SAM Residencies is a museum-run programme committed to supporting the development of innovative artistic and curatorial practices that respond to current global discourses. Developed in line with SAM’s vision of engaging local and international artistic communities across a wide range of disciplines, the programme will feature four residency types to support emerging and innovative practices, facilitate collaborations, and widen public understanding of art. The studio-based residencies will be open to artists, curators, art organisations and artist-run spaces, as well as community and education-focused art practitioners.
Designed to engage both the art community and the public at large, SAM Residencies will actively involve local communities and the public through a diverse lineup of activities. For the art community, it serves as an incubator for new approaches to artistic and curatorial practices through supporting dialogue within and beyond the field of contemporary art. It offers a platform for artistic experimentation and encourages the exchange of ideas and opportunities for future collaboration, as well as network building. The Residents will also be encouraged to interact with or involve local communities and the public in different ways, through presentations and programmes such as open studio visits, talks, and workshops.
These residencies will be open to those based in Singapore or internationally, and will take place in physical spaces in Singapore. Each residency will take place between a period of one and six months.
Residency Programmes
- Artist Residency – open to artists and collectives who are looking to develop artistic practices and emergent modes of art-making.
- Community & Education Residency – open to practitioners who explore the relationship between art practice and forms of gallery education or whose core practice engages with local communities or the public in various ways.
- Curatorial & Research Residency – open to curators and researchers who are working on new modes of curatorial thinking and research process.
- EX-SITU: Art Spaces Residency – for art organisations based in Asia, including in-dependent non-profit art organisations, artist-run spaces, and community-led initiatives, exploring innovative ways of activating public spaces to engage with the local art scene and public.
A fully funded programme, SAM Residencies will support Residents with:
- 1 x return airfare on economy class
- Monthly stipend of SGD$1,500
- Housing allowance for foreign residents
- A studio space OR co-working space
- An "ideas lab" – a shared space where anyone is free to post (physically), respond, explore and flesh out ideas-in-progress
- Support from the museum and the Residencies team in the form of (but not limited to) institution resources and expertise, network building, opportunities for public engagement, and a scaffold for interaction and exchange
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Hero image: Bounpaul Photyzhan, Lie of the Land (2017) (behind the scenes), as part of Imaginarium:To The Ends of the Earth; image courtesy of Andrea Fam.
FAQ
What is SAM Residencies? What makes it different from other residencies?
SAM Residencies is a fully funded, studio-based programme that promotes experimental thinking about and around contemporary art practices. Consisting of four residency types, developed to actively engage not only the local and international artistic community, but also the public at large. Unique to the Southeast Asian region are the Community & Education Residency and EX-SITU: Art Spaces Residency where, through a diverse lineup of activities, residents will be encouraged to interact with or involve local communities and the public in different ways.
Who is SAM Residencies for?
Local and international practitioners (individual or group) across all disciplines of the arts over the age of 21 are welcomed to apply.
How do I become a SAM Resident?
Call for applications is carried out every 18 months for the next residency cycle. Each cycle lasts for 18 months. Applications are evaluated by an international panel comprising respected professionals from different disciplines. Please look out for the next open call on our Announcements page.
Can I apply for more than one residency type?
No. Each applicant should apply for only one residency type per cycle.
Can I apply for more than one cycle?
Yes. We encourage applicants who were not selected for one cycle to apply for subsequent cycles. As the selection of residents for each cycle is guided by subject interests, applicants are encouraged to apply for the cycle where the focused areas of the programme align with their research interest and practice.
How long is the residency period?
For international applicants, the residency will take place physically in Singapore for a period between one to three months, depending on residency type and visa application outcomes. We will support selected applicants with visa formalities.
Residency for Singapore-based practitioners will span six months.
How many places does SAM Residencies offer?
During Cycle 2, we offered 25 places across the four residency types, which is currently ongoing from July 2023 to December 2024.
How is the residency structured for each resident?
Our residency programme is largely self-directed, whereby the resident will facilitate their own research and site visits. We urge all residents to share a concise workplan with the team. This will be the basis for us to guide your research and its development and consider the curatorial support we can offer.
We hope that the residency will serve as an incubation ground for new ideas and new methodologies, providing space for experimentation and collaboration with other residents across the many disciplines and regions from which they hail, as well as the local communities in Singapore.
We will share institutional resources and expertise, opportunities for public engagement, and a scaffold for interaction and exchange between other residents and communities within and outside the contemporary arts.
What are the expectations of the residency programme?
Residents are expected to be present at the residency studios for the bulk of their time in-residence. By committing your time to the studios, this schedule encourages interaction with other residents and SAM staff.
In addition, residents are expected to attend all SAMRes public presentations and activations, as well as the various informal gatherings and tours organised by SAMRes—this includes residency exchanges, group visits to places of interest (such as Heritage Conservation Centre), curator-led tours of exhibitions, and networking opportunities with colleagues from Singapore Art Museum and National Gallery Singapore.
International residents must be able to commit to their stay in Singapore for the duration of their residency.
Are there any specific expectations for public presentations or activations?
At SAMRes, our activations are multimodal and open-ended. All residents are expected to conduct at least 2 public presentation or activation during the course of their residency.
We encourage residents to tap into our existing programmatic formats or devise their own in accordance with their research trajectory.
What can the public look forward to?
Our residencies spaces are spaces for social interaction, not just for the art community but also with the larger creative sector, positioning itself as a catalyst for collaborative and collective activities to develop.
Activations and presentations by SAM residents add to the diversity of SAM’s content and programming to engage visitors in different ways through topical interests. These public offerings may take the form of open studios, participatory workshops, film screenings and talks. SAMRes aims to create more opportunities for public engagement and encourage meaningful encounters with art. Head to our Activations page to view upcoming and past programmes by our residents.