Various institutions in the UAE have offered and continue to offer cultural residency programs to support the arts, culture, and ensure cultural diversity in the UAE. Some of the existing residency programs in the UAE include:
* Warehouse421 Homebound Residency Program: The program is delivered by Warehouse421 and aims to support creative practitioners in the region in producing new work and exploring digital forms of community engagement in their practices while socially-isolating. The residency program offers residents a production budget that can go up to AED 30,000 to spend on equipment and materials for the realization of their projects in their own spaces. The Program is open to all creative practitioners, including but not limited to Visual Arts and Curation, Design and Technology, Literary Arts, Music, Culinary Arts, Theatre and Performance, in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia region.
* Art Residency: The educational platforms at the Cultural Foundation include Art Residency. The six-month residency provides professional artists with a platform to hone and advance their art practice. Cultural Foundation provides dedicated studio space, specialized resources, and access to its facilities. The residency program also provides participants with opportunities to produce and exhibit works within the Cultural Foundation, strengthening their presence in the local art scene.
* Residency Program for Teaching Artists: The Department of Culture and Tourism in Abu Dhabi offers a cultural residency program for artists. Artists from diverse backgrounds have joined the program to date and have worked with communities, schools and teachers to deliver arts education programs to all segments of society. Art Studio in Manarat al Saadiyat and the Cultural Foundation of Abu Dhabi are some of the locations for the residency program.
* The Art Residency: The Abu Dhabi Art Hub offers a one-month Artist Residency program. The Residency is open to five individual emerging or established artists, working in the fields of visual arts (painting, drawing, sculpture, graphic art), contemporary art (collage, assemblage, mixed-media, video art), decorative arts & crafts (ceramics, mosaic art, tapestry, glass art) and other types of applied art (graphic design, fashion design, etc.). The Art Residency includes a working space, accommodation, gallery space as well as technical support and assistance. In addition, the Abu Dhabi Art Hub offers the artists the possibility to meet local residents and potential interested arts commissioners, to participate in university programs, to experience the intricacies of life in the UAE, and to be part of a final exhibit opening (attended by high representative partners), where artists get a chance to showcase their artwork created during the residency stay.
* Art Jameel Commissions: Art Jameel Center has a longstanding interest in commissioning artists to make new works, often for the public realm, as well as in media or situations that further their ongoing artistic practice. In 2017, Art Jameel launched a commissioning program planned to run in a 3-year cycle, focusing on Sculpture (2018); Arts Writing and Research (2019); and Drawing and Painting (2020). With 2020 proving to be a year of an exceptional circumstance, the program has been adjusted and expanded to include a new iteration--Art Jameel Commissions: Digital. (The drawing and painting commission will move to 2021-2022.)
* Al Serkal Residency: Alserkal Residency is provided by Al Serkal Arts Foundation and was created as a platform for artistic and discursive exchange, seeking to support cultural practitioners as they realize projects pertinent to their respective practices. The program is designed to be immersive and engage the local interdisciplinary community through a series of public events and conversations. It focuses on research-based and socially-engaged practices.