'Arena of fear': amid the immigration crackdown, artists are skipping US residencies

"The people who run artist residencies in the US-and there are hundreds of these programmes, some taking place at dedicated sites, others associated with museums, universities or other public venues-have many variables to consider. Are the visiting artists' studio facilities in good repair and well supplied? Do the incoming artists have special dietary concerns or restrictions? Is the housing clean and cared for? Now, some are anticipating new variables, such as: if a team of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) agents comes onto the property looking for an artist from another country, what should the residency staff do?"

""We've had a discussion on that topic at the board level," says Elaina Richardson, the executive director and president of Yaddo, a 400-acre estate in Saratoga Springs, New York, that was turned into an artists' community in 1926. "We agreed that we will honour a legitimate warrant, but we will not open our gates if no documentation is shown." The board members also discussed what "proper documentation should look like" and who should be contacted if Ice agents refuse to leave."

"US President Donald Trump's crackdown on illegal immigration has touched industries and businesses all over the country, from restaurants, hotels, farms and factories to hospitals and research universities. So far, artist residency programmes have not experienced raids and foreign nationals being led away in handcuffs, but fear of such scenes has permeated into these facilities that ordinarily are devoted to artistic freedom and experimentation. "We have discussed what to do in the event of an Ice raid, but my instinct is that artist residencies are not the highest priority for those agencies right now," says Paul Sacaridiz, the executive director of Ragdale, an artists' community in Lake Forest, Illinois, that was founded in 1976."

Artist residency programs manage many logistical variables including studios, housing, dietary needs and supplies. New concerns have emerged about how to respond if Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents appear on site seeking foreign artists. Some residency boards have agreed to honor legitimate warrants while refusing entry without documentation and have discussed what proper documentation should look like and who to contact if agents refuse to leave. The broader immigration crackdown has affected many industries, and while residencies have not seen raids, fear of enforcement has spread through these artistic communities.

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