Sustainable Consultancy Program

Reframing Residencies: The Sustainable Cultural Impact of Artist-in-Residence Programs

重塑駐村：藝術家進駐計畫的永續性與文化影響力研究暨顧問計劃

Project Overview

Since 2023, we have engaged in a comprehensive research collaboration with the Taiwan Art Space Alliance (TASA), Taiwan. Set against a backdrop of global challenges—including climate change, uneven resource distribution, and geopolitical shifts—this project is dedicated to redefining the value of Artist-in-Residence (AiR) programs and exploring how to sustain both the institutions and their surrounding cultural ecosystems over time.

The Challenge

Traditionally, residency evaluations have been anchored in short-term, quantitative outputs, such as the number of exhibitions, audience figures, and the submission of final reports. Unfortunately, these metrics fail to capture the most distinctive impacts of residencies: relationship building, trust, cultural continuity, artist well-being, and the gradual consolidation of local creative communities.

Our Approach and Methodology

Moving away from viewing residencies as short-term, discrete projects, our research reframes them as vital “cultural infrastructure” within a dynamic art system. To accurately measure their true value, we developed a comprehensive framework to assess AiR sustainability and cultural impact across six interconnected domains:

• Cultural: Preservation of local culture, artistic innovation, and cultural diversity.
• Economic: Financial stability, resource-scheduling capacity, and local economic linkages.
• Social: Community inclusion, social cohesion, and equitable participation.
• Dynamic Art System: Institutional adaptability, cross-sector collaboration, and long-term ecosystem resilience.
• Personal Well-being: The mental and emotional health, living conditions, and professional development of artists.
• Civic Engagement: Public awareness, advocacy, and genuine two-way community narratives.

Practical Tools and Future Outlook

Beyond theoretical research, we are translating this six-domain framework into a modular “digital self-assessment tool” for AiR practitioners. This instrument allows organizations to adjust evaluation weights based on their specific residency type (exploratory, co-constructive, or output-oriented), making intangible, long-horizon values visible alongside conventional outputs.

• Phase 1 (2024–2025): Focused on framework construction and a comparative analysis of European and Asian systems.
  • Report presentation Link
• Phase 2 (2026–2027): Dedicated to pilot-testing the framework and digital tool in live residency settings to analyze their practical and policy influence over time.

Workshop & Lecture

• 2026 TISP Symposium | Oulu, Finland (August 21–22, 2026)
  Paper: “Reframing Artist Residencies: Sustainable Impact and Institutional Strategies Across Regional Contexts—The Art Site of Railway Warehouse in Hsinchu City, Taiwan.”
• 2025 Res Artis Conference | São Paulo, Brazil (September 18–23, 2025)
  Paper: “Reframing Residencies: Sustainable Impact and Institutional Strategies Across Regional Contexts for Artist-in-Residence (AiR),” focusing on the strategic alignment with sustainable development goals (SDGs).
• 2025 Africa-Asia 3 ConFest | Dakar, Senegal (June 11-14, 2025)
  Round table discussion: “Humanities Across Borders: Indigo Dialogues“
• 2024 Taiwan Art Space Alliance Annual Conference | Taitung, Taiwan (2020)
  Workshop Speaker: “Reframing Residencies: Sustainable Impact“

計畫簡介

自 2023 年起，我們與台灣藝文空間連線（TASA）展開了一項深度的合作研究與顧問計畫。在全球氣候變遷、資源分配不均與地緣政治改變的環境下，本計畫致力於重新定義藝術家進駐（AiR）計畫的價值，探討如何支持駐村機構及其周邊文化生態系的長期永續發展。

我們看見的挑戰

傳統的駐村評估往往侷限於短期的量化產出指標，例如：展演數量、觀眾人數或結案報告的如期繳交。然而，這些指標忽略了駐村計畫最獨特且核心的產出：人際關係的建立、信任感、文化延續性、藝術家的身心福祉，以及地方創意生態系的緩慢凝聚等面向。

我們的核心理念與研究方法

本研究打破「短期專案」的思維，將駐村計畫重新定位為動態藝術系統中的重要「文化基礎設施」。為此，我們發展出一個包含六大核心面向的永續性與文化影響力評估框架：

• 文化永續性 (Cultural)：在地文化的保存、再生與藝術創新。
• 經濟永續性 (Economic)：資源調度、財務穩定性與在地經濟連結。
• 社會永續性 (Social)：社群包容性、社會資本與凝聚力。
• 動態藝術系統 (Dynamic Art System)：機構的適應力、跨部門合作與生態系韌性。
• 個人福祉 (Personal Well-being)：藝術家的心理健康、生活條件與專業發展。
• 公民參與 (Civic Engagement)：公眾意識、倡議與雙向的社群敘事。

實務工具與未來展望

這不僅是一項學術研究，我們更將此六面向框架轉化為實務工作者可用的「線上數位自我評估工具原型」。此工具具備模組化彈性，能依據不同駐村類型（探索型、共創型或產出導向型）調整權重，協助機構跳脫單一的量化績效，看見關聯性與長遠的價值。

• 第一階段（2024–2025）：著重於框架建構、歐洲與亞洲系統的比較分析。
• 第二階段（2026–2027）：將指標框架與數位工具導入實際駐村環境進行前導測試，並分析其政策影響力。