Setting up a residency

What do you want to achieve?

First and foremost, you need to consider what you want to achieve by engaging an artist in residence, which will directly affect what you ask the artist to do. Desired results might include:-

• staff to have gained sufficient information and skills to introduce new ways of delivering the art and design curriculum
• pupils and staff to have improved their knowledge and understanding of contemporary art
• "the school community to have gained an impression of how an artist works
• small groups of pupils to have worked in depth and produced individual art work with guidance from the artist
• a communal piece of work made by pupils with the artist
• the acquisition of a special piece of the artist's work for the school

Decisions about what you want to achieve will indicate how the artist's time should be organised. For example, if you primarily want pupils and others to see how an artist makes their work, the majority of their time needs to be spent in a studio base actually making and with little direct teaching. If, on the other hand, it is more important that staff learn new skills, the artist could be asked to run Inset sessions. Do bear in mind that artists will need time to prepare.

What type of project do you want?

First, it is advisable to think about the type of residency or project that will best suit your school, considering the available resources, time and class sizes. Then you can go on to consider the kind of artist you want (e.g. a painter, a metalworker, a sculptor, a textile artist) and how they might meet your needs. Here are two examples:-

Example 1

School's aims

• for the artist to make a large painting with 5 classes of pupils (approximately 200 in all) and parents
• to teach staff how to paint on a large scale and how to develop pupils' observational drawing
• for the other 10 classes (400 pupils) to have access to the artist
• to develop links with another local school by inviting some of their pupils to take part
• to revitalise a dark corner of the school
• to cause a splash in the local community and gain favourable coverage for the school in the local press.

What is the artist being asked to do?

• familiarise themselves with pupils' observational drawing work and teach staff how to develop it into painting
• design and plan a large scale work
• control the progress of the work, managing contributions from pupils and parents
• communicate effectively with parents, press, governors, etc.
• advise on the purchase of materials and equipment and future maintenance
• advise on the most effective way pupils can prepare and contribute to the work
• manage the project budget.

Example 2

School's aims

• to enhance the delivery of the art and design curriculum by focusing on ceramics
• for staff to gain more confidence in making techniques and firing and glazing processes
• for pupils and staff to gain an insight into the working practices of a craftsperson, including research techniques
• to learn about the work of other ceramics practitioners
• for the school to gain a reputation for excellent quality ceramic work.

What is the artist being asked to do?

• teach technical information to staff
• teach pupils in making techniques, e.g. coiling, throwing, slab-building, use of slips and glazes
• design a project which will increase pupils' knowledge of, and their ability to work with, ceramics
• provide information about the work of other ceramicists and exhibitions]
• ensure the work is completed and successful, i.e. that pupils finish a piece of ceramic work including firing and glazing, and that staff learn how to use kilns and glazes.

The two examples show quite different projects which will lead to different results. The first is a special project which adds to normal art and design activities in the school. It is likely to be intensive and high profile, incurring a lot of disruption to the timetable over a short period of time. The long term benefits are the permanent piece of work and hopefully the positive relationships formed by working in a communal way.

The second project, on the other hand, is closely linked to the existing timetable and curriculum. Long term benefits include a greater understanding of contemporary ceramics and working practices as well as improvements to the quality of pupils' art work.

The first project requires the artist to organise large groups of people, at the same time as producing a complicated piece of work. The second requires them to communicate specific information and work closely with pupils and staff to develop making skills to a high standard. In both cases the artist and staff would have to plan activities together very carefully.

It is helpful, therefore, to identify at the outset which particular skills you want from your artist and how you want to work with them. Another consideration will be the effect of the additional work for staff.