Certain areas of the artistic community make work that satisfies the tourist trade and the Tate is hoping that the exhibits made from the residency programme will not be conforming to the traditional expectations of what is created in St Ives and instead be creating something pioneering and different.

The pilot project has been running over the past year in 2 six-month segments supporting the artists Partou Zia and Ged Quinn, these were 2 younger generation artists who needed support in terms of space and funding. The funding for the programme has come from a variety of sources including Arts Council South West, decibel, Esmee Fairburn Foundation, Tate St Ives members and Falmouth College of Arts.

Artists who are selected for the programme must already have established themselves as and be in a position where the Tate can help them move to a further level through their support. The artists are selected through an open submission and then chosen by a panel that includes the director, a member of the funding body, an artist previously on the programme and somebody on the Arts Council.

The artists who have already been involved with the programme have nothing but praise for the support they have received during their residency, Ged Quinn feels he wouldn't have been able to create the work he has made on the scheme without their funding, enabling him to buy especially large canvasses and also being able to work in such a large studio space.

Being involved in the programme allows artists to have rent free studio space at the reknown No. 5 Porthmeor Studios, £10,000 to finance themselves, £5,000 materials costs, 2 London visits and an international trip. They are given help from the curator and the director of Tate St Ives, both practically and conceptually and are also given the benefit of the directors experience. They are also given the opportunity to meet other people involved in the art world who may be able to help them. The Tate feels that by giving the artist 6 months where they are thinking only about their work and not having to worry about expenditure, they can totally focus and achieve the best possible work that they could produce.

The work that is created conforms to a brief that is decided between the curator and the director of the Tate and the artist. With Ged Quinn and Partou Zia the end of the programme has culminated in an exhibition to allow the public to see what the artists have been doing. In the future it has been decided that the scheme does not definitely have to finish with an exhibition if the artist does not feel that it is best for them.

At present, the Tate is hoping to continue and develop the profile of the programme to bring something new and dynamic to the region, and to enable artists to move successfully to the next phase of their career. Whilst it may seem to be a very rewarding experience for those who are involved, the art that is produced during the residency programme is decided by the artist and the Tate, not just the artist, and this may help to compound the feeling that the Tate has too much control over the type of art that is created in Cornwall. It also suggests that they supporting the idea that art created in Cornwall is only made for the tourist industries and they are not developing anything that challenges the status quo. If the Tate has chosen to back a certain artist should they not allow them total control to create whatever art they want?

The selection process also causes concern in that the people who are involved in it would most likely want to keep the established styles of art being created and thus the programme is not representational of art that is being created in Cornwall. Instead it only represents the styles that everybody already associates with St Ives, and it reflects only a small proportion of Tate employee's views of what they like. The programme may be furthering certain artist's careers but it is important to note that it is a very small minority who benefit.

The Tate is managing to help artists to further their professional practise but once they have finished the residency programme will this continue? Or will they be back where they were before the programme started? The artists would need continued support and backing from the Tate to make this a worthwhile project that will enhance their future in art and allow them to use it to their advantage. The whole scheme needs to be seen in the context that whilst artists are benefiting from this programme, the way in which the artists are chosen for the scheme and the control the Tate has over the final produced work needs to be re-evaluated.