Hostanartist?

THE PROJECT

Host an Artist is an online exchange platform for property owners and artists. Owners of summer houses, bungalows, apartments,warehouses, empty offices can share their space with artists as temporary artistic residencies.

In exchange for this hosting, artists will offer a work of art, an original work, singing or painting lessons, a private concert or any other art form to create a unique link between themselves and their hosts.

 

THE STORY

David and Anne met in Le web bar, a mythical Parisian place of the 2000s which witnessed the emergence of the first net artistic projects. Anne set up David’s first exhibition and since then, they have continued working in the digital art sphere by developing creative curatorial and artistic projects.

Assuming that the web must be above all an area of exchange and communication, able to create new models of production, distribution and mediation of art, David and Anne are tackling today a simple yet necessary concept: artist residences. Their research has lead to a rather surprising conclusion: there are very few residencies available for artists (300 in France) and the exchange between artists and art lovers are mostly restricted to vernissages.

Thus, they have decided to embark on the hostanartist adventure by imagining a web platform centered around exchange as a prevailing principle.

Hostanartist allows to create an account, add a free ad – either as an artist in search of a residence or as a host willing to propose a residence, and it allows two parties to draw up a contract defining the exchange terms: a residence in exchange for an artwork.

In August 2014, the project was presented to one of the Ministry of Culture officials, who assessed the project as ‘relevant’ and ‘necessary’ in the current cultural landscape. Thus, an initial financial aid was allocated to gather a team and build the first version of the website.

 

HOST AN ARTIST ALLOWS ARTISTS IN RESIDENCE TO:

  • Take the time to organise and manage a project in order to bring it to completion
  • Find a working location for a project in progress which suits the project’s theme
  • Access to new places which trigger reflection and inspiration for work
  • Enrich and nourish one’s work by traveling to new places
  • Develop new production channels
  • Conceive new approaches to connect with potential publics
  • Promote personal work through other networks
  • Immerse oneself in another country, city or region
  • Access to other cultures
  • Stimulate cultural and intellectual exchanges
  • Build a professional network in different geographical areas
  • Foster French artists mobility abroad and promote overseas artists in France
  • Spark unconventional collaborations
  • Use the online platform to promote personal artistic work

 

HOST AN ARTIST ALLOWS HOSTS TO:

  • Nurture artistic creation
  • Support artists
  • Engage with an art project
  • Be closer to the artistic process
  • Inspire artists by offering them the possibility to change scenery
  • Propose a space of conviviality, encounter, sharing and exchange
  • Encourage dialogue between artists and their potential publics
  • Meet artists in an unconventional setting
  • Discover new forms of art by interacting with the artists who produce them
  • Enhance an art collection or personal artistic experiences
  • Enlarge an art collection by using an approach which differs from the conventional formats in art galleries and museums
  • Contribute to the development of a solidary economy of art The Exchange Principle

 

HOST AN ARTIST proposes a new form of mediation between artists and their audiences.

The prevailing features are:

  • The website is multilingual, thus artistic residencies can be organized at an international level
  • There are no financial transactions between the hosts and the artists
  • The exchange takes places at a different level: the artist commits him/herself to delivering an artwork, a text, a performance, a workshop or an element which allows the host to engage with the artist’s work.
  • The offer of residence may encompass the totality or only a part of the venue.
  • The structure managing the website is associative. It provides a legal framework in order to secure the exchange between the two parties and to ensure that the transaction is simple and based on mutual trust.
  • The organization provides a customized contract for the host and the artist.

 

The contract includes:

Contact details of the two involved parties, proof of identity, the artist’s Registration

The terms and conditions concerning the venue placed at the artist’s disposal: the residence duration, the terms of exchange between the artist and the host, the inventory, the deposit, the artist’s liability certificate, the insurance certificate of the venue.