The Vermont Studio Center was my first ever residency program right after I obtained my MFA in 2000. My residency experience there made me realize how nurturing the mechanism of an arts foundation was for artists. I had met artists from all over the world and of all ages. Everyone would chat and communicate during our mealtimes together, and such interactions expanded my views as well as allowed me to experience the commonality of the arts.



At the Vermont Studio Center, resident artists were able to understand art and understand the role of an artist under a ‘slow-living’ condition in a reclusive, rural town. We were able to locate ourselves through a variety of processes.



“Anderson Ranch Arts Center was my second residency site. Over there, I participated in two workshops instructed by two masters in ceramics. Afterwards, I went backpacking in Mexico and traveled to New York City for a period of two months.



Anderson Ranch Arts Center features the state-of-the-art facilities, well-structured workshops, and comfortable living situations. One could live at ease and enjoy the process of creating art. What was special about the place was that it only had classes during the two months of summer, during which masters from various fields were invited to lecture the classes. All the staff members were in fact on-site resident artists during the offseason. This system could be seen as a form of artist co-op.



“What I gained the most from my experience at the UniLodge in Broadway, Sydney, was in understanding how a group of dedicated people built a city, making living in the city an interesting and joyful experience.



There were constant activities related to arts happening in Sydney. One could feel the energy of the arts by simply walking on the city streets. In contrast, the fine arts seemed a little underdeveloped in the public contemporary art museums. There were 5 art markets under different themes within the small perimeter of downtown Sydney, which was something unforgettable to me then. The Taipei of today, in 2013, has a similar atmosphere, but the Taipei back in 2004 was still inactive in its development of the arts. That was why it came as a huge impact to me, realizing that the connection between art and life could be so direct and simple.