For over a decade, the Bag Factory has been running workshops and residencies with the aim of stimulating creative exchange with artists from the rest of South Africa, Africa and other parts of the world. The Bag Factory residency programme is related to the work of the Triangle Arts Trust, an international network of artists' collectives, residencies and workshop programmes. As with the Triangle Arts Trust initiatives, artists are encouraged to develop their practice in a climate of cultural diversity. This focus motivates artists to make a creative and innovative contribution to the cultural development of the communities in which they live and work. The residency programme enables artists to spend time working in Johannesburg and, over the past few years, has built for itself a formidable international reputation. Artists from as far afield as Sao Paulo, Nairobi, Zurich, Delhi and Montreal have visited the Bag Factory and hold it in high esteem. Many artists from South Africa have in return visited countries abroad and have benefited from this experience. Apart from producing their own work, visiting artists engage with the local artists resident at the Bag Factory. At the end of their period of residency, they hold open studios and a public exhibition.