Open Call for Ceramic Residency
Deadline: 29 September 2026, 12:00 CET
The Baltic Gallery of Contemporary Art (BGSW) invites artists
at any stage of their career working with ceramics and socially
engaged practices to apply for a two-month residency in Ustka, Poland.
Who can apply?
The open call is addressed to artists at any stage of their career who:
- are legally residing in a Creative Europe country other than Poland,
- work with ceramics and/or socially engaged artistic practices,
- have experience or an interest in education, participatory methods, community-based work or collective learning.
We are particularly interested in artists who are open to developing their practice through collaboration and working with a regular local group.
We are looking for an artistic, educational or research impulse to be developed in close collaboration with a regular group of adult participants in the BGSW Sculpture and Ceramics Studio. The group meets three times a week. During the residency, the selected artist will work closely with the participants and with Michał Żesławski, artist, educator and head of the studio.
The proposed impulse may begin with a material, technique, question, topic or working method. It can focus on material and technological experimentation, explore the social and cultural dimensions of ceramics, or combine both approaches. We are particularly interested in practices that use ceramics as a medium for collective learning, exchange, experimentation and community-building.
We are not looking for a predetermined artwork or a fully developed project. The residency is conceived as a shared process shaped together with the group. Its outcome will be presented at BGSW Baszta in Słupsk as an exhibition, public event or another format developed during the residency.
Residency conditions
- Dates: 1 March–1 May 2027
- Duration: 62 days
- Artist fee: €1,860
- Travel allowance: €400
- Accommodation: provided by BGSW in its residency house in Ustka
- Workspace: access to the BGSW Sculpture and Ceramics Studio
- Support: production budget and curatorial, technical and organisational support from the BGSW team
Application
Please complete the online application form and provide:
- basic personal and contact information,
- CV,
- a short bio / artist statement introducing your practice, interests, methods and relevant experience,
- a link to your portfolio,
- a short description of the impulse you would like to explore together with the group.
We are interested not only in what you make, but also in how you work, what questions guide your practice and how you approach collaboration, learning and working with others.
Application form:
Towards Communities / Ku społecznościom
Towards Communities / Ku społecznościom is a series of BGSW residencies connecting international artistic practices with local groups in Słupsk and Ustka.
Each residency is developed in dialogue with a specific community and focuses on shared learning, artistic experimentation, participation and exchange. The programme prioritises process, collaboration and building relationships rather than predetermined outcomes.
Sculpture and Ceramics Studio
The BGSW Sculpture and Ceramics Studio in Ustka is a space for shared work, exchange and the development of individual and collective creative practices. Regular classes take place three times a week and bring together people with different experiences, motivations and levels of technical knowledge.
The studio approaches ceramics through material and technological experimentation as well as its wider cultural, social, symbolic and environmental contexts. Its programme includes regular classes, workshops, thematic projects and collaborations with invited artists and artists in residence.
During the residency, the selected artist will work closely with the studio community and Michał Żesławski, artist, educator and head of the studio.
About BGSW
The Baltic Gallery of Contemporary Art (BGSW) is a public contemporary art institution operating in Słupsk and Ustka in northern Poland. Its programme combines exhibitions, international artist residencies, educational and community-based activities, and open studios for ceramics, photography and screen printing.
BGSW develops a programme attentive to local contexts while connecting artists, communities and translocal perspectives. Hospitality, exchange and long-term relationships with local communities are central to its residency and public programmes.
Culture Moves Europe
The residency is realised within the Culture Moves Europe programme, funded by the Creative Europe programme of the European Union and implemented by the Goethe-Institut.
