Providence, RI, USA
https://artistcommunities.org/
Shey Rivera Ríos from the board of Artist Communities Alliance is moderating the speakers' panel at the onAIRISM - challenges and transitions conference.
The Artist Communities Alliance (ACA) is an international association of artist residencies, based in Providence, RI, USA.
“ACA supports the people who power the field - administrators, artists, culture bearers, creatives, volunteers, neighbors and community - of artist residencies, organizations and programs that provide time, space and resources for artists to advance their creative practice.”
ACA emerged originally from a 1990 project, funded by the MacArthur Foundation, which was created to “nurture the process of creation… at a time when it is important to reaffirm the essential freedom that is necessary for all creative accomplishment.”
Today, the ACA membership includes more than 400 organizations and individuals in 20 countries, speaking collectively on behalf of more than 1.500 residency programs worldwide.
“ACA supports the people who work in the artist residency field and artist-centered organizations and provides training and networking opportunities; leverages funding and promotes evaluation, reflection, transparency and the development of equitable practices.”
At the same time, “ACA is a resource for artists with a searchable residency directory for artists across disciplines - visual artists, writers, composers, dancemakers, filmmakers - to find, apply, and fund a residency experience.”
In September 2021, ACA has announced a new strategic plan 2021-2023, as a road map for the development of “equitable capacity” in the artist residency field. With this plan, “ACA calls for structural change in the residency field to create inclusive, just, joyful, and accessible environments where artists and staff can thrive. ACA’s three-year strategic plan sets a course for supporting organizations in assessing equitable practices across all areas of operation as well as developing the tools and policies needed to sustain change.”
The vehicle for operationalizing this work is ACA’s Five Pillars of a Healthy Residency - an adaptable framework to guide organizations in assessing their own equitable practice across Identity, Program Design, Operations, Resource Development, and Stewardship.
View ACA's residency directory here.