Guide
International residencies for artists from any country
Residencies that genuinely accept applicants from any country — what "international" means in practice, which programs structurally welcome global applicants, and the visa and tax considerations that determine whether you can actually attend.
Most residency lists labeled "international" turn out to be national programs that occasionally accept foreigners. The actually-global residencies — those that structurally welcome applicants from any nationality and that have institutional experience handling international logistics — are a smaller and more useful set than most aggregators suggest. This guide names that set and explains what makes a residency genuinely accessible to artists worldwide rather than nominally open.
The practical filter for "international" is not just whether the application accepts foreign nationalities but whether the program: (1) has hosted artists from multiple continents in recent cohorts, (2) provides visa-letter support and institutional experience with the host country's visa process, (3) covers or offsets travel costs that would otherwise be prohibitive, and (4) provides language support if the host country isn't English-speaking. Programs meeting all four are the focus of this guide.
Section 1
MacDowell — Peterborough, New Hampshire, USA
MacDowell has hosted artists from over 100 countries since its founding in 1907. The application is open to artists of any nationality, with the same selection criteria applied across applicants regardless of country. MacDowell provides visa support letters for accepted international applicants, including the documentation needed for B-1/B-2 visitor visas or O-1 artist visas depending on the residency length. Travel costs to and from MacDowell are not covered in the standard package — accepted international applicants typically arrange their own travel. However, MacDowell does offer some travel grants on a needs-assessed basis for international fellows whose travel costs would be prohibitive. International applicants requesting travel support should mention the need in their application materials. The residency itself is fully funded once you arrive: housing, three meals a day, private studio space, and a stipend. MacDowell's reputation as one of the strongest US fully funded residencies is well-established and the international cohort each year reflects deliberate institutional commitment to global accessibility.Section 2
Rijksakademie — Amsterdam, Netherlands
The Rijksakademie's two-year program is one of the strongest international residencies in Europe, with cohorts consistently drawn from 20–30+ countries. The program is fully funded for accepted artists regardless of nationality, including a monthly stipend, studio space, materials budget, and access to extensive technical workshops. International applicants face the standard Dutch visa requirements for stays over 90 days, but Rijksakademie has decades of institutional experience with the visa process and provides the documentation accepted artists need. Health insurance is included for the duration of the residency. The application is highly competitive — typically 1,000+ applications for around 25 spots. Selection emphasizes the artist's body of work and the panel's read of whether the candidate is at an inflection point that two years of focused work would meaningfully advance. International applicants compete in the same pool as Dutch applicants; nationality is not a tiebreaker.Section 3
Akademie Schloss Solitude — Stuttgart, Germany
Solitude is structurally one of the most internationally-oriented fellowships in Europe. Each cohort intentionally draws artists, writers, and scholars from across the globe, with strong representation from the Global South in recent years. Fully funded — monthly stipend, housing in the baroque palace outside Stuttgart, travel covered, materials allowance. The fellowship is open to early-career artists, writers, and scholars under 35 (with some flexibility). Eligibility is otherwise open across nationalities. Solitude provides comprehensive visa support and German residency documentation for the fellowship period. The selection is competitive but with explicit attention to geographic diversity in the final cohort. International applicants from countries outside the typical North American/Western European pool have realistic chances of selection if the application is strong. Solitude is one of the better residencies for early-career artists from outside the major art-market countries to gain serious European institutional credibility.
These eight residencies are the structurally international tier — programs whose institutional design actively welcomes applicants from any country and that have the operational experience to handle international logistics gracefully. Plenty of other residencies accept international applicants on paper; these are the ones that consistently do in practice and that provide the support an international resident actually needs.
For an artist building international residency credentials, the practical approach is to identify 3–4 of these programs that fit your specific practice and career stage, and concentrate serious applications there over a 2–3 year period. International residencies typically have annual application cycles, so a multi-year campaign is the right timeframe to think in. Browse the OpenCall Radar country filters to surface live deadlines, and pay particular attention to each program's eligibility and funding sections — international accessibility is not always the headline feature, but it's documented if you look for it.
A few practical considerations cut across these programs. The first is timing: international applications typically need to start 6–8 months before the residency itself, allowing time for visa processing after acceptance. An artist accepted to a year-long European residency starting in January needs to begin visa work the previous June or July at the latest. Plan the application calendar with this lead time in mind so a successful acceptance doesn't become a logistics disaster.
The second is health insurance. Most international residencies provide health coverage during the residency itself, but the gap before arrival and after departure can leave the artist uncovered for travel-related health needs. Confirm coverage details with the residency administrator before traveling.
The third is taxation: stipends paid by international residencies are often subject to withholding in the host country, with tax-treaty provisions potentially reducing the rate for non-residents. A net stipend after foreign tax withholding is typically 75–85% of the gross. Plan for the net amount when budgeting, and consult an accountant familiar with cross-border artist taxation if the funding is substantial.
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