OUR AIR, Artists-In-Residency is located in a peaceful rural milieu, close to nature, in between Jakobstad and Nykarleby, in Western Finland.
The residency is intended for individual professional artists of all disciplines and all nationalities, and anyone who’s creative, adventurous, and willing to come to Ostrobothnia to create new bodies of work that are informed by their experience here. During the residencies artists get the opportunity to deepen their artistic practice, explore different themes and develop new ideas and works. OUR AIR offers an excellent opportunity to focus undisturbed on creative work in the scenic surroundings of Ostrobothnia, as well as opportunities for interaction with other residents.
The Artist-in-Residency program is run by Anneli, Jukka and Rita. Our aim is to reach out to the general public to incite cultural dialogue in the field of contemporary art and the current society.
SELECTION
Residents are selected through our application process, or by invitation. 3 artists are selected for each period. Prospective residents with standout applications will undergo an interview via Zoom, Teams or Skype.
REQUIREMENT
Age 25 and older.
Can communicate in English.
Attend meetings, engages in art workshops and interacts with the community.
If the applicant is a working group, the members or the group must select one of the members as the project leader to complete the application in his/her own name, and mention all the members name in the working group.
DURATION
The residency period is minimum 2 weeks, maximum 4 weeks.
3 artists are selected for each period.
ACCOMMODATION
Residents stay in a traditional two-story Finnish House, containing a living room area, dining room, and a modern kitchen on the first floor, with private, nicely furnished single-bedrooms on the first and second floors. The small bathrooms (one on the first floor / one on the second floor) are common areas which are shared between guests and are provided with locks for privacy. The house has a Finnish sauna and a large garden.
PAID BY ARTIST
– Artist must pay all traveling expenses
– 100 euro per week that covers basic costs such as electricity, water etc. (150 euro / week for artists from Finland)
– Artist should bring own special equipment incl. computer and camera
– Artist must buy the materials they need themselves, but we can help with finding affordable solutions. There is an storage room of free artist supplies from previous artists – with things like paper, ink, tape and paint.
– Artists are responsible for all other personal expenses during the residency, such as travel insurance, food, local transport, etc.
– Artists must clean the house when leaving, or if house is left in a messy condition cleaning costs will be taken from the security deposit
SECURITY DEPOSIT
Prior to your stay, we will ask for 300 euro deposit. It’s not a payment, we just hold the amount until the end of the residency period. This is a minimal payment in case guests break something while they are staying in the property. It’s a guarantee that there’s a parity between the guest and the property to make sure the use of amenities are within order.
OUR AIR OFFERS
– Private bedrooms with shared kitchen, living room and bathrooms
– Finnish Sauna
– Laundry Area / Washing machine
– Wifi
– Bicycles
– A support letter to any accepted artist who is applying for a grant
We recommend artists to bring comfortable shoes for walking in nature!
WORKSPACE
We request more details about the applicant’s working methods to ensure that we are able to assign workspaces according to the users’ needs.
PLEASE NOTE! Workspaces are limited and it is divided according to priority needs. We will do our best to accommodate special needs you may have.
EXHIBITION
The applicant should provide a short description of main content of the project during residency period, methods of implementing work and timetable.
The resident can conclude her/his stay at the artist residency with a presentation, such as a talk, performance or a site-specific exhibition, of the project realized during her/his stay.
DEADLINE
We have no deadlines. We make the decision latest 6 months before the residency starts.
APPLY FOR A RESIDENCY BY SUBMITTING YOUR APPLICATION AND ATTACHMENTS HERE
CULTURAL EVENTS
The residency is between Jakobstad and Nykarleby (Pietarsaari and Uusikaarlepyy in Finnish). Both towns have a plethora of cultural and social events throughout the year.
