[lang_en]Interview &Translation / Alice Dong
Crystal = C，Kira = K
1. Welcome to Xindanwei.com, Please introduce yourself.
C：I ran the artist residency program at Red Gate Gallery for a little over two years, and now work at a web-based non-profit in New York
K：I’m a freelance photographer, filmmaker and translator (Mandarin, French & English) currently based in New York.
2. Could you tell us under what circumstances you met and how you got started in the field?
C: My background is in art and graphic design but I moved to China in 2009 to work for Red Gate, and had previously worked at a contemporary Chinese art gallery in New York, and interned at Atlantic Center for the Arts.
K: I studied Chinese and art in university, and interned under Crystal at Red Gate Gallery in 2009. I’ve been involved in the Chinese art and music scene ever since.
3. Can you tell us about China residencies the project you are the director/manager for and what prompted the idea for your project and what you do for them?
C: I started hosting meetings with other residency administrators while I was in Beijing to discuss our challenges and how we could provide support, advocacy, resources, and progress for our field. Founding China Residencies is my way of more formally investing in these solutions.
K: I came on board more recently, in part because over the years, many friends and artists have asked about opportunities to discover China firsthand. Amassing all our knowledge and resources into one website seemed to be the best way to let the most people know about all the amazing opportunities that exist for artists in China.
4. Please elaborate a bit on your approach to realize your project. What were some of the biggest challenges you faced in developing the project?
C + K: Amazingly, everything has gone extremely smoothly. Our biggest challenges are the same challenges we face as young creatives ourselves: a finite supply of time and money, but we accomplished a great deal in our three week research trip. Luckily, as a web-based organization, we we able to launch as a bootstrapped and crowd funded endeavor. We are in the last moments of our crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo, please contribute to support China Residencies!http://igg.me/at/chinares
5. What were the circumstances that lead you to coming to Shanghai and What are your future steps?
C: I’ve been amassing a list of artist residency programs across mainland and HK for some time now and Kira and I recently discussed how valuable it would be to include other creative exchange organizations like coworking spaces. I was introduced to Xindanwei through Janis Claxton who is collaborating in Shanghai through a great organization called International Creative Entrepreneurs.
K: We are hoping to connect in each of the major (and minor) creative hubs. Our research trip began by visiting residencies, embassies, and co-working spaces in Beijing, then Shanghai, Kunming, Lijiang, Shenzhen and Hong Kong. We hope to come back to China at least once a year and eventually be the most comprehensive directory of residencies, co-working spaces and creative communities in China.
6. Thanks again for providing Xindanwei.com this opportunity to interview you. Any final thoughts for our readers?
C: To the creatives who are interested in exploring these opportunities I would say take your time and do your research to find the program whose unique strengths (and maybe even differences) best suit you. There are programs for ceramicists, printmakers, novelists, dancers, hackers, streets artists, and just about every creative field.
K: We’re passionate about fostering cultural exchange at a human level, so we’ve very excited and pleased to see these new open creative spaces pop up all over the world .[/lang_en]
[lang_cn]采访和翻译／ Alice Dong
Crystal = C，Kira = K
1.欢迎来到xindanwei.com，请姑娘们各自介绍自己吧。
C：我在Red Gate Gallery 经营一个艺术家交流项目有差不多两年之久，现在在纽约全心于一个基于网站的非盈利项目。
K：我是一个自由摄影师，电影人，翻译工作者（中文，法语，英语），现在也是长期在纽约。
2.能跟我们说说是怎样的一个巧合让你们两个相遇，随后又开始一起工作？
C：我之前是搞艺术和平面设计的，在2009年的时候因为Red Gate我来到了中国，之前在纽约一直在一个中国当代艺术画廊工作，也曾在Atlantic Center for the Arts实习过。
K：我在大学的时候就是学的中文和艺术，2009年的时候在Red Gate Gallery实习的时候遇见的Crystal。从那时起，我便一直在中国艺术以及音律之间兜兜转转。
3.能跟我们说说China residencies这个项目吗？是什么激发你们开始做这个项目？你们都在做些什么？
C：那个时候我还在北京，当时便我开始和一些地产管理者开会来讨论我们所面临的挑战，我们怎样提供有力支持以及有效资源，让我们所处的领域能有序发展。创立China Residencies是让我在这些问题上投注精力，更好的方式。
K：我加入并不久，一部分也是因为这些年来不断的有朋友艺术家问我有关在中国发展的问题。将我的所知与手边的资源一并归入一个网站，似乎对帮助更多的人了解中国艺术家来说是条可行之道。
4. 请说说你们是怎么步步经营你们的项目的，在此过程中的最大挑战又是什么？
C + K：其实，从我们开始到现在，事情发展的出人意料的顺利。最大的挑战也就是我们作为青年创意人所面临的困境：有限的时间和资金，庆幸的是我们已经结束了为期三周的中国考察之旅。幸运的是，作为一个基于网站的组织，我们可以通过众筹以自力更生。我们在Indiegogo上的项目也已经进入到了倒计时的阶段。感谢大家对China Residencies的支持：http://igg.me/at/chinares
5. 又是什么让你们来到了上海？能跟我透露一些未来的发展计划吗？
C：现今我已经积累了一些在中国大陆以及香港的一些艺术家交流项目资源。我和Kira也是最近才发现，其实何不加进一些基于创意的联合办公空间来呢。我们是通过Janis Claxton才被介绍到新单位来的，Janis自己也是因为International Creative Entrepreneurs这个很棒的组织才得以来到上海和新单位合作交流。
K：我们希望能够和或大或小的创意中心进行对接。我们这次的考察之旅是从北京开始，继而在上海，昆明，丽江，深圳，香港到访一些艺术聚集地，大使馆，还有联合办公空间。我们希望至少每年能够来中国一次，方方面面了解所有中国的艺术聚集地，联合办公空间还有一些创意社区。
6.感谢你们接受xindanwei.com的采访，最后还有什么想跟我们读者说的吗？
C：对哪些想探索机遇的创意人们，我想说步步为营，有条不紊地展开发现那些独具亮点又最适合你的项目。这里有制陶艺人，版画师，小说家，舞者，技术玩家，街头艺人，所有你能想到的创意领域的才人。
K：我们致力于促成人与人之间的文化交流，很高兴能看到越来越多创意空间在全球范围内的兴起。[/lang_cn]
