An anonymous evaluator: Some Thoughts on the Process of Evaluation

I was invited by the Saari Residence to be an evaluator of the visual arts applicants to be hosted in 2026. I was happy to accept the invitation. Having spent time there myself as a resident I am well aware how meaningful it can be for any creative. Then, a more unusual but interesting invitation followed, asking if I would be interested in writing something about the evaluation process.

The process of going through applications for an artist residency is an intimate one, because portfolios are accompanied by work plans and letters of recommendation addressed to the evaluator. This differs significantly from curators’ usually more open-ended meanderings through artists’ portfolios and websites out of  curiosity to discover inspiring work or follow up on an exhibition visit. Below are a handful of humble insights that may be helpful to future evaluators and applicants.

To future applicants:

Process & outcome

I found that portfolios featuring only a selection of works that were particularly important to the artists’ creative and/or personal journeys, as well as works relevant to the questions they wanted to bring with them to the residency, helped me understand their intentions and ideas more clearly. For an online portfolio (i.e. a website or PDF), a description of the work is enough if you wish to communicate the content of your work. However, in the context of sending in your portfolio for review, an additional short explanation offering insight into the process of these works or what happened in the time in between them (be it conceptual, methodological, theoretical, practical, logistical, or personal) would also help evaluators understand your practice more deeply. This would contribute to their decision on whether you would be a good fit for the residency, and how you would fit in with the other residents. After all, the Saari Residence aims to help you in the process of your work and to create space for constructive dialogue and feedback across disciplines and perspectives; it does not focus on exhibiting finished work. Some artist-in-residence programs, the Saari Residence included, take into account that some artists may require time for rest and reflection. Recognise rest as a necessary part of your process if that is where you’re at. A brief, albeit honest, account of how you understand yourself as an artist between process and outcome is very welcome.

Storytelling your proposal

It was such a fascinating process to fall into and out of worlds in the span of a few hours. Each artist presents a wholly different world of ideas in their proposals; some have become real, ideas yet to become real and ideas that are in the making of becoming real in my mind’s eye. In this case, ‘real’ means attaining a visceral, intellectual or sensorial response in me that I can connect to, not necessarily the yet-to-be realised material and tangible artwork. After spending weeks of going through several applications daily, the dialogue between images and words on a page is important. I am not suggesting that artists should also be graphic designers; rather, I would like to suggest that an application is like building a story with words, images, pauses and spaces for people who do not know you or your practice. It can be deceptively easy to assume that your readers can grasp the complexity of your work within the time they have available to dedicate to your proposal. Too much and too dense text can be difficult to digest, as is the overabundance of imagery. When reading through applications, I appreciate it when artists communicate their ideas succinctly and avoid relying too heavily on dense theoretical and conceptual descriptions. Invite a ‘critical friend’ or a friendly critical ‘stranger’ to read the application, give you feedback or ask you questions about it. A fresh pair of eyes can help see where your message could be made clearer.

Being careful with text length and images does not mean being bland. I also appreciated artists who used drawing, colour or visual textures to transmit their practice or aesthetic in unique or unexpected ways.

To future evaluators:

Quality, Diversity & Equity

Evaluators are invited based on their expertise, and what counts as artistic merit may vary from person to person. However, irrespective of personal expertise and definition of quality, it is good practice to consider diversity and equity—all three hang in the balance. Consider proposing a selection of artists with diversity in every domain (race, ethnicity, class, gender, discipline, age, religion and geographical location). Being equitable considers that not all applicants have the same level of access to the residency, or residencies in general. In addition to paying a fee, the Saari Residence supports ecological travel and travel and visa expenses for the Global South applicants and has a living quarter accessible to wheelchair users. I believe that evaluators should consider inviting artists who rarely have the opportunity to access to such spaces. Two final notes on diversity and quality: diversity could also consider bringing people together at different stages of their work or their practice, while access to art education or a packed CV does not necessarily equate to quality.

Respectful pace

Read with an open heart, always. Relying on first impressions can be misleading. Stop when things begin to merge and you can’t give your undivided and undistracted attention to each applicant. On the other hand, interesting conversations happened when their voices began to dialogue in my head and a constellation of potential residents took shape. After some rest, I returned to the applications without the noise in my head, but with a few lingering connecting thoughts.

Notes as Guides

Take notes as you go along. Keywords about how the work made you feel, or the questions that were stirred in you can be one way to go. Another good guide for formulating comments that will help you along the way up to your final selection is to ask yourself: What worked, what was missing and what could be improved?

Writing notes as you go along will also help you keep track of all the applications assessed, especially if there are applications you need to revisit twice or three times. For applicants who scored the highest, note down keywords that will help you recall the work proposal concept, their practice, accessibility and practical needs and their preferred season for staying. These details are vital when the final selection needs to be made and it all boils down to practicalities (unfortunately!) —such as the limited number of workspaces and accommodations, the scheduling preferences, the need to balance different disciplines, geographic diversity, age distribution, and other factors.

It was an honour to get to know the work and ideas of so many inspiring creatives so intimately and I am grateful for the experience.