Baltic|States Residency at NART, Estonia
Calling artists from the North East of England
We've partnered with Narva Art Residency (NART) to invite an emerging artist from the North East of England to undertake a month-long residency in the beautiful city of Narva, Estonia. This residency opportunity is part of the Baltic|States Residency Exchange Programme.
Deadline for applications is 7 September 2025 at 23:59
The residency will take place 24 November – 21 December 2025
About the Residency
The Baltic|States Residency Exchange Programme supports emerging artists and curators from the UK, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia and enables artists and curators to research and professionally develop through a series of supported residencies, studio visits, curator study visits and commissions at Baltic, Gateshead and partner venues in the Baltic region. The programme builds relationships through cross-cultural exchange connecting artists, arts professionals and institutions. Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, named after the Baltic Sea, was a former flour mill housing grain from the Baltic region, and the North East has long established trading routes with the Baltic countries.
Participants are invited to respond to the current shifting geopolitical landscape in Europe and develop work that explores borders, identity, citizenship and belonging. They are also encouraged to find points of connection between the Baltic region and the North East of England, building networks with the artistic communities and creating dialogue that transcends borders and geographies at a time of rapid social and political change.
The residencies offer opportunities for participants to meet artists, curators and arts professionals and visit arts spaces in the host city (depending on location). During their residency, participants are invited to share their research and experiences with the wider public through an event or workshop.
Artists who have participated in residencies as part of the Baltic|States programme at Baltic and partner venues include Andrius Arutiunian, Susie Green, Maria Kapajeva, Jordan Edge (Kiik Amor) and Kristina Õllek.
For the second year, we have partnered with NART to support a North East-based emerging artist to spend a month in residence in Narva, Estonia in November/December 2025. Narva is located on the Estonian-Russian international border and is Estonia’s third largest city.
The residency is supported with an artist’s fee of £2,000, a travel bursary of £500 and a studio live/work space at NART with a private toilet/shower. In addition to meeting other artists and curators in the NART community, artists are invited to make interactive, socially engaged, and/or community-based work which is also relevant to the locals of Narva. The engagement can be an event, a workshop, or the showing of a final work, but even better if the engagement is already intertwined into the process of art-making itself. For more information see here.
The residency will take place from 24 November – 21 December 2025
Deadline for applications is 7 September 2025 at 23:59
Eligibility
- You must be from the North East of England (County Durham, Northumberland, Teesside or Tyne and Wear)
- You must be available to undertake the residency at NART from 24 November – 21 December 2025
Submitting your Application
As part of the application we will ask for:
- A covering statement (500 words max.) telling us about your work, and how this residency opportunity will benefit you, also what interests you about the distinct location of this residency
- A recent or updated CV or biography
- Examples of your work, these can be attached as files (up to six images of your work or a video/audio extract, no longer than two minutes) or an online portfolio/website
- Applications must be made via Submittable which accepts text, audio and visual media. This means you can use the format most accessible to you. You can upload a statement and/or CV as an audio or video file
Further to Baltic’s Equal Opportunities Statement here, your personal details from the Submittable form and your responses to the Equality Monitoring Questionnaire will not be seen by the shortlisting panel. This means we can make the selection based only on how this opportunity will benefit your practice. In addition, we would ask that in your statement and CV/biography, you do not include any personal information which identifies any personal characteristic, for example your age, title, name, e-mail address, home address, nationality details, immigration status, dates of examinations.
You can view the Easy Read Guide for this residency here and you can read Baltic’s Privacy Policy here.
You can also send your application by post, please do not send original artwork as applications will not be returned:
Baltic|States Residency 2025
Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art
Gateshead Quays
South Shore Road
Gateshead NE8 3BA
Shortlisting will take place mid-September and the successful artist will be notified by 30 September 2025. Due to the expected high volume of applications, we may not be able to give individual feedback.
Access Requirements for the Residency
If you have any access requirements or would require step-free access to take part in this opportunity please e-mail states@balticmill.com
About NART
Narva Art Residency (NART) is a cultural platform founded in 2015. It facilitates residencies, art exhibitions, talks and educational workshops. It is located in Narva city on the Estonian-Russian border on the historical Kreenholm site. The international artist-in-residency programme is open for artists operating across a wide range of disciplines, including visual arts, music, performance, architecture, design, film, literature, curatorial practices and more. It generates creative exchange between practitioners and strengthens links with the local community. NART is located at the historical villa, which was originally built for the director of Kreenholm Textile Manufacture. In close proximity stand the vacant factory buildings that once formed the largest enterprise of its kind in Europe in the mid-nineteenth century.
You can watch a tour of NART here.
This residency opportunity has been developed in partnership with NART, the Embassy of Estonia in London and the Estonian Contemporary Art Development Center (ECADC)
