The William Hodges Fellowship residency programme is the successor to the Southland Art Foundation Artist in Residence.
The origins of the William Hodges Fellowship date back to 1981. The Southland Art Foundation Artist In Residence was established in 1996 by a joint partnership between Southland Art Foundation, Creative New Zealand, Southland Museum & Art Gallery and the Southern Institute of Technology.
In 1999 the Southland Art Foundation Trustees–Shirley Palmer, Gwen Neave, Russell Beck and Wayne P Marriott resolved to rename the Artist in Residence programme the William Hodges Fellowship. This was in recognition of the acquisition of William Hodges “Maori before a Waterfall”, 1773 by the Southland Museum & Art Gallery in 1998. Hodges was regarded as the first artist in residence in Southland, having depicted the flora, fauna and people of the region during Cook’s second voyage to New Zealand.
The inaugural William Hodges Fellowship was awarded to Jo Ogier, printmaker, from Dunedin in 2000.
On Friday 3 November 2000 Burwell House was opened as the residence for the William Hodges Fellow.
The partnership of Southland Museum and Art Gallery, Southland Art Foundation, Southern Institute of Technology, and Creative New Zealand has continued to develop the fellowship, providing the opportunity for artists to work financially unencumbered for a period of time, as well as working closely with the local community.