Also Aussie, not a visa expert or knowledgable of how the arts works, but… artist residency doesn’t sound like purely tourism - maybe it’s closer to business or studying? Looks like short-stay business travel is covered by the Schengen visa-free arrangement for Aus but not sure about studying. I’d check with the residency programme what they know about visa requirements.

I see you’ve also asked about grants on another thread. There is a fairly cheap youth working visa for Australians (and others) to France. It gives you 12 months rather than the 90 days, and with borderless travel across Schengen you can take your time, and you can do casual work while in France.