research facilities are made available depending on availability and need. While travel is encouraged, the artist must spend the majority of the residency period in Dresden. The residency recipient is provided with housing for the entire duration of the residency. Apartments/rooms are furnished and intended for single occupancy; the artist is expected to travel and work alone, free from the pressures of everyday work and family life back in Columbus. GCAC provides a pro-rated stipend of $50 per day, up to a maximum stipend of $4,500. The residency must be for a minimum of two months but cannot exceed 90 days in Europe; recipients must have a passport valid for three months beyond the proposed stay. GCAC provides economy-class roundtrip airfare between Columbus and Dresden and makes all necessary reservations once the artist has indicated her/his preferred travel dates at least eight weeks prior to departure. Once booked, it becomes entirely the artist’s responsibility to pay a cancellation penalty and/or higher fare for changing an existing reservation. After the artist’s arrival in Dresden, the Saxon State Ministry for Higher Education, Research, and the Fine Arts welcomes her/him to the community. The artist meets ministry staff, local artists and former residency artists who have visited Columbus during the exchange program. For the remainder of the stay, the ministry staff helps to access the resources needed to make the most of the residency. The artist, however, is primarily responsible for developing relationships and work opportunities.
While in Dresden, the artist must be willing and able to act as a representative and ambassador for the Greater Columbus Arts Council and the City of Columbus. Within thirty days of the residency recipient’s return to the United States, s/he is required to provide GCAC with a written final report regarding the residency. If the artist fails to submit a report, s/he will be ineligible for future Individual Artists Fellowship awards. Additionally, the recipient will be asked to give a visual presentation and verbal report to GCAC's Board of Trustees within three months of her/his return. GCAC uses fair and consistent criteria to evaluate applications in the pursuit of artistic excellence. The work of artists invited to apply for the program has already been vetted by the professional jurors from GCAC’s Individual Artist Fellowship review process. Therefore, the narrative portion of the application is of primary importance. Successful applications include specific information about how the artist will approach the residency, what s/he plans to do with the time and resources the residency provides, and any specific information s/he can provide about cultural projects, institutions, opportunities, or resources in Dresden that s/he is interested in exploring.
Contact
Anja Brüggemann (Assistant to the President): 614-221-8667
Resources
Saxon State Ministry for Higher Education, Research and the Fine Arts
Kunsthaus Raskolnikow / Galerie e.V.
geh8 Kunstraum und Ateliers e.V.
Publisher: Kunsthaus Raskolnikow e.V. © 2001 / Funded by the Greater
Publisher: Kunsthaus Raskolnikow e.V. © 2008 / Funded by the Greater
Columbus – Dresden Residency Artists (1995-2011)
All individual artist catalogs were published by Kunsthaus Raskolnikow e.V. © 2001, © 2008 (project management: Iduna Böhning / editor: Susanne Altmann) and funded by the Greater Columbus Arts Council and the Saxon State Ministry for Higher Education, Research and the Fine Arts.
