Bow Skills workshop: DIY residencies with Cristiana Bottigella - Bow Arts

Overview

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. 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

Key dates

• Workshop: Wednesday 8th July 2026, 6:00pm to 8:00pm

Location

Bow Arts Trust, 183 Bow Road, London, E3 2SJ. Nearest stations: Bow Road (District and Hammersmith and City lines) is a 6-minute walk away, and Bow Church (DLR) is a 3-minute walk away.

Fee

• £5 for concessions
• £5.00 – £7.00

Eligibility

Open to all creative practitioners across London. Concession rates available to students, over 65s, under 18s, Bow Arts artists and key workers. No previous experience is required.

Accessibility

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 access requirements, please email [email protected] or call 020 8980 7774 (Ext. 3).

About the facilitator

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.