Organizer Information
Learning Materials is a collaborative project by Bioart Society, HIAP – Helsinki International Artist Programme, Koynẽ Program, and TUO TUO, together with partners FIBRA, LABVA, Scottish Sculpture Workshop, and SWAMP: Art Material Swap and Waste Management Point. Supported by Kone Foundation, the project brings together artistic, ecological, scientific, and community-based approaches to rethink relationships with materials. HIAP leads the residency programme and its coordination.
Title & Description
Learning Materials Fellowship
Learning Materials 12-Month Fellowship 2027–2028 is a year-long fellowship for Finland-based artists and arts practitioners working with material-driven, socially engaged, and process-oriented practices. The programme explores how artists and communities can develop more sustainable and socially responsible relationships with materials in the context of ecological crises, extractive economies, technological change, and material legacies.
The fellowship supports independent artistic research while inviting the selected fellow to contribute to the wider Learning Materials project through knowledge exchange, mentorship, public programming, publishing, and network mapping. Applicants should demonstrate established expertise and a long-term commitment to material and socially engaged practices rather than applying primarily to experiment with these approaches for the first time.
Categories
- Visual Art
- Bioart
- Sculpture
- Social Practice
- Performance
- Sound Art
- New Media
- Food Art
- Writing
- Material-Based Art
- Interdisciplinary Art and other artistic practices addressing materiality
Eligibility
The opportunity is open only to artists and arts practitioners based in Finland. Applicants from all disciplines are welcome, provided they can demonstrate an established practice and sustained engagement with the themes of Learning Materials.
People from the global majority, LGBTQIA+ artists, disabled artists, and practitioners from working-class or low socioeconomic backgrounds are particularly encouraged to apply.
Collectives may apply, but the €1,350 monthly working grant can be paid to one individual only, with no additional grant available for other collective members. Family members may accompany the fellow, and the accommodation can host up to four people.
Program Benefits & Awards
- €1,350 per month working grant, €16,200 total, provided through Kone Foundation.
- Up to €1,000 access budget for disabled artists.
- €2,000 research budget.
- Furnished live/work Atelier apartment at HIAP Suomenlinna for the 12-month fellowship.
- Access to HIAP facilities including the Community Room, Project Space, Equipment Room, and Wood Workshop.
- Opportunities for networking, public presentations, Open Studios, workshops, visits, and events.
- Collaboration with Learning Materials partners and international artists in residence.
- Participation in the Learning Intensive, 2–8 August 2027.
- Opportunities to contribute to open-access publishing and the project’s wider research and knowledge exchange.
The fellow will also join the project Steering Group, support international residents through informal mentorship, contribute to programming and network mapping, and present their work publicly during the fellowship.
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 26 October 2026
- Jury Meeting: 10 November 2026
- Shortlisted Applicant Interviews: 7 December 2026, online
- Fellowship Period: 12 April 2027 – 9 April 2028
- Learning Intensive: 2–8 August 2027
Location
HIAP Suomenlinna, Helsinki, Finland
Additional Details
The fellowship is particularly suited to practitioners whose work investigates the social, ecological, political, and cultural dimensions of materials. Research is understood broadly as a practice combining making and thinking. Accessibility support is available, and applicants may confidentially provide access requirements or an Access Rider.
AI may be used to support the application process, but applicants are encouraged to preserve their own voice and authenticity. Portfolio links must be publicly accessible without passwords or restrictions.