From a the moment I arrived in Tartu I have been overwhelmed by the generosity and good will extended to me by the people from the residency and the city! After being picked up from the bus top by I was taken to my flat, 3rd floor flat at the edge of the old town.This is comfortable and warm with a great view. At the back of the town there are several small steep hills which are mainly parkland and at this time totally covered in yellow and orange Autumn leaves. It’s really beautiful. I walk through it on my way to the PrintMuseum and workshop every day.
The Museum is located about 1.5 kms from the old town in an interesting old factory complex which is being renovated to accommodate the Museum and other arts and entertainment facilities. It a exciting project created by very enthusiastic entrepreneurs and volunteers, this means that the museum is in a state of flux at the moment, everything is being built, painted, unpacked, but even so I have been able to function effectively and start producing work. I have had the added pleasure of finding a sympathetic colleague in the other Artist in residence Rodrigo Lebrun with whom I have had great discussions as well as with the wonderful people at the residency and others to whom I have been introduced.
The strength of the museum apart from the wonderful staff and volunteers, is its major collection of fonts and industrial presses and typesetting equipment, so I have been able to explore text as a medium as well as develop other prints, which has been exciting for me!!
– Neil Malone