Emergency residencies

SWAN supports cultural workers at risk from Ukraine by giving them the opportunity to apply for an Emergency Residency in Sweden. Together with Artists at Risk (AR) we have accelerated this work. Do you have a minute? Watch our video below, a tribute to all SWAN ER participating parties.
[Don't forget to turn the music on]

Application artists

SWAN residencies works together with Artists at Risk and aim to host artists for minimum 3 month stays, funded with accommodation, art and production grant.

If you want to apply for a SWAN artist residency the link below will redirect you to Artists at Risk. Please state preferred country "Sweden" when you are filling in the form. Applying artists and cultural workers can make a preference of which country to stay in residence. Artists at Risk have Emergency residencies in many European countries.

Apply for Emergency Residency

’Ukraine is Alive’ Ukrainian Music-Making in Swedish Emergency Residencies

Hanna Hellström wrote her Master thesis at the University of Uppsala with the purpose to shed light on the experience of musicians in a refugee position and the residency as a space that may contribute to uphold music-making and musical labour for refugee artists.

Read the thesis

To silence, persecute and imprison cultural creators is to stifle the voices of democracy. We can never accept that. With emergency residencies, they can continue their socially important work when it is needed the most.

Jeanette Gustafsdotter,

Former Minister of Culture

Art See Ocean Gallery & Artist residence.jpg

Host Emergency Residency ?

Are you a Swedish artist residency organizer who wants to host Emergency residencies for artists or cultural workers fleeing from or displaced from the war in Ukraine? Find out more and sign up for an important mission.

Tool kit

With the idea of making it easier for our residency organizers, SWAN has produced a tool kit. Our tool kit gives you information and checklists that can be useful to have at hand as an organizer of Emergency Residencies.

Download Tool kit

How to

Guidelines to work as an artist in Sweden

To be a new citizen and at the same time be an artist can be tricky. We have collected a startup information kit to guide you through everything you need to know if you want to work as an artist in Sweden.

Download How to

Statement

The Swedish National Artist Residency Network (SWAN) condemns Russia's war in Ukraine and expresses its solidarity with the Ukrainian people. Culture is an important part of the "democratic reflex" and is central to the freedom of expression and democratization, especially in times of polarization, such as war. Independent artists and cultural workers are vital interpreters and bearers of the freedom of speech. They need to be supported and protected to continue to play a role where democracy is under threat.

Therefore, the members of SWAN are welcoming artists and colleagues who are at war or under threat from an authoritarian regime. Those residencies that can do so, are now adapting to offer so-called "emergency residencies”. This includes support, not only with accommodation and enabling artists to continue their work, but also contacts with the Swedish authorities, crisis support and connecting with local cultural life and fellow artists. SWAN is working to providing resources to offer artists and cultural workers both humanitarian and artistic support based on the needs that they have.