Acme Studios — Mind the Gap Residency 2023

Supporting Artists since 1972


In partnership with the Finnish Institute UK and Ireland, we are pleased to open applications for Acme’s Mind the Gap Residency, to take place in London from July to September 2023.

Purpose

Hosted by Acme as part of our 50th anniversary year, the residency is intended for a Finnish or Finland-based artist facing additional barriers to their artistic practice, and whose practice is aligned to - and would benefit from attendance at and participation in – this year’s Res Artis conference, Mind the Gap: Designing residencies for everyone.

As part of our commitment towards minimising the environmental impact of our activity, ‘slow travel’ is encouraged as part of the residency.

Mind the Gap Residency 2023

A 3-month work/live residency at Acme’s Fire Station building in Poplar, London, with support from Acme's Residencies and Awards team;

Attendance and participation at the Mind the Gap: Designing residencies for everyone conference (6-9 September 2023, London);

An artist stipend of €4,800 (€1,600 per month), provided by the Finnish Institute UK and Ireland.

Mind the Gap: Designing residencies for everyone

Hosted by Acme, in partnership with University College London (UCL), Mind the Gap: Designing residencies for everyone will bring the international artist residency community together in the UK for the very first time, celebrating the 30th anniversary of Res Artis and 50 years of Acme.

This year’s event will help chart a future for impactful residency opportunities, with a focus on optimism and practical working solutions for issues facing the sector. Taking place in London with live-streamed sessions, Mind the Gap: Designing residencies for everyone will explore our post-pandemic and increasingly fragmented world. The event will propose co-creation and collaboration as solutions to shared obstacles faced globally by residency providers and the artists they host.

The Mind the Gap residency is intended for an artist whose practice aligns with the conference’s key themes:

Power, access and diversity

- Power disparity between artists and providers;

- Access & diversity in local and global contexts;

- Residencies for specific artist demographics;

- Navigating less hierarchical peer based relationships;

- Co-creation opportunities and challenges.

Working in partnership

- Building trust & long term partnership;

- Networks (e.g. national, global, cross-sector, thematic);

- Working with the UK Post-Brexit;

- Relationships and communication in the networked age;

- Digital innovation to support organisations and the residency experience.

More information on this year's Res Artis conference can be found here.

Eligibility

You are eligible to apply if:

- You are a Finnish national or a Finland-based artist, eligible to stay in the UK for the duration of the residency (July-September 2023);

- You are over 18 and can demonstrate a professional artistic practice;

- You are not currently in full-time formal education (school, further education college, university);

- You face additional barriers to your artistic practice and can demonstrate the transformative impact the residency would have.

To apply

Applications for the residency are now closed - please see below for more information on next steps.

Next steps

Selection process:

- Deadline for receipt of applications: 11am, Monday 27 March 2023;

Please note that, for practical reasons, it is difficult for us to consider any applications or application materials received after this deadline. However if you believe you have genuine extenuating circumstances, please email communications@acme.org.uk.

- We will notify all successful expressions of interest by Monday 10 April 2023;

- We will invite shortlisted artists to interview on Thursday 20 and Friday 21 April 2023;

- The selected artist will be informed by Friday 28 April 2023;

- The residency will run from Monday 3 July to Friday 29 September 2023;

- Mind the Gap: Designing residencies for everyone will take place from 6-9 September 2023.

FAQs

Please read the FAQs for further guidelines and information on eligibility.

Finnish Institute in the UK and Ireland

The Institute supports the internationalisation of Finnish contemporary art and helps artists, researchers and social and cultural actors to create international networks. The Institute was founded in 1991 and it is a non-profit, private foundation funded by The Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture.

@fininst_uk_ireland