See the World (For Free-ish) with these 7 Artist Residencies

Photo by John O'Nolan

What could be better than setting up your easel on the Tuscan countryside or working from a studio in Buenos Aires?

Doing it for free. Or close to it.

As part of our series to compile the best and most interesting resources and opportunities for artists, we dug deep to not only find some thrilling opportunities to strengthen your craft abroad but ones that offered at least partial funding. Both art and travel can be expensive. But knowing where to look can help alleviate some of that financial pressure.

From Norway to Argentina, take a look at these seven fully or partially-funded international artist residencies that will have you running to your passport.

Jan van Eyck Academie

Founded in 1948, the Jan van Eyck Academie provides space for international artists, designers, curators, photographers, architects, and writers to come together, push their research further, and produce new work in a culturally rich program. For more than 30 years the Academie has focused on providing collaboration and guidance through residency exchanges in place of traditional art academy learning.

LOCATION: Maastricht, Netherlands

MEDIA: Visual Art, Sculpture, New Media, Printmaking

LENGTH: 6 months to one year

FUNDING: Studio provided. Grants are available for a stipend and production budget

DETAILS: Artists will receive guidance from more experienced colleagues in the residency. In return, a presentation and exhibition are expected. Artists also have access to a private studio and apartment, an auditorium, gallery spaces, and a café-restaurant.

Künstlerhäuser Worpswede

The Kolonie is a project of the Worpswede Artists’ Residencies that brings together artists, researchers, craftspeople and activists in a “colony” for one to three months. Since 1971, the organization has welcomed 400 artist and fellows from around the world to develop their work, learn, and grow within their discipline.

LOCATION: Worpswede, Germany

MEDIA: Visual Art, Sculpture, New Media

LENGTH: One to three months

FUNDING: Grants available. Artists would pay expenses for travel and food.

DETAILS: Artists are housed in private apartments in the countryside where children, partners, and pets are allowed. English and German are spoken.

DEADLINE: January for the following year

Photo by Pascal Debrunner

Est-Nort-Est, résidence d´artistes

The top priority of Est-Nort-Est is to encourage artistic research and experimentation in contemporary art. Artists will have access to an individual studio and share a collective house with the other artists. The program places importance on working in new cultural spaces, and dialogue between artists of different backgrounds.

LOCATION: Québec, Canada

STYLE: Contemporary Art

MEDIA: Visual Art, Sculpture, Textile Art, New Media, Painting, Installation

LENGTH: Two months

FUNDING: $1215 stipend and lodging provided.

DETAILS: Residencies take place three times a year: spring, summer, and autumn.

Villa Lena Foundation

The Villa Lena Foundation is a non-profit that supports contemporary artists working in art, music, film, and various other creative endeavors. Each year, they invite applicants to live and work in a 19th-century villa in the Tuscan countryside for two months in order to promote multi-disciplinary dialogue between professional artists of all levels and backgrounds. The Villa Lena Foundation is a hub for new research, collaborative discussion, and innovative ideas.

LOCATION: Tuscany, Italy

MEDIA: Visual Art, music, film, literature, fashion and other creative disciplines.

LENGTH: Two months.

FUNDING: Lodging, studio, and half-board included (breakfast and dinner).

DETAILS: Artists stay on a thousand-acre estate with sweeping views of vineyards and olive groves. Artists are asked to donate one work to the Villa at the end of their stay, where it will be displayed on the property.

Photo by Val Vesa

360 Xochi Quetzal Artist Residency

360 Xochi Quetzal Artist Residency is a fairly new organization that provides free housing, studio space and board for its residents. Based in Central Mexico, this charming mountain town is home to many artists who gather in the cafes, ride horses around the mountains and gather by the lake to watch the pelicans.

LOCATION: Chapala, Mexico

MEDIA: Visual Art, New Media, Printmaking, Sculpture, Ceramics, Textile Art, Photography.

LENGTH: One month.

FUNDING: Enjoy free housing, wi-fi, all utilities, laundry on the premises, and weekly maid service. Each resident also receives a $1,000 peso food stipend. You will only need to pay for your local transportation, entertainment, and additional food.

DETAILS: Artists are lodged in a hacienda style home with both individual rooms and studios and shared living and dining areas. All artists provided with a desk and wi-fi, painters get professional easels, ceramic artists have access to a kiln, and a new floor loom was just obtained for weavers.

Nordisk Kunstnarsenter Dale

The Nordic Artists’ Center was established in 1998 and is funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Culture to bring international artists in the visual arts together. With the stunning, award-winning architecture with sweeping vistas, this residency attracts artists from all over the world to concentrate on their work while taking in the surroundings. Over 1520 artists applied for spots last year, with only five residencies available for each session … so make sure your application is in tip-top shape before submitting.

LOCATION: Dale Sunnfjord, Norway

MEDIA: Visual Art, Design, Architecture, and Curators.

LENGTH: Two or three months.

FUNDING: The residency at the Nordic Artists’ Centre includes a monthly grant of 1200 USD, living and working space, as well as support for travel expenses up to 725 USD, which will be reimbursed on arrival.

DETAILS: The center’s facilities include private residences, wireless internet access, a shared workshop, a machinery hall for woodwork, a darkroom, and a ventilated room for painting, etc. The workshop is also furnished with welding equipment and facilities for printmaking. English and Norwegian are spoken.

COLECTIVO R.A.R.O

In this new type of Artist-in-Residence program, artists choose at least two different studio/workshop spaces to visit in order to complete a proposed project, deepen techniques, and exhibit work. With many studios to take residence in, artists have the opportunity for rich exchange between experienced and emerging artists alike.

LOCATION: Buenos Aires, Argentina

MEDIA: Visual Art, New Media, Printmaking, Sculpture.

LENGTH: Two weeks minimum.

FUNDING: Depending on the case, R.A.R.O might be able to grant some scholarships to foreign artists. Find more information on their website.

DETAILS: Residencies are for emerging, mid-career, and established artists of all disciplines.