In celebration of their anniversary, Res Artis (www.resartis.org) and Trans Artists (www.transartists.nl) are joining the forces together with other partners to organize the Res Artis General Meeting to discuss issues related to artist in residence centres and programmes.

The conference will explore and discuss the diversification of the network in geographic terms, developments within the residency world itself and the connection between the policy lines of the European Commission (which declared 2008 the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue) and Res Artis' activities

The theme of the conference is also linked to the Dutch international cultural policy: “Koers kiezen” ("Choosing direction"). This stresses the significance of cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue and the importance of the Netherlands as a hosting country for international cultural exchange.

Special attention will be paid to projects developed by smaller grass roots organisations linked to social, cultural and political contexts, such as residency programmes for artists at risk.