Application Guide for Saari Residency
General Information
Who Can Apply?
Instructions for Filling Out and Sending the Application Form
The Online Applications Service for Saari Residence
How Applications are Processed
What Residency Periods Are Being Applied For?
Application Period and Decisions Regarding Residency Recipients
Grants From Other Sources
General Information about Attachments to the Application
Work Plan
Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Portfolio
Breakdown of Costs for Group Residency Grant
Certificate Copies
Reference Letters
Things to Remember Before Sending Your Application
Available Residency Types
Individual Residencies
Attachments
Group Residencies
Attachments
Residencies for Researchers
Who can apply?
Two month residencies are intended for individual artists, translators and critics of all different disciplines and all nationalities for the purpose of carrying out a project proposal presented in advance.
Collectives such as community and environmental artists, independent theatre groups and others can apply for 1 to 4 week residencies at Saari Residence to carry out the work proposed in their application.
Researchers and nonfiction writers supported by Kone Foundation are also eligible for residency. Such applicants need not undergo the normal application process for residency and should instead contact Saari Residence Executive Director Hanna Nurminen by email to discuss the possibility of staying at the residence (hanna.nurminen(at)koneensaatio.fi).
Instructions for Filling Out and Sending the Application Form
In order to apply for residency, the online application form (available at the Online Application Service) must be filled out carefully and sent electronically to the Kone Foundation.
Once the applicant has sent the completed online application form, the status of that form will be displayed as Sent on the main page of the online applications service
NOTE: The completed online form must also be printed, signed and mailed to the Kone Foundation office in Helsinki along with all necessary attachments.
Applications from within Finland and all required supporting documentation must be posted by 31 August at the latest. The date of postage marked on the envelope is sufficient evidence that the application has been posted on time. Applications posted from outside Finland must arrive at the Kone Foundation office by or before the application deadline. Envelopes should be marked Saari Residence Application. NOTE: We do not accept registered post.
The Online Applications Service for Saari Residence
The applicant must sign in at the Online Application Service. If the applicant has not used the service before, they must first create a new username by clicking on Create New Username.
On their first visit on the webpage, the applicant must create a new application by clicking on Create New Application. Application information can later be altered, previewed and printed by clicking on Edit .
How Applications are Processed
Once the posted application is received at the Foundation’s office, its barcode is registered, which initiates the transferral of all information from the online application to the Foundation’s electronic database.
Applications are sorted according to fields of art. It is important that applicants choose the correct art form in order to ensure that their applications are evaluated by experts in their own specific field.
Applications are processed in confidence. Anyone in contact with the applications will not discuss information regarding an applicant’s personal characteristics, circumstances or financial status. For more information, refer to Privacy Protection.
The evaluation of applications is based on peer reviews. Peer reviewers are arts experts equipped with adequate experience for the evaluation of applications. The Board of Kone Foundation will not reveal the names of the experts evaluating applications. Furthermore, various practical issues related to scheduling and work spaces, among other things, will necessarily be taken into consideration during the decision-making process. For more information, please refer to Criteria for Saari Residence Decisions.
Each year Kone Foundation receives many good applications that meet the required standard. Usually there are more applications of the appropriate quality than it is possible to fund.
During the processing period close attention is given to possible conflicts of interest or of incompetence due to the likelihood of bias. In the event of there being a conflict of interest or likelihood of bias in any individual case, affected peer reviewers and/or Kone Foundation board members will not participate in processing the application in question.
What Residency Periods Are Being Applied For?
Applications are for residencies for the following year. Residency periods for individual artists, translators, critics and researchers take place either from January to April or from September to December. Group residencies take place during the months of May, June, July and August.
Application Period and Decisions Regarding Grant Recipients
The application period for residencies begins August 1st and ends August 31st each year.
Decisions regarding awarded residencies are made by the Board of Kone Foundation in a meeting held at the beginning of October.
A list of residency recipients is published on the Kone Foundation webpage a day after the meeting at the latest. Please refer to Decisions. Residency recipients will also receive a letter of notification in the mail. The names of residency recipients will also be published in the Foundation’s annual report.
Grants From Other Sources
The applicant must report in the application form any grants received from other sources during the last three years as well as any grants applied for during the application period. The applicant must immediately notify the Foundation’s office of any outside grant awarded them during the application processing period.
If the applicant is awarded a Kone Foundation grant and has not reported other grants received during the application period, the Kone Foundation grant may be revoked.
If a grant recipient simultaneously receives some other grant in support of their work, only a portion of the residency grant will primarily be paid.
General Information about Attachments to the Application
All attachments are to be printed and posted along with the application itself. If possible, attachments should be downloaded and sent as part of the online application. Possible document formats are doc, rtf or pdf.
A posted application should include all required attachments. Attachments or applications received after the deadline are not accepted. Exceptions include certificates awarded after the closing date for applications. Such certificates can be delivered to the Foundation’s office no later than mid-September.
The evaluation of the artistic merits of applicants is based on their project plan, Curriculum Vitae and portfolio as well as on the Letters of Recommendation attached to the application.
Attachments, excluding Letters of Recommendation, can be retrieved from the Foundation’s office at a time separately agreed upon after the grant decisions are made. If an applicant wishes that the attachments are posted back to them, a return envelope with sufficient postage must be sent in with the application. If attachments are to be returned abroad, a sufficient amount of international reply coupons must also be included.
Attachments are stored for one year after the closing date for applications.
The precise list of attachments required varies according to residency type, and are indicated below.
Attachments for individual residency applications
Attachments for group residency applications
Work Plan
The project proposal or work plan is an important part of the application. Its purpose is to describe the applicant’s primary goals as well as how the applicant intends to accomplish those goals during their stay at the Residence. The project proposal can also include, for example, a description of working methods and scheduling plans. The proposal ought to be 1 to 3 pages in length.
The project proposal for group residency applications should include details of what role each member of the group plays in the project.
Curriculum Vitae (CV)
The purpose of a CV is to provide a concise overview of the applicants training, experience and artistic merits. The CV should include, for example, significant exhibitions, performances, work assignments, received grants and awards as well as publications. An appropriate length for a CV is 2 to 4 pages.
Portfolio
A portfolio ought to display the applicant’s merits in the field of art and to give an impression of the person as an artist. The portfolio is a sample and evidence of the applicant’s form of expression, the quality of his artistic thought processes, know-how and special skills. In addition to samples of the applicant’s art, a portfolio can include, for example, articles and reviews regarding the applicant’s art.
The portfolio must be at least partially in print but can also include a CD, for example. Sending only an online portfolio is not recommended.
Breakdown of Costs for Group Residency Grant
Groups can apply for grant to cover living and travel expenses during their residency. In the breakdown of costs, expenses ought to be evaluated realistically and precisely. For this purpose, the daily allowance afforded by tax authorities, for example, can be used as a guideline (please see www.vero.fi). Assistance can also be afforded for any supplies required during residency. (see example)
Certificate Copies
Applicants may include a copy of their most recent degree certificate or diploma, or of any certificate relevant to the grant they are applying for.There is no need to have the copy stamped by a notary public.
All supporting attachments should be sent with the application before the deadline. The exceptions are certificates awarded after the deadline for Saari Residency applications. These should be sent to the Kone Foundation office (Helsinki) as soon as possible, no later than 15 September.
Reference Letters
It is essential to include with the application a reference letter from someone highly familiar with the applicant’s work. Applicants may include several letters of reference with their application if they wish.
The name and contact information of referees are to be provided in the Referees section of the Online Application Form.
The referee should return the reference letter in a sealed envelope to the applicant, who must ensure that it arrives with the application and all other supporting attachments before 31 August.
Things to Remember Before Sending Your Application
- Make sure that you have electronically sent the online application form and posted the printed application as well as all necessary attachments. Once you have sent the online application form, the status of that form will be displayed as Sent on the main page of the Online Applications Service
- Remember to sign the printed application.
- Do not send any part of the application as registered post. We do not collect registered post from the post office.
- For applications sent from within Finland the date of postage marked on the envelope is sufficient evidence that the application has been posted on time. Applications sent from abroad must be sent to arrive at the Kone Foundation office by or before the application deadline.
Individual Residencies
Two month residencies are intended for individual artists, translators and critics of all different disciplines and all nationalities for the purpose of carrying out a project proposal presented in advance.
Residency includes an apartment, a workspace and a monthly stipend of 1900 EUR. The stipend is tax-free in Finland up to an equivalent amount in Euros to that of the state’s annual artist stipend (18,788.30 EUR per year). The stipend is intended for living and travel expenses as well as for production costs. Working and living at the Residence is a prerequisite for receiving the stipend.
If the applicant wishes to work at the Saari Residence during the individual residency periods with a spouse, work partner or a larger group, they must each apply for the residency separately. The application should include mention of the residency being applied for collectively. The application should also express whether the applicant wishes to be accepted even if a partner or work group is not. During residency, it is possible to receive short-term guests, such as members of a work group.
When applying, choosing one of the fields of art provided in the application form is preferable. If none of the options listed corresponds to your work, select "Some other field, which?"
In the application form, the applicant must also choose the kind of workspace they will require. For more information about the work spaces, please see Accommodation and Workspaces. The applicant should include in the Additional wishes field a mention of whether they are interested in the residency even if they will not receive their first choice in workspace.
The applicant must choose in the application a working period most suitable to their needs. The applicant may opt for more than one of the choices; the applicant ought to choose all periods suitable to them.
Working periods at the Residence are as follows:
Period 1: January to February
Period 2: March to April
Period 3: September to October
Period 4: November to December
The application form includes the following questions regarding the applicant’s motivation and interests:
- Reasons for wanting to work and stay at Saari Residence?
- What are your interests outside your work?
- How do you wish to evolve in your career and in your life in general?
- What sorts of ideas and expertise you wish to share with the other residents, and what would you wish to receive from them?
- What sorts of themes would you like to see in the group workshops and in the Saari Well?
It is important to answer these questions with care. Answers are central in deciding which artists will work at the Residence at the same time.
Attachments
The application should include all of the following attachments:
Group Residencies
Various groups of artists, such as community and environmental artists or theatre groups may apply for the use of workspaces for 1 to 4 weeks in May, June, July and August for the purpose of realizing a project proposal presented in advance.
Especially welcome are applications for projects involving co-operation between Finnish and foreign artists' groups. Such applications should be sent by the Finnish party.
Groups can apply for grant to cover living and travel expenses during their residency. Please refer to Breakdown of Costs for Group Residency Grant.
When applying, choosing one of the fields of art provided in the application form is preferable. If none of the options listed corresponds to your work, select "Some other field, which?"
In the application, all suitable dates for residency as well as its length must be chosen for the group. Specific requests regarding the residency period may be expressed in the Additional wishes field.
Requests regarding desired workspaces can be voiced in the Additional Wishes field. For more information about the workspaces, please see Accommodation and Workspace.
The group must also select a group representative or chargé d’affairs who will fill in the application form and act as a contact person. The application should include information on all group members or, at the very least, an assessment of how many people will simultaneously be staying at the Residence.
Attachments:
The application should include all the following attachments:
- a 1-3 page work plan
- a Breakdown of Costs for Group Residency Grant (see example)
- a Curriculum Vitaes (CV) or equivalent
- a portfolio, including samples of the group’s work
- Reference Letter(s)
Residencies for Researchers
One of the Residence’s apartments and workspaces is reserved for researchers and non-fiction writers working under a Kone Foundation grant. The Residence is particularly suitable for the intensive final writing phase of a study or manuscript. Research groups funded by the Kone Foundation can also work at the Saari Residence for short periods of time.
Such applicants do not need to send in an application but should instead contact Executive Director Hanna Nurminen directly at least a month before the beginning of a residency period to discuss a stay at the Residence.
Working periods at the Residence are as follows:
Period 1: January to February
Period 2: March to April
Period 3: September to October
Period 4: November to December
Shorter periods can also be negotiated.