The Porcelain
Residency

Porcelain is an important part of Porsgrunn’s cultural heritage, identity and character, and the municipality aims to develop porcelain into a national attraction. The Porsgrunds porselensstipend is one of several measures to strengthen and stimulate this commitment — a working grant that offers opportunities and recognition to artists working with porcelain as a material.

The grant is awarded by Porsgrunn kommune in collaboration with the 1400 Porcelain Workshop and Kunsthall Grenland. Over the past decade, Kunsthall Grenland has placed a particular focus on porcelain, and the establishment of the 1400 workshop in 2016 — right next door to Porsgrunds Porselænsfabrik — carries forward an important artistic and craft tradition tied to the material. The grant is NOK 50,000 and is linked to a three-month artist residency at the workshop, where the resident works free of charge and has materials and firing covered. Kunsthall Grenland covers accommodation costs during the residency.

Who can apply

The working grant is open to professional artists and craft practitioners whose primary material is porcelain. Applicants must be able to document artistic education at university-college or university level, in Norway or abroad. Professional practitioners without formal education may also be considered if they can demonstrate artistic work of high quality. The artistic council prioritises applications from young artists as far as possible, and expects the resident to be present at the workshop for much of the three months.

How to apply

The application deadline is 1 March. The grant is advertised between November and March in the local press and through selected professional bodies. The application must include a rationale along with a project description, budget, timeline, CV and any agreements regarding the presentation of the project. Applications are assessed by a jury made up of Kunsthall Grenland’s artistic council and a representative from the other porcelain partners, with the culture department of Porsgrunn kommune acting as secretariat. The grant recipient undertakes to submit a report once the residency is complete.