Artists' Residency and access to workshops - Scottish Sculpture Workshop

Scottish Sculpture Workshop’s residency programme supports artists* to make work and live at our rural workshop site in Aberdeenshire, north-east Scotland.

The workshops and facilities at SSW are set up for collective learning and experimentation with various materials and processes. The scope of residency activity is wide-ranging and category defying, but often includes; making, researching, experimenting, learning, drawing, resting, scheming, collaborating, walking, writing, facilitating, reflecting, listening, imagining, questioning and caring, among many other possibilities.

We offer several different residency programmes, formed to support artists with different needs. Common across all programmes are:

Access to the workshops, facilities and expert technical support
Residents share a warm open plan studio and are supported by technicians to use our ceramics workshop, if desired. There is no expectation for residents to have experience or prior knowledge of these environments in order to use them whilst on residency.
Please note that the metal and wood workshops are currently closed.
Meeting other people
For most residencies this will include other residents, staff, regular workshops users, SSW’s friends and neighbours. Residency is just one of many programmes at SSW so there are often other people visiting, working and meeting on site. At times we support private group work to take place at SSW.
Different creative practices and lived experiences
Our residencies are not disciplinary specific and are formed to support artists at all stages in their practices and lives. We give attention to the barriers artists experience in accessing residency and are developing our programmes with these in mind.

Please see each residency programme for further details, including fees/costs, eligibility, deadlines/dates, how to apply and what to expect.

*artists take many forms and do lots of different types of skilled work. This work may focus on a particular process or occasionally have outcomes, such as objects, text, sound, performance, events, group work, walks or film. Artists’ work may also build skills, knowledge, relationships or experiences. We try to be clear about what we offer through residency at SSW and what to expect, so you can decide if it is what you need at this point in your work/life.

Residency day-to-day

There are usually 5 or 6 artists living on site at the same time, sharing our self-catering accommodation. This may be less if residents’ families (bio/chosen), allies or support workers are staying here too. Residents are encouraged to make themselves at home here and have 24/7 access to the site (except some workshops) after the SSW team finishes work. There may be artists participating in different programmes living and working on site at the same time.

Unless the site is running with a private group, the studio, bothy kitchen, workshops and community making space are semi-public or public spaces. With limited amenities and public transport links in Lumsden, the social aspect of being here is significant and we encourage the exchange residency offers, between everyone who uses the site.

Whilst we are working hard to hold a welcoming and supportive space for everyone who works and lives on site at SSW, we acknowledge that residency can be a daunting prospect for anyone who finds social situations difficult or who has not spent extended times in rural places before. As such we welcome conversations before, during and after making an application/request to chat about what to expect and available support. Please email SSW Programme Producer, Joanne on arts@ssw.org.uk.