A Sámi cultural centre in northern Sweden is seeking applicants from northern Canada for its Indigenous artist residency.
Aejlies announced Monday that it has opened applications for the second round of its Indigenous Arctic Art Residency, set to take place in October-November in the village of Tärnaby.
The program aims to foster long-term artistic exchange between Sámi – Indigenous people whose traditional territory, Sápmi, spans northern Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia – and other Arctic Indigenous communities.
“In a time marked by uncertainty, it feels especially important to create platforms that allow space for artistic processes and human connection – and where artists can work on their own terms,” Oskar Östergren Njajta, director of Aejlies, stated in a press release.
The residency is organized by Aejlies and funded by the Global Arctic Leadership Initiative, a Canadian program that supports international collaboration and knowledge exchange in the Arctic region.
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The residency is open to Indigenous artists from Nunavut, NWT, Yukon Quebec and Labrador working in all disciplines.
It will be from two to four weeks and include an artist fee, travel, accommodation and access to workspaces.
Aejlies said the residency does not require artists to complete a work during their stay but engaging with the local Sámi community through public activities such as talks or workshops, is an important part of the program.
“This residency takes both artistic freedom and the significance of place seriously. We want to offer time, depth, and reciprocal exchange, rather than quick results,” Östergren Njajta stated.
Interested artists can apply online before March 27.
NWT artists Brian Kowichuk and Leela Gilday were among applicants previously selected to attend the residency. Gilday will arrive in Tärnaby as the program’s first participating artist in early February.
