15. Artist-in-Residence Programmes in Academic Settings

In recent years, it has become increasingly common with artist-researcher collaborations in academic settings, where artist-in-residence programmes are a common format. In addition, government research councils are calling for artistic elements in interdisciplinary calls for proposals. Currently, it thus seems that “everyone” in academia is eager to collaborate with an artist. Why is that? Why now? What expectations does academia place on artists? What does this rapidly growing phenomenon mean to the contemporary research landscape?

The aim of this session is to shed light on the phenomenon of artist-in-residence programmes in academic settings. Although these collaborations are popular, their underlying mechanisms and impact remain largely unexplored. Therefore, there is a pressing need to critically evaluate and understand the phenomenon.

For this session, we are seeking papers that take a critical stance on the phenomenon of artist-in-residence programmes in academic settings. We particularly encourage papers that address fundamental questions regarding the history, nature, purpose and outcomes of artist-in-residence programmes in academia. This international phenomenon spans several disciplines and policy areas and requires an interdisciplinary approach. We therefore welcome contributions from a broad spectrum of academic disciplines, both from researchers studying the phenomenon and from researchers and artists with practical experience of organising and participating in artist-in-residence programmes in academic settings.

This session includes oral presentations of four research papers, followed by questions and an open discussion.

Themes: Artist-in-residence programmes; artist-researcher collaborations; contemporary research landscape;

Lead Convenor: Anna Orrghen, Uppsala University, Sweden

Co-convenors: Erika Sigvardsdotter,Uppsala University, Sweden

To submit a Paper to this Session, please follow the guidance on our website and complete the AAH 2027 Call for Papers Proposal Submission Form.