Writing Residency on Art Books

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Open Call: Itchy Fingers – A Writing Residency on Art Books

Application Deadline: April 11, 2025
Residency Period: September 8–21, 2025
Location: Stavanger, Norway

Overview

CAS – Contemporary Art Stavanger and Kiellandsenteret (Stavanger Library and Culture Centre) invite applications for Itchy Fingers – A Writing Residency on Art Books. This two-week residency is designed for writers interested in exploring the significance of art books, culminating in the creation of one or two texts to be published by CAS and the Stavanger Library and Culture Centre.

Residency Objectives

Engage deeply with the art book collection at Stavanger Library and Culture Centre.
Produce one long (3,000 words) or two shorter (1,500 words each) texts for publication.
Participate in a panel discussion on art books during Kapittel, Stavanger’s International Festival of Literature and Freedom of Speech.
Reflect on Alexander Kielland’s perspectives on art.

Support Provided

Honorarium: 20,000 NOK
Travel Reimbursement: Up to 5,000 NOK
Accommodation: Provided at no cost
Per Diem: 105 NOK per day
Workspace: Access to the writing room (Skrivestuen) at Stavanger Library and Culture Centre
Festival Access: Complimentary pass to Kapittel
Networking: Introductions to local art institutions and individuals

Eligibility

The residency is open to anyone with an interest in artist books. International applicants are welcome; however, the travel cost contribution is fixed, and residents are responsible for securing any necessary visas for travel to Norway.

Application Requirements

Applicants must submit the following as a single PDF:

Curriculum Vitae (CV)
Motivational Text: A maximum of 500 words outlining the proposed focus during the residency.
Writing Sample: An example of your writing, up to 1,500 words, which may have been previously published.

How to Apply

Send the application as a single PDF to info@contemporaryartstavanger.no by April 11, 2025.

Selection Panel

Sofie B. Ringstad and Heather Jones (CAS – Contemporary Art Stavanger)
Ruth Stokke Haaland (Kiellandsenteret / Stavanger Library and Culture Centre)

About CAS – Contemporary Art Stavanger

CAS – Contemporary Art Stavanger is an online art magazine that offers weekly insights into the art scene in Stavanger and Rogaland. We place the local art landscape within a broader national and international context, fostering a dialogue between regional and global perspectives. Since 2016, we have also hosted writing residencies aimed at supporting writers in the visual arts.

About Kiellandsenteret

Alexander L. Kielland (1849-1906) is considered Stavanger’s greatest author, and is listed as one of the “big four” in Norwegian literature. He was one of the foremost representatives of literary realism in Norway, where women’s issues, social inequality, religious hypocrisy and harsh attacks on the double standards of the bourgeoisie were central themes in his writing. Based on Alexander Kielland’s work as an author and social critic, the Kiellandsenteret at Stavanger Library and Culture Centre cultivates literature, reading and writing, and is a meeting place for debate and exchange of opinions.