Being in residency gives artists a chance to work in a more concentrated way and to develop their artistic practices in an inspirational environment that also offers possibilities for new collaborations. This year’s application round for Funding for Artist Residencies as a part of the Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme attracted more applications than ever.
The expert group met on 7 and 8 April 2022 to grant funding for Nordic and Baltic residency centres. Nordic Culture Point received 76 applications in this year’s round, 14 of which were granted funding. The total amount awarded was EUR 550,714. Competition was again fierce, and the grant percentage was 20%.
The residencies granted funding include the Finnish Bioart Society, which was granted funding for residencies within the Ars Bioarctica programme at Kilpisjärvi Biological station from 2022 to 2024 under the theme The North Escaping. The residencies include a one-month research visit to Kilpisjärvi. The artistic results of this will then be further developed and presented in Helsinki as events, workshops or exhibitions.
The KORDONair residency programme KORDON LAB on Food and Energy will take place between 2023 and 2024, and the selected artists will get a chance to dive into the human relation to food and energy. KORDON, located in Hiiumaa, Estonia, invites four residents within the field of architecture, and the visual, performing and culinary arts to explore food in relation to energy. Each resident will be invited for three one-month residencies, and in the final month the artists will come together for a group residency with exhibitions, talks and public sessions.
The H-E-I-M-A Music Residency in Seyðisfjörður, Iceland, is a residency programme offered by Heima Art Residency to Nordic sound artists and musicians to enable them to work independently or collectively to create and record new work over the course of the residency. The participating artists will have the opportunity to live and work in a mini community, as well as develop and display their artistic practice within the HEIMA Art Residency and the community at large. The residency particularly welcomes participants from otherwise overlooked demographics and encourages underrepresented groups to apply.
The Expert Group appreciates all the residency programmes taking place in the Nordic and Baltic countries and is very happy about the diversity of the residency possibilities in the region.
Funding for artist residencies is part of the Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme for Culture. The focus of the programme is on increasing the exchange of knowledge, contacts and interest in Nordic and Baltic art and culture. The Nordic-Baltic Mobility Programme consists of three forms of funding: mobility funding, network funding and funding for artist residencies. Read more about the programme here.