Intra-Asia AIR Network

TAIWAN

Bamboo Culture International
Taipei Artist Village
Taiwan Artist Village Alliance

Sponsors

• Council for Cultural Affairs, Taiwan

• Taipei Culture Bureau

• Tainan City Government

• Tainan County Government

• Miaoli County Government

• Asia Cultural Council

• Home Affairs Bureau (Arts Development Fund)

• Hong Kong SAR Government

• Long Fong Co. Ltd.

Program

July 17 to 19 Workshop: Pilot Project AIR Asia - Mapping Asian Artists' Mobility

The July event will start with a two day workshop session aiming at the mapping of intra Asia systems of communication and support, under supervision of professional consultant San San Wong. The workshop will be held at several AIRs in the South of Taiwan – relaxed and country side settings. During the workshop we hope to share thoughts and knowledge with you about the following issues:

- Examples of models of artistic mobility in Asia
- Asian Artists in Residency definitions and the diversity of AIR programs offered
- Understanding of the state of support of Asian AIR's
- Understand present realities and critical role of Asian AIR's
- Understand the challenges that Asian AIR's face

On the third day, we hope to provide you with site visits to different models of artist in residencies in Taiwan that are connected to a regional network promoting artists in residence programs: the Taiwan Artist Village Association (TAVA). Visits are planned to AIR's in both rural and urban environments, such as Taichung Stock 20 AIR, in renovated railway warehouses, and the residency at the nature park of Hua Tau Yao with its famous traditional dragon Kiln.

Among those invited for the workshop session are organizations like yours, which actively promote creativity and support cultural exchange projects that involve artistic mobility within the Asian continent. Moreover, we invited representatives of various artists groups, public and private founders, local, regional and global NGOs/networks so they can get a grasp of what the Asian situation is like and how they could be of support. The outcome of the workshop session should be an overview of Asian support and communication systems. This will be the system to keep the participants connected, in a network that foresees the needs of Asian organizations.

July 20 and 21 Conference: Artists in Residence Worldwide - Hubs of artistic exchange

The workshop session will be followed by a two day open conference which will focus on the promotion of artist in residence programs worldwide. The conference will include a forum with representatives from Asian funding organizations and a presentation of the board of Res Artis, a world wide network promoting artistic mobility and AIR programs. The aim of the conference is to show those involved in planning, funding and legislation activities the importance of AIR programs, and how we could use their support for future development.

Why Come Together? Mapping

To Better Understand Asian AIRs:

• As vehicles of artistic mobility in Asia

• Define the diversity

• State of support

• Present realities and challenges

• Critical roles in

– the artist’s development

– engagement with public

– as opportunities for cultural exchange

16 countries, 40 + participants

Participants

Represent different functions within ecology:

• Artists

• Curators

• Researchers

• Educators/Teachers

• Directors/Founders of AIRs & Alternative Spaces

• Public & Private Funding Bodies Representatives

• World-Wide & Regional Networks Representatives

Diverse Organisations

Represent different characteristics:

• Small, independent –> Government sponsor

• Artist collective –> University department

• Newly formed –> 20 years old

• Geographic axis:

North-South: Mongolia –> Australia

East-West: India –> Japan

Diverse Organisations (cont.)

• Reused spaces – Purpose built – Artist home/studio – Temporal

• Visual, Literature, New Media, Performance, Mixed Medium, Curation, Administration

• Cultural preservation –> Post-Modern

• Social change agents –> Biennale sponsors

Why Come Together?

Find Solutions & Become Stronger Through Collective Action & Resource Sharing

Planning Meeting
Day 1: Tsung-Yeh Arts & Cultural Center

Engaging Artists & Communities
Multi-Directional Exchange
Artist in Society
Ethnical Responsibility

Key Issues - Environment

• Disparity within Asia, e.g., economic, language, location

• Uni-directional exchanges/flow

• Standards set by reference points outside Asia

– Europe, USA, Major Institutions

– biennales, “airport curators”

– definitions of modernity, tradition

Key Issues - Individual & Organizational

• Ethnical behavior & Professional standards

• Engaging artists with local communities

• AIR programme design that facilitates “true” understanding of host culture

• Sustainability & Continuity

– Waning & “fickle” government support

– Transferring leadership

– Measurement and Outcome m ethodologies not wholly appropriate to AIR & AM

Planning Meeting
Day 2Tainan University
Art Gallery

Day 3: Taipei Artist Village

Intra-Asia Network of AIR & Artist MobilityMission

To facilitate the artistic mobility of cultural workers through the development, promotion and empowerment of AIRs in Asia.

Network Uniqueness

• Initiated by Asia

• Intra-Asia: Network within the Asian region

– most exchange is with those outside Asia

• AIRs: In the arts world, AIRs have an important – but under-represented – role

• Embracing inclusivity – brings together multiple countries, functions, sectors, characteristics, disciplines, etc.

Core Values

Membership is committed to:

• Enhance the equality between Asian countries

• Promote and understand cultural diversity

• Cultural exchange

• Professionalism

• Flexibility

• Inclusivity

• Sharing

Benefits of Network

• Validation & Credibility

• Knowing your Neighbor

• Decrease isolation

• “Power Block”

• Standards for Ethnical Behavior & Professionalism

• Knowledge exchange

• Resource sharing (costs savings)

Focal Programme Areas

Artist Outreach

Professional Development

Field Knowledge

Advocacy

Artist Outreach

• Increase efficiency in outreach, info dissemination about AIRs and AM vehicles.

– Reaching a broader range of artists and from more countries

• Confidential recommendations for artists and for AIRs

Professional Development

• Skills-building

• Professionalism & Ethnical Behavior

• Capacity building for organisations

Str: Administrative infrastructure tools, e.g., “toolbox” with special modules

Str: “Block-booking” of trainers, speakers

Field Knowledge

“Action Research” not purely academic research – active application

Advocacy

• Information & Education

– Public Understanding

• Social & Policy Change

– Evaluation

• investigation of other methodologies

• development of AIR-specific criteria

• standards of professionalism

Network Development

• Shared values & issues

– Address through collective action & exchange

• Potential Solutions

– short-term and long-term

– existing resources and resources to develop human, expertise, financial

• Structure to support activity

– leadership & representation

– member commitment

– communications

– decision-making

– resource development

Structure

• Network

– Autonomous vs. Sub-network

– Physical vs. Virtual network

– Rotating headquarters

– Business structure

• Communications

– E-group

– Workshops / Conference

– Links on website

– Newsletter – Print or Email

Next Steps

• Planning Committee established

Reps from Australia, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Mongolia, Philippines, Taiwan

• Meeting documentation to Network members to share with others

• Website development

– Communications for Network Members

– Sharing information about Members & Network

Next Steps

• Planning

– Refinement of Mission, Vision, Core Values

– Further development of each focal programme area

– Scenarios for initial structures (infrastructure)

– Relationship to existing networks

– Resources identification

– Other leaders and potential members

Taiwan, 17-21 July 2005