Call for creators to submit applications: VERPĖJOS‘ CREATIVE PASTURES 26

About the Open Call

Verpėjos’ Creative Pastures residency programme invites interdisciplinary artists to work on their own proposed art research project, exploring and rethinking themes of traditional rural lifestyle and nature conservation. Three selected artists will live for two months in a homestead with a traditional log house, courtyard, garden, and outbuildings in Kabeliai village, Lithuania, from June to September 2026. Residents will share the responsibility of shepherding a herd of 40 sheep, spending 2-4 hours daily. The residency offers an authentic rural experience and the opportunity to work closely with local people and neighbours (farmers, naturalists, craftspeople). Verpėjos’ team provides support, connections, and organizes artist talk events and workshops. Artists are encouraged to make kin with villagers, animals, plants, and each other, fostering new forms of artistic inquiry and dialogues. At the end of the residency, artists are asked to organize an event (e.g., communal dinner, presentation, gathering, performance, concert) to present their practice and/or experience. They are not expected to complete art projects but to gain experiences and discoveries. Working spaces include a 35m² log house studio and 600m² outdoor spaces with tools for woodworking and wool processing. Materials like raw/carded wool and various woods are provided. Assistance from traditional craftspeople (straw garden maker, reed roofing master, etc.) and consultations with ecologists, geographers, ethnographers from Dzūkija National Park are available. During the residencies, artists must produce text and/or images for the publication “Shepherd’s notes” and present their work to the public. Applicants must be interdisciplinary artists legally residing in the Nordic Region (Denmark, Finland, Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Åland) or the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania). Selection criteria include ability to collaborate, create in community, motivation for outdoor work with sheep, professionalism, manual craft skills, sustainable approach, and interdisciplinary focus.

What is Offered

Each participant is to receive a grant of EUR 1400, travel grant EUR 400 (except artists from Lithuania) and 200 Eur for materials. Also offers living and working spaces, tools for woodworking and wool processing, assistance from traditional craftspeople, and consultations with specialists from Dzūkija National Park. Verpėjos’ team provides support with local community connections, artistic development, and organizes artist talk events and workshops.

Requirements

Ability to collaborate creatively in a common household; ability to create in the community, involving participants of all ages and capabilities in the creative process; motivation to get up early and spend a lot of time outdoors with the sheep to immerse oneself in the processes of nature and the world of animals, insects, and plants without fear of bad weather; professionalism; manual craft skills and desire to learn new things; sustainable, eco-friendly and waste-free approach to the creative process and lifestyle; interdisciplinary, encompassing different artistic fields. Applicants must be legally residing in the Nordic Region (Denmark, Finland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Åland) or the Baltic countries (Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania).

How to Apply

Fill in the application form before 14 August 2025. Application form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe2Ix2oNqteXJxKoyDd1MzOXF1YrcXm7ZtSBKVlCiNcg2sg/viewform