Where can we find a place whose atmosphere encourages artistic activity? Does a financial success mean that the artist is resourceful? Does artists’ resourcefulness influence the quality of their art? Ika Sienkiewicz-Nowacka answers these questions.

What is the artists-in-residence project about?

The aim of the artists-in-residence programmes is to enable both young and renowned artists to work on their projects in some creative atmosphere.
Residence centres offer the best working and living conditions for the scholarship period. They create space for artistic competition and for the exchange of inspirations of artists of various cultures and the local environment.


Is this project some sort of a business incubator?

I don’t think so. We have different tasks and objectives.

What opportunities are offered to those who participate in the project? 

During their stays in the artists-in-residence laboratories artists from all over the world have the opportunity to cooperate with one another, to exchange experience, and to establish cooperation with the Polish artistic scene. Creative atmosphere of the programme initiated in the artists-in-residence laboratory supports self-fulfilment and the development of international contacts.
Thanks to the cooperation with similar centres all over the world, also Polish artists stand a chance to get scholarships in the centres of residence in other countries.


Who are the artists taking part in the project? Are they novices or renowned artists?

Very different, our guests are often very young, although not debutants. It happens however that we host well-known and recognized artists. Basically, all our guests are very talented and selected from among many applicants in one country by a group of curators.

In your opinion, what is enterprise in culture and art?

It’s the ability to promote, to sell one’s own work (and I don’t mean the financial aspect only). It’s ideas and pursuing one’s goals doggedly.


Do you consider contemporary artists resourceful?

It depends. Some yes, some no. As it happens. And it’s not about the quality of their art, but about their personalities.

Can the artists-in-residence project make artists resourceful?

If the concept ‘resourcefulness’ is understood as creativity, the answer is definitely yes. But our activity doesn’t stimulate resourcefulness, it rather enables artists to realize their ideas.