Sculptor Rebecca Stevenson just finished nine months as an Artist in Residence at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. This gave her unprecedented access to the world's art. She was particularly drawn to Renaissance grotesques. Her assignment was to respond to the absence of works by Donatello, which were being prepared for exhibit.
Stevenson's experience shows us how residencies can work. In addition to making art, she also had various assignments to guide her studies and the creative process, plus the challenge of turning what she's explored and learned into a teaching experience.