More Information about Arts Residencies ACT
Canberra, ACT
Located in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Canberra is Australia’s national capital and a beautiful and engaging city. More than half of the ACT is preserved as parks and reserves, rich in Indigenous and pioneer heritage as well as native flora and fauna, with extensive forests and bordered by the Brindabella mountains, part of the Great Dividing Range.
Canberra is also a thriving modern city of around 350,000 people and is home to many of Australia’s national cultural institutions including the National Gallery of Australia, the National Museum of Australia and the National Library of Australia, providing unparalleled access to collections.
The arts contribute immensely to the ACT and are a central and sustainable part of life in our community.
Artist residencies provide opportunities for artists from across Australia and around the world to spend time in a new atmosphere and environment. They promote cultural and artistic exchange, nurture experimentation and new ideas, and support research and the development of new work.
Arts Residencies ACT: ACT Artists-in-Residence Policy
The ACT Government has released a policy to encourage and support the development of arts residencies in the ACT. Arts Residencies ACT: ACT Artists-in-Residence Policy outlines a vision of Canberra as a sought after destination for artists and provides strategies for the ACT Government to support artists-in-residence opportunities.
To read the policy, click here
Artists-in-Residence Toolkit
artsACT has developed a toolkit to assist organisations interested in hosting an artists residency or developing an artists-in-residence program.
If you are looking for help with establishing a residency opportunity, see Artists-in-Residence Toolkit (PDF 494KB) 
Previous Recipients
2017: Five ACT Government arts centres shared in $56,000 Arts Residencies ACT funding to host celebrated Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander artists in 2017. Engaging with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander arts and cultures is a key principle of the ACT Arts Policy.
| Organisation | Grant purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Ainslie and Gorman Arts Centres | To assist with the costs of an Indigenous artist residency at the Ainslie and Gorman Arts Centres | $11,200 |
| Canberra Glassworks | To assist with the costs of a residency at the Canberra Glassworks with artist Brenda Croft, to explore glass casting and create new work in 2017. | $11,200 |
| Canberra Potters Society | To assist with the costs a residency at the Canberra Potters’ Society with artist Janet Fieldhouse | $11,200 |
| Megalo Access Arts | To assist with costs of a residency for artist Arone Meeks at Megalo Print Studio + Gallery | $11,200 |
| Strathnairn Arts | To assist with the costs of a co-residency experience for an Australian Indigenous artist and an American Indian artist at Strathnairn Arts | $11,200 |
2016
| Organisation | Grant purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| ACT Writers Centre | To support the ACT Writer-in-Residence Program which will provide an opportunity for an Australian writer of significance to undertake a residency opportunity at the ACT Writers Centre in partnership with the Museum of Australian Democracy. | $10,000 |
| Belconnen Arts Centre | To provide support for a residency for nationally recognised Australian Muslim artist Idil Abdullahi to build upon her ceramics practice in partnership with Belconnen Arts Centre, the Islamic Society of Belconnen and Strathnairn Arts Association. | $10,000 |
| Canberra Glassworks | To assist with a residency for an established Australian contemporary artist engaging with neon to work with an experienced neon maker/technical specialist to inspire local artists and produce new work. | $10,000 |
| Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre | To support the celebration of 10 years of the collaborative project between Craft ACT and ACT Parks and Conservation Service and to bring together past participants (artists, writers, curators and program partners) to re-engage with the artist-in-residence program. | $10,000 |
| National Portrait Gallery | To assist with a residency for Australian artist George Khut to develop and present a new digital work, and interact with local artists and Gallery visitors. | $10,000 |
| PhotoAccess | To assist with the costs of a residency which will engage an interstate mid-career artist to create and exhibit new, experimental photo-based work at PhotoAccess. | $10,000 |
2015
| Organisation | Grant purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| ACT Writers Centre | To support the ACT Eminent Writer-in-Residence Program which will provide an opportunity for an Australian writer of significance to undertake a residency opportunity at the ACT Writers Centre in partnership with the Museum of Australian Democracy. | $10,000 |
| Belconnen Arts Centre | To provide support for two professional artists, established in community cultural practices, to further develop and implement their collaborative facilitation practice with the ACT community. | $10,000 |
| Canberra Glassworks | To assist with a residency for two Maori weavers to work with local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander textile and glass artists to share skills and develop work collaboratively. | $10,000 |
| Canberra Potters Society | To assist with the costs of a ceramics residency in conjunction with Stepping Up: 14th Australian Ceramics Triennale in July 2015. | $10,000 |
| Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre | To support an international craft artist to undertake a residency at Gudgenby Ready-Cut Cottage ACT in partnership with ACT Parks and Conservation. | $10,000 |
| Young Music Society | To support the ‘Anyone Musical International Residency’, for a collaboration between a professional musician in Poland and a professional musician in Canberra to be delivered in residence Canberra. | $10,000 |
2014
| Organisation | Grant purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre | To host an international and national artist to undertake a residence each in partnership with Namadgi National Park and Australian National Botanic Gardens. | $10,000 |
| Canberra Potters' Society | To assist with the costs of bringing ceramic artists to Canberra as part of an artists-in-residence program. | $10,000 |
| Multicultural Women’s Advocacy | To support nine Community Art Worker residencies for an international artist working across artforms with culturally and linguistically diverse women. | $10,000 |
| The Street Theatre | To provide a residency fostering personal vision and experimentation for an established interstate/overseas director/performance-maker to work on a collaborative project. | $10,000 |
2013
| Organisation | Grant purpose | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| ACT Heritage Unit | To assist in establishing the Canberra Through Time 2013 - Heritage of Lanyon Artist-in-Residence Program. | $5,000 |
| Canberra Contemporary Art Space | To support artists' residencies at Canberra Contemporary Art Space and ANU School of Art. | $5,000 |
| Young Music Society | To assist with costs of bringing overseas musicians to engage with school students and Canberra musicians. | $5,000 |
| Craft ACT: Craft and Design Centre | To support an international artist and an Australian Indigenous artist to each undertake a residence at Gudgenby Ready-Cut Cottage in the Namadgi National Park. | $10,000 |
| Multicultural Women's Advocacy | To assist with a Community Art Worker residency that will provide an international or national artist with the opportunity to run a project in the ACT. | $10,000 |
| University of New South Wales, Canberra | To assist with the costs of delivering the Creative Fellowships Program in literature at UNSW Canberra. | $10,000 |
Strathnairn Arts Centre