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Bow Skills workshop: DIY residencies with Cristiana Bottigella
Wednesday 8th July 2026 , 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Are you looking for artist residency opportunities? Rather than relying on competitive or inaccessible opportunities, have you ever thought about creating your own residency? Join art producer Cristiana Bottigella for an interactive and reflective workshop, designed for artists who want to reclaim agency over their time, focus, and working conditions.
DIY Residencies is an interactive session combining a concise presentation with a reflective workshop, designed for artists who want to reclaim agency over their time, focus, and working conditions. Rather than relying on competitive or inaccessible opportunities, the session offers inspiration and practical tools to help artists design and plan their own self-organised residency.
What to expect:
- A clear introduction to DIY / artist-initiated residencies
- Real examples and case studies drawn from professional practice
- Practical tips and tools to organise your own residency
- Guided reflection time to start planning your own idea
- Access to key takeaways, worksheets, and other resources.
Participants will leave with practical tools and a clearer understanding of how to create protected time, sustained focus, and space for experimentation within their own circumstances.
No previous experience is required — come along and find out!
This session will take place in the Courtyard Room at Bow Arts Trust, 183 Bow Road, London, E3 2SJ.
More about Cristiana Bottigella
Cristiana Bottigella is an art producer with extensive experience supporting artists to develop their practice, access resources, and create meaningful cultural impact. Her work focuses on socially engaged art, artist-led infrastructures and sustainability. She is the founder and director of hARTslane Gallery and a director at the London School of Muralism. From 2000–2009, she managed the residency programme at the Pistoletto Foundation. In 2024, she authored the DIY Residencies guide for Artquest and currently co-runs Making a Buck Without Selling Out, a six-week course on artist professional practice development.
About Bow Skills
Bow Arts seeks to support creative professionals at all stages of their careers. In 2015, Bow Arts launched Bow Skills in response to an artist survey which showed over 90% of practicing artists find it useful to receive further support outside formal education.
Bow Skills is a dynamic and relevant programme of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) which is informed by an artist steering group and open to all creative practitioners across London. The programme of talks, panel discussions, new skills labs and peer crits is open to all, with concession rates available to students, over 65s, under 18s, Bow Arts artists and key workers.
Access Information
The Bow Arts Trust office has step-free access throughout from street level, including to the accessible toilet, and is service animal friendly. This venue does not have a hearing loop system. Accessible parking is not available on-site.
If you have any questions regarding accessibility at this venue or event, would like to make us aware of any access requirements that you have in advance of visiting, or would like this information in an alternate format including Easy Read, please email nunnery@bowarts.com or call 020 8980 7774 (Ext. 3)
Access requirements could include things like providing equipment, services or support (e.g. information in Easy Read, speech to text software, additional 1:1 support), adjusting workshop timings (e.g. more break times), adjustments to the event space (e.g. making sure you have a seat near the entrance) or anything else you can think of!
Transport Information
Opening hours: Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm
Address: Bow Arts Trust, 183 Bow Road, London, E3 2SJ
Nearest station(s): Bow Road (District and Hammersmith and City lines) is a 6-minute walk away, and Bow Church (DLR) is a 3-minute walk away.
Bus: 205, 25, 425, A8, D8, 108, 276, 488 and 8 all service the surrounding area.
Bike: Bicycle parking is located at Bow Church Station. The nearest Santander Cycles docking station is at Bow Church Station.
