The aim of the Visiting Artists’ Residency at Greatmore Studios is to facilitate cultural exchange and creative dialogue by bringing together international and local artists in a stimulating and supportive environment.
In March 2010 Castro Kissiedu from SaNsA, an arts organization in Ghana, took up residency at Greatmore Studios as part of the continuing Knowledge and Skills Sharing Programme, a programme coordinated by Triangle Arts Trust that aims at increasing knowledge and skills on arts management between the participating organisations.
Castro began his residency with an introduction over lunch to the staff at Greatmore followed by a tour of Greatmore Studios’ space and an introduction to all of the artists.
During the residency Castro spent time with each member of staff and in the process got involved with the operations of Greatmore including general administration, finance, programming, and website management.
As Kate describes: “Castro virtually became part of the furniture of Greatmore and spent quality time with a number of people, learning a lot and also sharing skills and knowledge in the process.”
Castro’s stay also coincided with a residency programme at Greatmore that involved artists from different countries. He got directly involved with the running of that residency; a learning experience that he will be able to take back and apply at SaNsA. Other activities that Castro became involved with included accompanying one of the visiting residency artists to an arts centre to discuss various outreach programmes with the Head of the Centre and getting directly involved with a video art mentoring programme at Greatmore Studios that initiated during his stay.
All of these activities gave Castro hands-on experience that proved both challenging and exciting. As Kate concludes: “Castro was a real asset to us. He was so enthusiastic and got straight into it as soon as he arrived. He was an absolute help in every way and made a real contribution to the studios.”
For further information, see also Triangle Arts Trust blog entry.