Instructions and rules

Fees and agreements

Stipend artists who create a community project : accommodation with free of charge, small production money against a plan and receipts. Some fees from non-artist partners or from whole families, please read Apartment.
Other, independently working artists are charged a small fee/rent. First payment a month before starting the residency.
Soon after approval to the residency all artists pay the registration fee 100€ per person. This keeps the place for you. The registration fee is not refundable in case of cancellation or interruption.
A deposit of 120€ (per room) for house cleaning, telephone, bikes and apartment key etc. must be payed four full months before arrival. It is not refundable in case of short cancellation (four months or less and in written) nor if the artist leaves the residency without an adequate reason or travels away during the residency. Payback of the deposit 120€ will be after finishing the program correctly, writting the report, giving the asked files (receipts, feedback and statistics) and leaving a clean apartment behind. We understand that changes may happen, in such cases we try to find a better solution for the residency. We hope the artists understand that it is time consuming to find a new artist and to start a new project at such short notice.
When artists have been chosen they must confirm in writing accepting the residency (agreement/guidelines will be send), which will be a binding agreement. An invitation letter will be send to the artist upon request so that she/he can apply grants from her/his home country. The fact that the artist does not get a grant, can not be a reason for not coming to the residency.

Material/production money

Stipend artists will receive 100€ at most a month for their community project. This is production money for materials, equipment or space rental, copies etc. to be used in Rauma. It will be paid with receipts. Artists need to write receipts in a file and scan them into a PDF format and send all to the director and to the chair.
Plans and the usage of the money as agreed upon.
The artists pay for the materials needed for their own artwork. To some measure RaumArs will assist the artist in sourcing materials.

Workspace

RaumArs does not have a separate working space except the lobby to be shared upstairs. RaumArs tries to arrange a studio e.g. for painters, but this has to be negotiated beforehand. Rents may include. Very often artists working with community art and local people do not require the studio, because so much of the work takes place at schools or similar places. For dancers we recommend an alternative dance project, because there is only one flexible floor in a city.
There are some working spaces at our partner's premises for woodwork, painting or textile.
There is no separate artists' house / community centre in Rauma, but some artists' studios like Rauman taiteilijaseura (Rauma Artists’ Association), Rauman Taidegraafikot (Rauma Printmakers Assocation) and Keramos (clay artists association), which have their own spaces/studios. Contemporary artists’ associations also in Pori like “Nyte”, ”Tehdas” and Porin taiteilijaseura (Pori Artists' Association), whom have galleries.

Telephone

Telephone calls are at the artist’s own expense. RaumArs will provide mobile phones with prepaid cards. The number for the stipendium artist is +358 (0)44 0959545, operator DNA. The number for independently working artists is +358 (0)46 5269000, operator Elisa. You can add credit to the phones at R-kioski.

Travel, living, getting here

Approved applicants will be responsible for their own travel as well as work and living costs during their residency period.
Other costs payed by the artists are food, house cleansers, print inks, copies etc. and art transport expenses. The average monthly food expense in Finland is ca. 250–300€/person if you cook at home. Luch at a restaurant 10€, coffe 2,50–4€, beer 6,50–8,50€, cinema 10–12€, consert 10–40€, bus tickect 5–25€.
Artists will keep the house clean while living there and clean it completely before the departure.
Artists pay for their travel expenses and organize the trip. The director must be informed about the flight schedule as soon as the tickets have been bought. Arrival to Rauma within working hours or no later than 21.30 pm. and during the weekdays. Also leaving from Rauma should be arranged within the weekdays.
Artists may shortly (weekend) travel elsewhere in Finland or Scandinavia. Artists need to work/stay at RaumArs during the whole residency period or at least during the weekdays. If you are planning a trip e.g. to Lapland (the distance is more than 12h straight drive without stops, or train from Turku or Helsinki appr. 9 hours) make it before of after the residency.
The artists or their guests are not insured by the residence. A travel and liability insurance is required. You need to have your own insurances for travelling/health/casualty and in case of theft.
Arriving by plane: main airport is in Helsinki-Vantaa (250 km south-east from Rauma). It's the best obtion. From some European cities you might find flights to Turku (90 km south). It does not save time to get a connection flight from Helsinki to Turku.
A bus from the Helsinki-Vantaa Airport to Rauma takes appr. 5 hours and costs 30-40€ one way. Only few connections availabe and with 1 or 2 changes. Depending of the bus company there might be a change at Ikea/Espoo Lommila bus stop after 25 minutes and possibly a second change in Huittinen after 2,5h or in Turku).
From Helsinki-Vantaa Airport there is a train to Helsinki railway station. Tickets from a machine or R-kioski. There is no train to Rauma! Your can continue with the train to Turku, walk from the Turku railway station to a Turku bus station and take a bus to Rauma.
Best is to take the train to Helsinki railway station, walk 600 meters to Helsinki Kamppi bus station and take a bus to Rauma.
A site for bus time tables: www.matkahuolto.fi, also for the leaves from the Helsinki-Vantaa airport.
Cheap busses Helsinki-Rauma and also elsewhere in in Finland www.onnibus.com starting from 5 €. Busses between the cities to cost around 10-20 € (Turku), 15 € (Tampere) and 10 € (Pori) one way ticket. Online reductions (tickets with 5–15€) for the tickets bought in advance.
A site for Turku transports: http://www.finavia.fi/airports/airport_turku
A taxi from Turku airport to the Turku bus station costs around 14 €
Arriving with a ferry: from Stockholm (Sweden) there are two companies Tallink Silja and Viking Line. The voyage takes 12 hours, a daytime ferry or a night ferry available. Straight bus connections from the Turku harbour to Rauma.
Artists will be guided from the Rauma bus station to the apartment, 600 meters.

Evaluation

The person-in-residency are expected to provide a written report on their stay and work at the residency. A form Artist feedback and a Statistic form needs to be filled before departure. Both can be found on the web site.

Other FAQ

Health Department (Kansaneläkelaitos, KELA) offers information for staying in Finland. Information of Healt care during a temporary stay in Finland and European Healt Insurance Card.
School year in Finland. School year starts in mid August. There is an autumn holiday in the end of October (in Rauma week 43) and the term ends few days before the Christmas.  Spring term starts after Epiphany the 6th of January, sport holiday is in the end of February (in Rauma week 8), Easter holiday is fours days (Friday-Monday) and schools end on the 31st of May–4th June.
Please read more about Finnish holidays and Lutheran observances from Time and date.