Darat al Funun regularly hosts artists in residence and impromptu concerts and is a great place to dig deeper into the soul of the city.

BBC: Secret Amman

Some villas house Mr. Cioffi's family, others accommodate artists in residence.

WSJ: The Rebirth of a Tiny Town in Tuscany: The Renaissance Returns

In the 1990s, Ai came to international attention when he helped establish the avant-garde East Village in Beijing where a group of artists took up residence in impoverished migrant workers housing on the city's outskirts.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Switch gears to contemporary art, housed at the unique Mattress Factory (www.mattress.org), which supports artists-in-residence and room-sized works.

BBC: From Warhol to Wright: An arty trip through Pennsylvania

Kohler has an artists-in-residence program it launched in 1974.

FORBES: Splash