Open call for Fair Sculpture residency programme
The residency programme offers one Academy of Fine Arts alum the opportunity to work in a school setting.
One four-month residency position is available at Sotunki School in Vantaa. Sotunki middle school provides education for over 600 pupils in grades 5–9. The residency period starts on 1 February and ends on 30 May 2026. The residency is funded.
The application period starts on 29 September and the deadline for applications is on 19 October 2026 at 23:59.
Who can apply?
The residency is open for Academy of Fine Arts alumni currently based in Finland. To be eligible to apply, the applicant needs to be an alum when the residency starts.
What is included in the residency?
In addition to being provided a free working space, the artist is paid a monthly salary (€2,200/month) and a material grant (€500). A work contract is made with Uniarts Helsinki.
How to apply?
Application
Please complete a free-form application and send it via email to Frank Brümmel at frank.brummel@uniarts.fi. The application can be written in English or in Finnish. Deadline for applications is at 23:59 on 19 October 2026. The jury consists of Andy Best, Aura Kotkavirta and Frank Brümmel.
The application must include:
- First and last name (official)
- Year of graduation from the Academy of Fine Arts
- Contact information
- Answers to the following questions:
- What are you working with in your artwork? What would you like to focus on during your Fair Sculpture residency?
- What excites you about holding an art residency in a school?
- In which language(s) do you feel comfortable expressing yourself?
As the residency will take place at a school with children under the age of 18, after being selected, the applicant is required to present a criminal records extract to the headmaster of the school. The extract is required for all people working with children. Read more about obtaining a criminal records extract.
Process timeline
- Application period begins on Monday 29 September 2025 and ends on Sunday 19 October 2025 at 23:59.
- Interviews with the top candidates will be held on Friday 31 October 2025.
- The final selection will be made the week following the interviews.
- Residency starts in February 2026 and ends in May 2026.
What is the Fair Sculpture residency programme?
Fair Sculpture is an inter-generational and multidisciplinary artistic community project. As a part of the project, artists are selected for a residency where they will carry out their professional practice within a school environment.
The project aims to empower children and young people. The focus is on young people who do not normally have the opportunity to meet professional artists and participate in different kinds of cultural events. Furthermore, the project aims to give participating artists the opportunity to create and work in a vivid learning environment.
Willingness to share one’s artistic practices and experiences as a professional artist with students in the school setting – directly and indirectly – is appreciated. The selected artists should be aware of the experimental format of this project.
In Spring 2026, the project features the Sotunki Middle School. The selected artist will be provided with their own private work studio at the school.
The studio can be accessed during and outside of school hours, but not 24/7. As part of the residency, the artist will hold an open studio one afternoon each week. Other types of collaboration and exchange can be agreed upon between the artist and the school at the start of the residency. Use of other technical facilities, such as workshops, is possible upon agreement and the needs of the selected artist.
During the residency, the artist is expected to use the provided studio as their principle working space and be present regularly at the school. The idea is for the artist to be present in the school environment in the role of a professional artist. They are encouraged to organise workshops, artist talks, or other kinds of events as well. The exact nature of the collaboration will depend on the artist and their practice. The artist will commit to meet with the Fair Sculpture team, Sotunki School and Vantaa city culture representatives during the residency.
At the end of the residency, the artist will be asked to write a report and provide documentation on their work during the school residency. In addition, a short video interview is planned, in which the artist will talk about their experiences. The artist will also be invited to give feedback on the residency format and suggestions for its future development.
Learn more about the Fair Sculpture project
The core goal of Fair Sculpture is to provide young people with low-threshold opportunities to interact with a professional artist, to see how they work, and experience the art they create. In turn, Academy of Fine Arts graduates have the opportunity to share their professional art practice with a new audience.
The Fair Sculpture residency programme at the Sotunki school is funded by Uniarts Helsinki and it is organised in cooperation with Vantaa City Cultural Office. Outcomes will be studied in Frank Brümmel’s doctoral artistic research project, as well as discussed in academic papers by Fair Sculpture project group members.