WHO CAN APPLY?

To apply to Transit Incubator for the Arts, you need to:

be a professional artist working within one or several of the following fields: film, performing arts, visual arts, design, music, literature and/ or crafts.
have been working professionally within your field for at least a year.
spend at least 50% of your working hours on your own artistic practice (not being employed at more than 50%, including to teach within your creative field, not studying more than 50%, and not having other commitments that keep you from spending at least half of your working time on your own artistic practice).
be in a period of change or growth within your artistic practice or artistic business, regardless of if you have worked as a creative for a few years or several decades.
be in need of and have regular use of your new open plan office space and workplace at Telefonplan in Stockholm.
want to be part of a social context where the exchange of skills and experiences is a key factor for development.
be interested in listening to others’ creative processes, as well as contributing to and being supportive within an environment of creative colleagues.

HOW DO I APPLY?

We accept applications through our Open Call between August – September every year. The next open call will be in 2025.

When applying, you will be asked to fill in a series of questions regarding your artistic practice, artistic business, plans for the upcoming year, and what you are hoping to get out of and contribute to Transit as a community of creative colleagues. You will also need to attach the following documents:

your CV, where you outline your work experience and, if applicable, studies
your creative portfolio, in the form of images, videos, audio files or written material

Please note that we only consider complete applications.

THE APPLICATION PROCESS

Transit has an Open Call for new artists once / year, in the early fall. Next application period is in 2025.

The selection of applications is made in collaboration with SITE and Stockholm Fringe Festival (for applicants within the performing arts), Film Stockholm (for applicants within the field of film). For other creative fields, there is expertise within Transit’s staff and governing board.

All applications are read by at least two people, one of which is an expert within the applicant’s field(s).

Successful applications will be invited for an in-person interview at Transit. The interview acts as a compliment to the written application in focusing on the applicant’s interest in being part of a professional network, creative exchange and community of artist colleagues for a period of two years.

Interviews occur in the middle and second half of November and the final decision will be made in December.

SELECTION CRITERIA

There are a total of 8 available slots. We are looking for a variety and diversity of experiences, art forms and creative processes.

The selection criteria are

professional artistic activity
craft / technical skill
urgency
artistry / uniqueness

Most previous and current artists accepted at Transit are actively working from a socially conscious or normative-creative approach. Many of the resident artists work in inter- or multidisciplinary ways, across several art forms. The propensity for artists to expand into new fields or collaborate across fields tends to increase during their stay at Transit, because of the multidisciplinary community at the incubator.

All applications are read by at least two people, one of which is an expert within the applicants’ field.

Q&A FOR APPLICANTS

Transit it not just an open-plan office space with a series of meeting rooms and production rooms, it is above all a network of professional artists who support each other, learn from each other, and develop their artistic practices together. That is why it is mandatory for any successful applicant to participate in-person at Transit’s Artist Conference HALVÅRSTRÄFFEN – where you will meet all your new creative colleagues and collaborators.

The Artist Conference takes place at Transit the 15th – 17th January 2025 (9 am – 5 pm all three days). You are expected to participate fully and in-person, at least two out of the three dates.

The mandatory Transit workshop series Organic Process Method (OPM) takes place OPM part 1 – Wednesday 29th January, OPM part 2 – Wednesday 12th February, OPM part 3 – Wednesday 12th March. All three workshops are between 9.30 am and 4 pm. All three workshops are mandatory.

Move in takes place during the Artist Conference HALVÅRSTRÄFFEN. From then, you will be invoiced an administrative fee of 800 SEK / month, to cover practical costs such as wi-fi, printer, tea, coffee and cleaning. No other costs are incurred – you will be offered workshops, individual coaching and colleague community exchanges, as well as an office space – free of charge.

In total, there are 30 freelance artists working together, sharing contacts, skills, tips and experiences.

WHAT TRANSIT PROVIDES FOR ARTISTS

Transit’s role in an artist’s life can be described as an incubator for skills development, artistic development, support and business development. This occurs through courses, workshops and coaching lending knowledge and support in helping you analyse the structure and sustainability of your creative practice, identifying your goals and needs as an art artist and offering a supportive professional environment to gain new resources in the form of knowledge, networks, time and funding.

Transit’s contribution takes the form of talks, skills exchanges, coaching and workshops in the art of writing funding and stipend applications, creative project management, systems for budgeting large creative projects. These financial inputs are balanced by workshop and exchanges on creative processes, artistic driving forces, and work in progress sessions for current artistic work. Transit is a community forum where artists can safely start, continue, evaluate and get support in current collaborations, projects and creative processes.

The incubator is a place for both planned and spontaneous interactions between artists in the form of shared activities, conversations, networks and collaborations. One of the great stengths of Transit is that it provides a meeting place across art forms, that consciously leaves competition and comparison at the door. This leads to honest and fruitful conversations about creative and practical challenges and dilemmas. In most contexts artists work in, failures, fears and difficulties are not spoken of, and a feeling of competing for limited resources keeps artists from learning form each other and gaining support not only in their successes, but also in their struggles. It is through speaking about both the highs and lows of creative processes and freelance businesses that artists as a group grow their specific knowledges and long-term strategies in doing the work they want to do. This is where Transit comes in.

WHAT’S IT LIKE BEING AN ARTIST AT TRANSIT?

For a period of two years, Transit is a place to meet and work alongside a community of creative colleagues that is key for skills exchanges, experience gathering, networking and collaboration. With support from Transit, the artist develops their artistic practice and artistic business, centering that artist’s unique artistry, specific driving forces and creative competencies.

By resident artists, Transit is often described as a safety net and support structure. A constant, in a creative freelancing field that is often characterized by change and adaptation. Sharing space and experiences with other artists who work through similar challenges, dilemmas and processes is highly valued and appreciated by our artists. Many also express that they have gained key support in applying for funding, projects and opportunities, as well as in continuing to develop their artistry and practice.

IN THE WORDS OF TRANSIT ARTISTS

Julia Thelin:

“To me, Transit has been a supportive space for identifying my needs and making my business work. At Transit, I’m often asked to reflect on and share the things that are challenging or difficult. Without that opportunity, I don’t think I’d developed as much as I have. It’s empowering to realize your own skills and competencies in conversations with others, that my knowledge and my vulnerability in those conversations is a strength and a resource.

The reason why Transit is so great is partly because of the large variety of the resident artists – differently from my personal networks of mostly other film makers – and the need to prove yourself disappears in a place that focuses on creating a supportive place to grow and develop.

I’ve never experienced an artistic exchange that has worked as well as this – not as a student or as a professional – because the feeling of needing to prove yourself and the ego-centered anxiety that so often accompanies the creative practice goes out the door when you’re not competing with each other for anything. The practice of asking for help and sharing the unglamorous side of the process is something I’m continuing with outside of Transit, now that I know how essential it is for my creative practice. The continued support I’ve received at Transit, for a full two years, has been key to bridging the challenges that come from the long processes involved in my practice of making feature films.”

Ali Ardalan

“By participating in various workshops that have focused on exploring artistic and creative processes, I have had the opportunity to delve deeper into my work and drive its development forward. At Transit, which embraces diversity, I have had the chance to meet artists working with different media. The feedback I have received on applications has been instructive and rewarding, and it has enriched my artistic journey.”

Sarah Gampel

It is thanks to the resources from Transit that I could complete my piece. The course in Organic Process Methods made it possible for me to plan and complete my work under a lot of time pressure and the opportunity to book and use a project room gave me the space and focus necessary to build the mini cinema.”

QUESTIONS

Don’t hesitate to get in touch with any questions or concerns to project manager Lisa Grotherus at lisa@transitsthlm.se

Are you waiting for a reply? Everyone employed at Transit works there part-time, and are themselves active as professional artists. We will get back to you as soon as we are back at Transit.

THE APPLICATION PERIOD IS CLOSED. NEXT OPEN CALL TO APPLY FOR TRANSIT IS IN AUG / SEPT 2025.