580 residency applications for 2023 received in March

In March 2022, 580 applications were submitted for the Saari Residence for 2023, of which 73 were applications for group residencies. There were 507 applications for individual residencies, of which 56 were applications by work partners. The applications came from 72 countries. Residencies for 2023 will be published on 15 June.

Statistically speaking, the majority of the applicants to the Saari Residence represent the visual arts, although the distribution of sectors of art in individual and group residencies was very different. Nearly 50% of the applications received for individual residencies came from representatives of the visual arts, while the corresponding figure for group residencies was only 11%. The second-largest (21%) number of applications came from representatives of the performing arts, with a clear focus on group residencies. As much as 69% of the applications for group residencies came from representatives of the performing arts, while they only accounted for 14% of the applications for individual residencies. The third-highest number of applications came from the audiovisual arts (14%), followed by literature (13%) and music (9%). The percentage of applicants in the audiovisual field was 14% in individual residencies and 12% in group residencies. Of the applications for individual residencies, 14% were writers, while only 1% of the working groups represented literature for group residencies. Applicants in the music field were 10% of the individual applications, and 7% of the group residency applicants were from the music sector.

In the open call 2023, it was also possible to apply for the first time for Saari home residency based on accessibility and equality reasons, such as physical limitation, family reasons (e.g. single parent), or the problematic political situation in the country of origin. The Saari home residency is only available during individual residency periods, and seventy-four artists applied for a home residency.

As in previous years, western countries were the most heavily represented in this year’s round of applications, with Finland at the top of the list, followed by Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Italy and the Netherlands.

The majority of the applications for individual residencies came from Finland (26%), followed by Germany (11%). Other countries with a high number of applications include the United States (8%), the United Kingdom (4%),  and France (3%). The majority of the applications for group residencies came from Finland (70%), while 5% came from from the UK and 1% from Poland.

The majority of the applicants for individual residencies belong to the age group 36–50 (43%), followed by applicants in the age group 27–35 (37%), while 13% were 51–65 years old, 6% were 21–26 years old, 1% were over 66 and there were none of 16–20 years old.

The majority of the applicants were women (61%), while there were clearly fewer male (34%) and nonbinary (5%) applicants.  

The award rate for the year 2022  was less than 5%, but the award rate for 2023 will be higher since the renovation of the main building will finish in autumn 2022.

Thank you to all the applicants for your applications!

Residencies for 2023 will be published on 15 June, and we will send an email to every applicant with information about the decisions made.