English
Everyone, deep down, has dreamed at least once of being an artist. Although money to live on is a daily dilemma for most artists, in recent years we have seen a steady proliferation of scholarships, awards and opportunities of various kinds for emerging artists. One of the most interesting options for emerging artists is to take part in an Artist in Residence program.
These residencies are site-dependent and involve experimentation in the arts (including visual arts, music, film, theater, literature, dance and curatorial studies). The centers or institutions where the guest artists stay and work on a specific project allow them to get in contact with industry professionals, and in most cases, allowing the possibility of organizing an exhibition when the stay and the project is completed. Naturally, a cultural capital like Barcelona has a number of interesting options to take a few months to research and workon an art project. One of these residences is Hangar www.hangar.org in Poblenou, an old abandoned factory which has been restored and also runs a production company which offers technical support for artistic creation. Hangar, founded in 1997 by the Association of Visual Artists of Catalonia (AAVC) is a space of 1,800 m2, which is very well equipped. There, they run 15 individual workshops, 2 studios, a media lab, an equipment rental service, and offer technical and advisory production. You can take advantage of their support and technical assistance, training workshops and scholarships for artists in Spain and abroad. You can sign up for Workshops through the annual call, and the studio rent is very accessible.
Given the number of options available, the first thing an artist should ask is where to go, and if the project you want to conduct is somehow justifiable in relation to the chosen destination. Each residence has its rules: some are free, other rented spaces; some even offer scholarships and a stipend for guest artists. My recommendation is that you keep in mind your economic situation and the quality of the chosen site. This will be important at the time of writing your application.
Be critical! Do not be fooled by the media coverage of places, and ask for information and references before submitting your application.
menschauser
If you are not interested the option of working on a study of this type, still wants to get to know the city, you can also rent apartments in Barcelona and connect with the local art world.
