Narva Art Residency announces an open call for a Finno-Ugric creative residency, which will take place in late 2026. It is organised in collaboration with the Department of Fashion Design of the Estonian Academy of Arts.
NART hosted the first edition of the Finno-Ugric creative residency in 2025 as part of the Narva Finno-Ugric Capital of Culture programme. The call was very popular, and artist Weronika Trojanska was selected to work on the topic of lament songs.
It showed that art is a powerful tool for creating dialogues and strengthening cultural identity. It is important to highlight and introduce the cultures of small Finno-Ugric peoples whose identities have been continuously threatened by Russia’s actions. Many Finno-Ugric people living abroad are losing touch with their identity, and therefore, further identification and discovery are particularly important.
We are looking for applications from artists and creative people with roots from or strong ties to the Finno-Ugric peoples. The call is open to various creative fields, including visual art, music, theatre, and performance. The residency comes with support from the Erasmus+ programme and is therefore directed to applicants from eligible countries (see the list here).
In 2026, the second edition of the programme will include new features. As before, the selected artist is expected to create a work inspired by Finno-Ugric cultures. Additionally, they will collaborate closely with the Department of Fashion Design of the Estonian Academy of Arts. The collaboration will consist of an open lecture for the academy’s students (1,5h) and two workshops for the fashion design students (5h and 1,5h).
From the artist-in-residence we expect a unique contemporary art project that introduces Finno-Ugric culture in a new and engaging form; a willingness to involve the local Narva community and introduce and present their work; engage with the students of EKA and give them a workshop and an open lecture which are connected to the topics of Finno-Ugric cultures, as well as participation in the residency during the period from November 23rd until December 6th.
We offer the artist an Erasmus+ per diem allowance, which is 170€ per day (1700€ for the period of the residency, 10 days). This is to cover the accommodation at NART, daily costs and other costs related to the residency. The accommodation is provided at NART building for the rate of 45€ per day (450€ for the period of the residency). The Erasmus+ support also covers any costs that go towards the production of the artwork. The reimbursement of the travel costs is provided separately and in addition to the per diems, following the guidelines of the Erasmus+ programme. The amount depends on the distance between the place of domicile and Narva, Estonia.
To apply, please fill out the form, including a description of the work to be completed during the residency, including the production budget, and the plan for the student workshops. The completed application form should be uploaded via the link below no later than on August 10, 2026. The selected artist will be announced in late August.
The residency is granted to one artist. The application should be filled out in the English language.
The residency is organised in collaboration with the Estonian Academy of Arts and is supported by the Erasmus+ programme.
For more information, please contact the same email address residentuur@artun.ee.
Photo by Jelizaveta Gross