I am currently researching the methods and approach of a site-specific artist residency in an industrial park in Barreiro, Portugal in consultation with PADA Studios, artist and PADA director Tim Ralston, and select artists who participated in the residency in Spring 2025.

PADA Studios is a not-for-profit artist-run residency and gallery situated in a post-industrial site near Lisbon, Portugal. PADA is unique in the art residency terrain. Located within the historical Companhia União Fabril (CUF) industrial complex in Barreiro, resident artists live and work in the heart of a significant cultural and industrial heritage site. The residency program has a unique pedagogical approach that includes open studios, studio and gallery critiques, and peer mentoring that culminates in a group exhibition. PADA Studios has been operational since 2018 and has hosted over 50 groups of international artists working in a range of media and practices.

Drawing on Tim Ralston’s practical experience in founding and leading PADA Studios and bringing in my expertise in cultural geographic research, we have worked together to articulate the philosophies and values behind PADA and explore its impact. This writing project seeks to weave together the story of PADA Studios with narrative descriptions of integral moments in the artist residency.

The first outcome of this research collaboration is an essay drawing on practical experiences from PADA Studios, artist and curatorial statements, exhibition catalogues, media, photographic documentation, and over twenty hours of in-depth qualitative interviews with artists and curators associated with two residency groups: PADA 50 and PADA 51.

This work incorporates insider and outsider perspectives, including: Tim as director, the artists as participants, and me as the first artist-in-residence in the newly launched Research Residency program. This research demonstrates how leading with alternative, community-oriented, non-commercial values can nurture deeper engagement with place, encourage more sustainable art practices, and benefit the professional development of contemporary artists.