What is the OC?

The Ockham Collective is a charitable trust with a kaupapa of supporting lifelong creativity and education. Our support is direct: we offer three beautiful spaces to like-minded individuals and groups who want to share their knowledge and ideas with our city, Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland. At the core of this is our annual residency programme. In 2022 our extremely talented bunch of creatives included a visual artist, writers, theatre practitioners and a diverse array of musicians. It doesn’t matter if you’re just starting out or you’re already at the top of your field. Previous residents have included award-winning author Paula Morris and poet laureate Selina Tusitala Marsh, who joined our table alongside recent arts school graduates.

As part of the 2023 Ockham Collective you’ll have free use of our spaces where you can teach, host workshops, run group sessions, exhibit art, rehearse, plan and create. We want our spaces to be filled with interesting people doing interesting things. As well as providing the space for free, we actively promote whatever artistic and educational events our OC creatives are involved in, whether they’re held in our precincts or not.

No such thing as a free lunch, you say?

In return, all you’re asked to do is to attend a monthly meal (our shout!) where you can swap ideas and debrief about your current projects with your fellow participants. What you get out of it is very much up to you. We see it is an opportunity to access support and encouragement from your peers, to discuss potential collaborations, to promote each other’s endeavours and, ultimately, to nurture your creativity.

Residencies are typically for a calendar year and are offered at the complete discretion of our trustees. Note: this is not a live-in residency and it doesn’t come with a stipend. You are, however, free to charge whatever price you choose for any lessons or events that you hold in our precincts.