Saari Residence in Mynämäki, Finland Saari ResidenceFor residency applicants Saari Residence in Mynämäki, Finland Working at the Saari Residence Who can apply? What we offer Accommodation and workspaces Instructions for the online grant service Evaluation and decisions Frequently asked questions For Saari residents Accepting the residency and arriving at the Saari Residence Use of the residency grant and rescheduling Payment of residency grants Living and working at the Saari Residence Taxation and grant certificate Residency programmes The Saari Well Residency report Communication and social media Mentioning Kone Foundation and Saari Residence and the logos Saari Alumni Previous Residency Artists Community artist The Culture Trail Ecologically sustainable residency The Saari Invited Artist Residencies Reflected About Saari Residence History of Saari Manor Saari Residence co-operation The Advisory Board of the Saari Residence Saari Residence staff The Saari Residence is an international artist in residence in Mynämäki, Southwest Finland, run by Kone Foundation. Located in a culturally and historically significant countryside setting, the Residence offers an excellent and inspiring working environment for artistic development and creativity. Residence participants are encouraged to delve into their artistic work and to develop potential new directions for it side by side with the other residents. The Saari Residence also provides a unique platform for artists to meet each other and share their ideas. In 2027, a major renovation project will be underway at Saari Manor, meaning that the residency’s separate working spaces and one of the residential buildings will be out of use. Due to the renovations, fewer residency places than usual will be available in 2027. Individual artists and artistic duos will work in their own apartments. Please note that changes in accommodation capacity resulting from the renovation of the residential building will reduce the likelihood of being awarded a residency place. The renovation will affect the residency’s operations as follows: Five individual residency places are available for each of the four individual residency periods. During individual residencies, no separate workspaces are available; artists work in their apartments. These periods are primarily suited to so-called “clean” work conducted at a desk. Workgroups may apply for one of two types of workspaces for summer: an unheated outbuilding for space-intensive work, or a meeting room suitable for seminar-style work. The size of working groups for the summer 2027 group residencies is 3–10 people. The renovation may cause minor noise disturbances on weekdays. The Saari Residence, which has been operating since 2008, brings together professional artists and artistic workgroups from all disciplines. Each year, approximately 50 individual artists, researchers, or working groups work at the Saari Residence. Read more about working at the Saari Residence Who can apply? The residencies are intended for individual professional artists and artist duos, fiction writers, poets, translators, composers, curators, critics and artistic collectives of all disciplines and all nationalities for the purpose of carrying out a project proposal presented in advance. Read more about our application requirements Residency programmes You may apply for either an individual residency or a group residency at the Saari Residence. An individual residency can also be applied for together with a working partner. In this case, the application must include a joint work plan. Working partners cannot apply for the group residency, which requires a minimum of three participants. The two-month individual residency periods are January to February 2027, March to April 2027, September to October 2027 and November to December 2027. We do not grant residency periods longer or shorter than two months, nor do we offer individual residencies during the summer months. From June to mid-August, all residency facilities are reserved for 2–4 week working periods for artistic working groups (minimum three, maximum ten people). During the individual residency periods, the residency offers a programme supporting artistic work, including presentation and feedback sessions, excursions or discussions related to sustainability and ecology, and opportunities for mentoring. The artists have an opportunity to present their work in the local community space Saareke. The Saari Residence’s Community Artist works in the residence all year round, and nurtures the relationship between the residence and local community through artistic means. Group residencies are suitable for working on shared projects or brainstorming together in working groups. Summer group residencies allow working groups to focus on their work or project. The residency comes with no obligations, such as exhibitions, performances, or networking objectives. What is included in the residency? In 2027, individual residents will exceptionally work in the apartments due to the multi-year renovation of the separate studio facilities. The spaces are primarily suitable for clean, desk-based work. During the summer, workgroups may apply to use an unheated outbuilding suitable for summer use or a meeting space for seminar-type work. An individual residency includes a two-month working period at the Saari Residence, a working grant determined according to the applicant’s level of experience, and accommodation (including electricity, water, and heating). A group residency includes a weekly grant for each member of the working group, accommodation, and the possibility to work either in one of the manor’s outbuildings or in a meeting space. Residents cover their own travel, food, and material expenses. However, individual artists, working pairs, and workgroups applying from abroad may apply for separate support for ecological travel or for travel costs from the Global South. Read more about what we offer Ecologically sustainable residency The Saari Residence’s long-term activities and thinking are underpinned by an ecological approach, which also covers social and psychological sustainability. Its keywords are slowness, insight and change. Ecology and sustainability guide the daily life, events and activities at the Residence. The ecological activities of the individual residencies also include discussions, excursions and workshops, for instance. However, working on ecological themes is not a criterion for selecting artists. Read more about ecologically sustainable residency Accessibility of the Saari Residence The Saari Residence aims to be accessible to as many artists as possible. The extensive renovation of the workspaces will also take accessibility into account wherever possible. We strive to improve the accessibility of the residence further where possible The Residence currently has one accessible apartment and a lift to the first floor of the main building. For further information on accessibility, please email saari@koneensaatio.fi or call Pirre Naukkarinen, Residency and Communications Coordinator +358 44 031 4201. As part of the social sustainability, diversity and accessibility of the Saari Residence, artists coming from the Global South can apply for support for air travel and visa costs. Read more about the accessibility of the residence Application The annual application period for residencies taking place in 2025 opens on 1 March and ends on 31 March 2026 at 4 p.m. Finnish time (Eastern European time, UTC+3). Only applications submitted via the online grant service during the application period will be considered. Open call for residencies is always for the following year. There is no application fee. Please read our guidelines carefully before applying. Evaluation and decisions The processing of applications is based on peer review. After the deadline for applications, applications will be assessed by experts in different artistic disciplines. Based on the evaluator’s proposals, the Board of Trustees of Kone Foundation will make decisions on the recipients of the residencies in its June meeting. The list of grantees will be published on our website soon after, in mid-June. The grantees will be notified by email and mail, and their names will be included in the Foundation’s annual report. The Kone Foundation’s Board of Trustees does not state the reasons for individual funding decisions or publish the names of the evaluators, as we wish to allow and encourage the anonymous evaluators and peer reviewers make their funding suggestions freely. The evaluation of residency applications and funding decisions are based on, among other things, the priorities of the Kone Foundation’s strategy, the artistic merit of the applicant, the feasibility and topicality of the project applied for, and many practical aspects such as the limited accommodation capacity of the residency, as well as the applicant’s wishes regarding time. In addition, the Saari Residence implements Kone Foundation’s task to promote Finnish research and artistic work in Finland, and about half of the residency recipients are artists living in Finland, regardless of their nationality. Read more about the evaluation and decisions Good luck with your application!