Applications are now open for Made in Sat - Rural Art Residency in Romania / June-September 2027
The residency offers a quiet, rural environment in the North-West Romania, where artists can focus and work independently, while also engaging with the local community, environment, and cultural landscape
Made in Sat Art Residency is an international program designed for visual artists of all fields, writers, and researchers who wish to temporarily relocate to a rural context in order to develop a new project, deepen an ongoing body of work, or focus on long-term research.
Residencies take place once a year, between June and September. Each session can hosts up to four artists, who live on-site and have access to the resources and facilities offered by Made in Sat.
About Made in Sat
Made in Sat (grown from MarinArt local project) was created to build a local cultural infrastructure in a rural area where opportunities for creative exchange were extremely limited. Since 2015, the team has been developing cultural, community, and artistic projects in Marin with a commitment to:
ethical documentation of local stories, craft practices, and everyday life,
curating a textile collection and documenting the practices around textiles
strengthening intergenerational and intercultural dialogue,
providing access to cultural experiences for children and adults in the village,
supporting collaborative practices between artists and local craftspeople,
developing long-term archives related to textiles, traditional knowledge, material culture and contemporary rural lifestyle.
Between 2016–2019, we organized gatherings and a local festival; in 2021, we opened the MarinArt village library, which also functions as a studio space and hosted micro-residencies for Romanian artists leading art-education workshops with local children.
Starting from the winter of 2024, the residency opened to international artists, aiming to create a space where contemporary art, documentary practices, anthropology, environmental studies, and rural life can intersect in a respectful and mutually beneficial way.
During the year, we focus on long-term documentation of traditional practices, textile knowledge, crafts, and the work of regional artisans. We organize workshops with local embroiderers, cultural heritage and textile tours, collaborate with artisans and researchers, and produce documentary films and visual materials. Our mission centers on ethical ethnographic work, cross-cultural exchange, interdisciplinary collaborations, and the integration of artistic practices within documentation and research.
We welcome multidisciplinary artists, especially those working at the intersection of visual arts, cultural studies, environmental research, and social sciences.
Location
The residency is based in Marin, a village in Sălaj County, North-West Romania, with around 600 Romanian inhabitants, mostly elders, small-scale farmers or families who divide their time between Romania and Western Europe. Marin is surrounded by multiethnic villages inhabited by Romanians, Hungarians and Roma communities, creating a diverse cultural background.
Although the village has become more dynamic in recent years, with locals returning from abroad to renovate houses, open small businesses, and bring their children home for the summer, the format of the residency primarily offers a focused, slow rhythm, suitable for artists who want time, and mental space for their practice.
Both residency houses, The Main House and The Blue House, are located on the main street, within walking distance of hills, fields, and forests. The surroundings are ideal for outdoor work, field research, writing, photography, or long walks.
Studio – MarinArt Library & Workspace
The studio is located in the same building as our textile collection and the courtyard of The Blue House.
Residents have access to:
One shared studio room
Work tables, chairs, benches, couch, twin-size day-bed
Traditional 2 pedals loom, with cotton yarn for weaving
Basic tools and materials for painting, collage, crochet and embroidery
A-frame painter’s easel + 10 wooden easels for displaying paints, textiles or other types of work
Microscope
Full access to books
On-going access to MarinArt textile collection, upon availability
Two outdoor working areas (with table, hammock)
Shared kitchen
Shared bathroom
Materials
Artists are expected to bring their own materials, although the studio provides basic supplies (acrylics, paper, some brushes, simple ceramic tools- no throwing wheel). Nearby towns Zalău and Șimleu Silvaniei (25 km) have arts & crafts shops; we can help with transport when needed and online orders from Romania. Please get in touch with us if any specific materials are requiredfor your practice
For ceramic artists:
We collaborate with Szabo Attila Ceramic Studio (Zalău) for glazing and firing. Please note the process can take up to one week.
Accommodation
The Main House, former local family house - for individual artists
Two private bedrooms for residents (+1 for the residency organiser)
Shared kitchen
Two bathrooms with hot water
Common living space
Transit room for each bedroom
Washing machine
Courtyard and orchard
3 minutes to the fields, 15 minutes’ walk to the forest
Rural Art Residency in the the Blue House - for artist duos
Two bedrooms
One bathroom with hot water (wood-heated; must be heated before showering)
Shared kitchen
Private outdoor area, courtyard and orchard
Find out more about this location here - The Blue House in Marin
Dining & Groceries
On the location:
Fully equipped kitchens (induction, electric oven, utensils, spices, shared fridge)
Local options:
One small grocery shop in the village
Supermarkets in Crasna (7 km) and Valcău de Jos (4 km)
Weekly markets: Tuesday & Saturday in Crasna
Local farms offering cow/buffalo cheese, milk, eggs (availability varies depending on the seasons or requests)
Transport
Nearest airport: Cluj-Napoca (CLJ)
Direct hourly buses from Cluj-Napoca to Vârșolț (10 km from Marin)
Train/bus line Budapest – Ciucea (with onward travel to Cluj)
Free pickup available from: Vârșolț, Zalău, Ciucea, Nușfalău
For weekly markets, hitchhiking from Marin to Crasna is common and safe, practiced by local elders as well. When possible, we accompany residents by car, especially during the first visit.
Duration & Available Periods
Minimum two weeks - maximum three months residencies between 1st of June - 1st of October
Costs:
Individual artist - the Main House
2 weeks: €650
4 weeks: €1200
Artist Duo residency - in the Blue House
2 weeks: €1200
4 weeks: €2200
Additional costs to consider:
Travel from your location to Romania & return
Groceries, personal expenses, travel insurance, VISA, art supplies
Visitors:
Partners or friends are welcome any time for free up to 5 days. For more than 7 days, we charge a contribution of 10 euro/night/per person (sharing the bed with the artist).
Residency Application
Open to:
Visual artists (mixed media, textile, painting, illustration, photography, film, etc.)
Writers
Cultural, social science, and environmental researchers
Application file to be sent to office.madeinsat@gmail.com :
CV / Biography
Portfolio, website (if available) + description of artistic practice or research
Motivation letter explaining in max 300 words:
Why you want to join the residency
What you expect from the program
What you plan to work on
Please mention the desired time period of your residency
We encourage residents to share their research or outcomes at the end of the stay, participate in interviews, and allow documentation of their process by the Made in Sat team.
Funding & Support
Made in Sat is a woman-artist-run, self-funded initiative.
Residency fees directly support the maintenance of the space, the team, and the continuation of cultural and documentary projects in the village.
Selected artists are encouraged to apply for grants; we provide:
Official invitation letters (available for VISA as well)
Residency confirmations
Selection Process
Applications will be reviewed by the Made in Sat team based on the following criteria: openness to working within a community setting, interest in rural contexts and the relevance of the project to the themes and facilities of the residency.
We review applications on a rolling basis.
Selected artists will receive an acceptance email, schedule a video call with the curator of the residency, and must confirm their participation within 10 maximum days.
Stay inspired!✨
