Open Call: Saari Residence 2024

THE SAARI RESIDENCE OFFERS: 

Funding 

An individual residency spanning two months includes accommodation, a workroom and a monthly grant, the sum of which is determined by the applicant’s experience (€2,500 / €3,0 00 / €3,600 per month). The purpose of the grant is to cover the cost of living, travel costs and other expenses. Groups can apply for grant for a work period of two to four weeks. 

Support for ecological travel 

Ecological travel refers to avoiding flying and other ecologically unsustainable means of transport. You can apply for support for ecological travel if you are coming to Saari Residence from outside of Finland and travelling out of Finland when leaving. If the journey takes more than a week in total, it is possible to also apply for a work grant for the travels. 

Support for travels from Global South

As part of the Saari Residence’s social sustainability, accessibility and diversity, artists arriving from Global South can apply for support for the flights and the fees for visas (processing and possible travel). Global South refers to Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Asia (excluding Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan and Singapore). 

Accommodation 

The Saari Residence apartments have a kitchen or kitchenette with basic amenities, and one of the buildings has a shared kitchen. Each resident has an apartment to themselves, including an en suite shower and toilet. One of the apartments is accessible. Groups stay in more compact accommodations and often share apartments. 

Working space 

The Barn at the Saari Residence has been renovated as a diverse workspace for various artistic practices. The building contains a dance studio, four studios for visual artists, and a woodworking shop. The rooms for literary work are located in the apartments. The residence does not have a darkroom, media room or equipment for printing, pottery, graphics or textile work. One may apply for a residency for also the planning stage of their work. Groups working at the residence during summer months may also work in the unheated outbuildings. Residents will not have to share workspace with others. 

A peaceful working environment 

The Saari Residence is located in a tranquil rural setting surrounded by nature, situated on the shore of Mynälahti, 30 km north of Turku. The diverse workspaces and peaceful countryside surroundings provide a productive setting for focusing on one’s work.

The opportunity to meet other artists 

The Saari Residence is also a meeting place for artists and researchers. The two-month individual residency periods, with typically seven artists from different fields and a Saari Invited Artist as well as a researcher working on Kone Foundation grant staying at the residence at a time, provide plenty of opportunities for interaction that crosses the boundaries between both different art forms and art and science. At the same time, the Saari Residence offers peaceful and unique place where residents can focus on their work. The Saari Residence’s Community Artist works at the residence throughout the year. 

Mentoring programme

We offer each artist working in an individual residency the opportunity for two mentoring meetings with remote access during their residency. Our mentors are key professionals in their fields of art. They have a career spanning at least a couple of decades and are skilled listeners and conversationalists. They all also have a personal relationship with the Saari Residence. The mentoring sessions will be carried out in connection with the two-month periods of individual residencies, from the beginning of September to the end of April. There is no mentoring in the summer.

Saari Home Residency

If an applicant for an individual residency cannot travel to the Saari Residence due to accessibility reasons, they can apply to the Saari Residence’s Home Residency programme. Saari Home Residencies are granted only if there are good grounds for doing so. The reasons for granting a home residency relate to accessibility and equality, such as physical limitations, family reasons (e.g. being a single parent) or the problematic political situation of the applicant’s country of origin. A person working in a home residency participates in the activities remotely. The Saari Home Residency is comparable to working at the residence, but applicants must apply either to work at the Saari Residence in person or at home within the Saari Residence’s Home Residency programme.