Funding for artist residencies

The module received 72 applications in 2024 of which 14 were granted support. The share of granted applications was 20 %. The total granted amount was € 614 558 and total applied amount was € 2 979 132. The share of granted amount of the total applied amount was 21 %.

With Funding for artist residencies, residency centers cover direct costs connected to invited artists and or curators/other arts professionals from other Nordic and Baltic countries than the center is located at. The programme requires that the residency centers invite at least two artists from two different countries and encourages longer working periods of approximately 2–4 months. This year’s grants will cover 91 artists’ residency stays in the Nordic and Baltic countries in the years 2024–2026.

Of 14 residencies that received support as many as eight have selected "cross-disciplinary" as the main field of art they are working with. As in previous years, visual art remains the most popular single discipline, also among the residencies that work cross disciplinary. One residency organization has a focus on music. Circus, crafts, cultural heritage, dance, design, media and theatre were mentioned within the interdisciplinary residency centres.

In 2024, four of the supported residency centers were Estonian, three of them were Swedish. Two residency organisations in Denmark, Iceland and Lithuania were also granted funding, as well as one in Finland. In 2024, there were no applications from Faroe Islands, Greenland nor Åland Islands. The share of first-time applicants in 2024 was 28 % of the total number of applications. All of the granted 14 organisations had previously applied funding for artist residencies from this programme.

Hands on Press Residency invites artists whose practice focuses on small editions of printed matter. Photo: Vytautas Paplauskas

Funding for artist residencies is available for all fields of arts and equally for all Nordic and Baltic countries. The Expert Group strives for a good balance between different areas of art and culture as well as various geographical areas in each application round. Funding decisions are based on how the applicant conveys its existing regional and international artistic context and its capacity to support the artist’s work. As a rule, the residency must also be able to work with more than one artist at a time and have documented co-operation with the local art and culture scene. 

“Besides assessing the professional level of residencies, we also considered the inclusion of both Nordic and Baltic artists, regional aspects as well as sustainability. I am happy with the outcome, we managed to balance the selection of projects by approving funding for both new or small initiatives such as the hands on press residency in Lithuania and well established residency centers i.e. Baltic Art Center in Gotland, Sweden”, says Mari-Liis Rebane, chair of expert group.

invites artists whose practice focuses on small editions of printed matter. The main objective of the self-directed artist-in-residence program is to set up an opportunity for Nordic artists, illustrators and/or visual researchers to explore their own creativity through self-publishing and riso-printing, within the context of Kaunas, Lithuania and its creative community. The stay offers possibilities for both individual technical development as well as fostering of networks between artist communities in different parts of the region.

organise the GRASS Fellow Programme for visiting artists. Artists with a focus on sustainability are invited to Campus Gotland in Sweden to deepen their practice and enrich the academic environment.

“The committee very much considered the balance between administration costs and the benefit that goes directly to the artist. We prioritized projects that provided better conditions and fair fees for the artists. This is elementary for accessibility and creates realistic possibilities for artists from various backgrounds to stay at a residency”, says Mari-Liis Rebane.

is a strong example of this in Copenhagen, Denmark. They present a solid budget with three month stays, great for networking. Planned remuneration is sufficient for realistically equal possibilities for participation.

The most important effects of Funding for artist residencies are reported as new contacts, connections and collaborations. Every residency organisation granted funding should be able to make these connections happen, both between the artists in residency as well as with the local arts and culture scenes. As VšĮ Sodas2123 (LT) presents this essential element of organising an artistic residency:

For some residency organisations, this enabling of connections is even more structured, as with Tartu Centre for Creative Industries (EE):

“Locally, our residents engaged in a comprehensive program that included meetings with local government representatives, exploration of the vibrant cultural scene, and interactions with local artists, activists, and communities. This not only provided our residents with valuable insights into the local communities but also facilitated a dynamic exchange of ideas and perspectives.

Some artist residencies, as BIRCA - Bækkelund International Residency Center for Artists, report on created contacts outside of the art scene, e.g.:

“with local marine biologists, which will create a foundation for future residencies and exploration of themes in the eco crises we are in in collaboration between art and science”.

Commonly presented methods for interactions during residency periods are public artist talks, open studios, lectures, research road trips, expeditions, studio visits, exhibitions, concerts and workshops with and events for the local community. The residencies have also shared examples from new experiences in audience engagement in regions very different from the artists’ own professional milieu – experiences connected with the distinctions of rural-urban, social codes and accessibility to arts education.

A prerequisite for all granted organisations has been strong networks in the local, regional or international artistic communities. Residency organisations have reported of collaborations with multiple organizations, institutions and individuals, creating added value to both invited artists and the local cultural scene. The most common reported effects of the residency periods, beside of the new connections, is perpetual exchange of ideas, skills and practices.

The Ministers for Nordic Co-operation (MR-SAM) decided in June 2022 to allocate additional funding for artist residencies to support Ukraine’s cultural scene. The war in Ukraine has meant that increasing numbers of Ukrainian artists and cultural creators need a residency placement outside of the country’s borders. The purpose of the initiative was to enable a safe and secure space for Ukrainian artists and cultural creators to explore their fields and to promote their professional networks in the Nordic and Baltic region and beyond. The funding will also help to facilitate dialogue between Ukrainians and those living in the Nordic and Baltic countries.

In total, six organisations were granted funding for artist residencies to support Ukrainian Artists in December 2022. We are still awaiting final reporting from Ventspils House (LV) and Perpetuum Mobile (FI), but the other four residency organisations have been able to welcome 66 Ukrainian artists to residency periods since beginning of 2023. Majority of these have been female, but 15 of the artists were reported for as men and other gender.

Beside of connections with other artists-in-residency or artists from local communities there has been meetings in larger networks of residency organisations, guidance on how to enter the artistic labour markets in the region, exhibitions and concerts presenting the artists and their works. The organisations have presented a broad documentation on created contacts and visions for post-war collaborations.

Both participating artists and organisers have been grateful for the possibility to build long-term relationships and create safe spaces for artistic work for participating artists and cultural workers. An unexpected effect of this additional funding is the strengthening of networks among residency organisations in several countries, as well as a larger Baltic-Nordic Residency Forum, having applied for and been granted network funding in 2024. This network works well for mutual support in finding solutions, developing and sharing methods, and matching individual artists with suitable organisations – as well as they create a base for strategic development of the artist residencies in the field.

The Ministers for Nordic Co-operation (MR-SAM) decided in July 2024 to allocate additional funding for artist residencies to support Ukrainian artists and cultural creators. The purpose of the initiative was to enable a safe and secure space for Ukrainian artists and cultural creators to explore their fields and to promote their professional networks in the Nordic and Baltic region and beyond. The funding will also help to facilitate dialogue between Ukrainians and those living in the Nordic and Baltic countries.

The special initiative was administered as a part of the residency funding module of the Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme and the programme rules were followed in this additional funding round arranged 12 August – 12 September 2024. The expert group for Funding of artist residencies assessed the applications and made decision on the grants in November 2024.

In total, 31 projects applied for funding, amounting to almost € 1.2 million in requests. The entire available budget of just over € 243,000 was allocated. Six residency projects were granted funding in the Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme’s additional round for residency funding. Several multidisciplinary residency projects received support, covering art forms such as visual arts, literature, and drama.

“As in previous application rounds, it was important for the expert group that the supported projects offer artists not only residency spaces but also reasonable financial support to sustain themselves during the residency period,” Mari-Liis Rebane concludes.

This round especially prioritized creating opportunities and a secure environment for Ukrainian artists in exile to continue developing their artistic practices.

Mari-Liis Rebane, chair of the expert group on residency funding, notes that this round placed particular emphasis on the residencies’ ability to accommodate entire families.

“Given the current life situations of many Ukrainian artists, the family aspect is very important. In general, we looked at the readiness of applicant organizations to provide a supportive psychological environment and clearly articulated grounding opportunities, compared to what is typically expected in a standard residency application,” says Mari-Liis Rebane, adding that she was impressed by how well-structured and thoughtful the applications were in addressing this aspect.

Most of the organizations awarded funding had prior experience in hosting Ukrainian artists. Another key factor appreciated by the experts was applications based on strong partnerships, such as those by the Helsinki International Artist Programme (HIAP) and the Estonian Creative Residency Network (LOORE).

Rikstolvan Konst from Sweden was among the residency organisations granted funding for a residency for Ukrainian playwrights in already in 2022. Ventspils House in Latvia offers residencies for international writers and translators, Filmverkstaden in Finland is dedicated to analogue film and photography.

The sixth residency organisation granted funding from this additional round was Nida Art Colony from Lithuania with their programme re­­­sponding to food security instability caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.  NAC invites Ukrainian artists and researchers to explore the issue in collaboration with practitioners from the neighbouring Nordic-Baltic region.

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