About
NAARCA is a 5-year project that unites artists’ residencies from the Nordic region and beyond to collaborate on research, commissions, institutional change, residency exchange, and education around climate action.
Vision
We envision artist residencies as leaders
in environmental action by testing new methods and practising sustainable behaviours in spaces where private, professional, and public life intertwine.
Mission
We aim to embed the understanding of the four pillars of sustainability – ecological, social, psychological, and cultural – in all the work we do.
Values
- Cooperation
- Experimentation
- Adaptability
- Advocacy
Working beyond borders
NAARCA launched in November 2021 at Cove Park during COP26, co-led by Cove Park and Saari Residence, to build long-term collaboration between the Nordics and Scotland on climate action. In the first iteration of the alliance (2021-2024), the network included seven residencies: Artica Svalbard, Art Hub Copenhagen, Baltic Art Center, Cove Park, Narsaq International Research Station, Saari Residence, and Skaftfell Art Center.
United by shared climate, history, and language, we formed subgroups focused on Art Commissions, Knowledge & Production, and Pedagogy.
From 2022 – 2024, these groups facilitated 8 residency exchanges, 2 art commissions, 7 texts, a podcast series, and created two toolkits: “Creative Climate Champions” for young people and a Sustainability Toolkit for Artists’ Residencies. In May 2024, the network met at Saari Residence to evaluate progress, challenges, and successes, and to plan future development.
In 2025, NAARCA’s next phase focuses on supporting artists through residency exchanges, capacity-building for staff, translation and sharing knowledge from the essays, podcast, and toolkits.