Working at the Saari Residence

The Saari Residence offers artists of all disciplines the opportunity and freedom to develop their work and practice. In Saari Residence, you can immerse yourself in your work and interact fruitfully with other artists in residence. Artists living in Finland and abroad can apply for the residency.

The residency is open all year round. The two-month periods for individual artists and work partners are January-February, March-April, September-October and November-December. We do not award residency spots longer or shorter than two months.

Exceptionally, there will be no group residencies in 2026 due to the renovation of workspaces.

During the residencies, eight artists, and a Saari Invited Artist will work in the residence for two months. Each person has their own apartment and workspace, either a studio attached to the apartment or a studio in an old stone barn. For autumn 2026, only the workspace adjacent to the apartment is available, which means that work plans requiring space and the handling of various large or dirty materials are not feasible.

The Saari Residence is located in a natural rural setting in Southwest Finland, 30 kilometres north of Turku. The residence’s studios, dance studio, other workspaces, comfortable apartments and unique manor setting offer residents the opportunity to work in a creative and peaceful atmosphere. Read more about the environment

Part of the uniqueness of the Saari Residence is the Saari Well. It is not a physical place, but a metaphor for meeting and sharing ideas between the people working in the residence. Read more about the Saari Well

Accommodation and workspaces

The main building of the Saari Manor, built in 1779, serves as the offices for the Residence’s staff. The apartments for the residents are in the separate Kitchen and Footman wings, as well as in the Farmhand’s Cottage in the park area. The manor buildings and their surroundings are of cultural and historical interest and protected by the Finnish Heritage Agency and The Centres for Economic Development, Transport and the Environment (ELY Centres).

The Residence has nine furnished apartments of different sizes. The larger apartments are intended for literary artists, researchers and artists with families. All the apartments have a basic kitchen or kitchenette, and there is also a communal kitchen in one of the buildings. Each apartment has an en suite shower and toilet. The stay includes a monthly grant and a private apartment with a workspace . Each apartment and workspace has wired internet Ethernet (LAN) access (fibre optic). There is no wireless network (Wi-Fi) at the Saari Residence.

The workspaces for artists at the Residence are in an old stone barn, built in 1858, which also houses a dance studio, four different-sized studios intended mainly for visual artists, and other workspaces. The spaces for literary work are located within the accommodations. Each artist has a private workspace for their residency period. In autumn 2026, only the work spaces in the apartments will be available to residents due to the renovation of the Barn.

Residency brings together artists from different disciplines

The Saari Well gives artists and researchers in residence the opportunity to meet, share and leave their mark on each other’s ideas, work and the Saari Residence. During spring and autumn, the Saari Residence usually hosts eight artists in residence, and a Saari Invited Artist. In addition, researches and teams funded by Kone Foundation, individual researchers working on ecological themes and working groups of the Metsän puolella (“For the Woods”) (inititative occasionally work in the Residence. Read more on the Who can apply? page.

Our residency program focuses on fostering encounters among artists. Each artist participating in the residency will live and work on-site for two months. During their stay, the Saari Residence organizes joint events, meetings, and discussions, all conducted in English.

As part of Kone Foundation, the Saari Residence fosters research and artistic work in Finland by granting residencies so that about half of the recipients are artists living in Finland, regardless of nationality. For each residency, the aim is to select Finnish and foreign artists from a wide range of disciplines, as well as artists at the start of their career and more established artists.

The weekly routines of the residency include, for example, joint meetings in the beginning of the week, where each resident, in turn, presents their work and receives and gives positive feedback. In addition, almost every week, the residents meet with the staff for lunch. During the residency period, the Residence organises events on topics such as ecology and sustainability related to the work of the Saari Invited Artist.

Participation in events organised by the Residence is voluntary.

Work pairs, families and pets

You can also attend the residency as work pairs or partners. The pairs apply together and share a workspace. Work pairs can stay in different apartments.

We also welcome artists with a spouse or family. If you plan to come with your family, please let us know when you apply. Please note that we have only a limited number of apartments suitable for families, and the residency program is primarily intended for the selected artists. The parents or guardians are responsible for making any daycare arrangements for their children.

You can also stay at the Recidence with a dog; one of our apartments is dog-friendly. Please tell us about your pet when you apply so we can ensure room for your dog.

Ecologically sustainable residencyEcology and sustainability guide the daily life, events and activities at the Residence. The ecological activities of the Residence 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 residence currently has one accessible apartment and a lift to the first floor of the main building. We strive to improve the accessibility of the residence further where possible. For further information on accessibility, please email saari@koneensaatio.fi or call Pirre Naukkarinen, Residency and Communications Coordinator +358 44 031 4201.

The area’s protected buildings and surroundings pose challenges for accessibility. Because of the remote location of the residence and the scarcity of public transport there are also challenges with mobility and limited access to assistance. The terrain of the manor, which is of cultural and historical significance, is challenging; for example, the dirt road from the main building to the Barn is steep and requires crossing a driveway to get there.

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.

The Saari Residence is committed to the principles of a safer space.

Mentoring programme

The mentoring programme offers each artist selected for a residency the opportunity to have discussions with mentors.

The mentors are key professionals in their field of art living in Finland, and each has a personal relationship with Saari Residence. Read more about the mentoring programme

Return to the residency applicants’ main page