Artist Residencies
Time, space and often funding to make work away from your studio. Every listing shows what is covered and what is expected in return.
90 open listings · Updated 16 October 2026
What an artist residency actually offers
A residency is a block of dedicated time, usually between two weeks and twelve months, during which an organisation hosts you to make work. What is provided varies enormously, and the differences matter more than the prestige of the name. Some residencies give you a studio and nothing else. Others cover travel, accommodation, materials, a monthly stipend and a final exhibition.
The three questions worth answering before you apply are: what does it cost you, what does it pay you, and what is expected in return. A fully funded residency covers your costs and pays a stipend. A self-funded residency charges you for the studio and accommodation, and these can run to several thousand euros. Both are legitimate, but they are different propositions and a listing that blurs them is wasting your time.
Expectations in return also vary. Some hosts ask for an open studio, a talk, or a workshop with a local community. Some retain a work for their collection. Some ask for nothing at all. None of this is a problem as long as it is clear before you commit.
How residency applications are usually assessed
Most residencies ask for the same core materials: a portfolio of recent work, a CV, a project proposal and a statement explaining why this particular residency fits what you are making. Selection panels read the proposal against the context they can offer. A proposal that could be carried out anywhere reads as weaker than one that needs the specific place, facilities or community the residency provides.
Panels are usually working through hundreds of applications in a short window, so the first thirty seconds decide whether yours gets read properly. Lead with the work. Make the proposal concrete about what you intend to produce and how you will use the time.
Deadlines cluster. Residencies for the following summer are typically advertised in the autumn and close in the winter, which means the strongest season for applications runs from October to February.
