About the residency
The Keesing Studio residency at the Cité internationale des arts is an opportunity for writers to direct their own program of activity and expand their practice and networks. There are five residencies on offer: three x one month (with $5,000 support), and one x three months (with $12,500 support) and one x six months (with $25,000 support).
The Studio was generously leased in 1985 for 75 years by the late Nancy Keesing to provide Australian writers with the opportunity to live and write in a new and stimulating environment. The Cité provides studio space to professional artists wanting to develop their practice in France. Every month, in partnership with 135 French and international organisations, the Cité’s two complementary sites welcome more than 300 artists from a wide range of disciplines for residencies lasting up to one year.
The diverse range of artists in residence at any one time allows for rich artistic conversations and potential for collaborations. The Cité has a vast network of contacts in Paris and wider France and can assist artists in developing their networks in France. The Cité also organises a program of open studios throughout the year.
Resources to help strengthen your application and maximise your residency experience can be found here.
Creative Australia information pack: Download PDF.
Cité welcome book: Download PDF.
If you need advice about applying, contact an Artists Services Officer.
Meet the latest recipients
Jessica Au
Jessica Au
Jessica Au has worked as a writer, editor and bookseller. Her novel Cold Enough for Snow (2022) won the inaugural Novel Prize and was published by Giramondo, New Directions and Fitzcarraldo Editions, with translations in 18 languages. It won the Victorian Prize for Literature and was shortlisted for The Age Book of the Year Award, the Queensland Literary Awards, and longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award.
Sophie Cunningham
Sophie Cunningham
Sophie Cunningham is a novelist and non-fiction writer with a passion for trees, walking and broader environmental issues. She has posted an image of a tree on her Instagram account @sophtreeofday every day for the last seven years.
The author of nine books, Sophie’s recent work includes This Devastating Fever (Ultimo Press), Flipper and Finnegan – The True Story of How Tiny Jumpers Saved Little Penguins (Albert Street Books) and City of Trees: Essays on Life, Death and the Need for a Forest (Text Publishing). When in the Keesing Studio she plans to work on her next novel, The Whole Earth Catalogue.
A Member of the Order of Australia for her contributions to literature, Sophie is the Chair of the Australian Society of Authors and a non-executive director of the Copyright Agency.
Jessica Wilkinson
Jessica Wilkinson
Jessica Wilkinson is the author of three poetic biographies, Marionette: A Biography of Miss Marion Davies (Vagabond, 2012), Suite for Percy Grainger (Vagabond, 2014), and Music Made Visible: A Biography of George Balanchine (Vagabond, 2019). She is currently developing a fourth manuscript of biographical poems, on artist Mirka Mora. Jessica is the founding editor of Rabbit: a journal for nonfiction poetry and the offshoot Rabbit Poets Series of single-author collections by emerging Australian poets. She co-edited, with Bonny Cassidy, Contemporary Australian Feminist Poetry (Hunter Publishers, 2016) and with Cassandra Atherton, Memory Book: Portraits of Older Australians in Poetry and Watercolours (Hunter Publishers, 2021). She is an academic in the Writing and Publishing discipline at RMIT University, Melbourne.
Who can apply?
- Only individuals may apply to this category.
- You must be a practicing artist or arts worker and an Australian citizen or an Australian permanent resident.
Who cannot apply
You cannot apply if:
- You received a grant, or administered a grant, from Creative Australia in the past and that grant has not been satisfactorily acquitted
- You owe money to Creative Australia
- We will not accept applications from legally constituted organisations.
We will consider applications according to the assessment criteria and will seek recommendations by industry advisors as needed. Successful applicants will be notified of the outcome of their application by mid-February 2024.
Applicants must address the following assessment criteria:
- Artistic merit
- suitability of your practice to the residency program and its artistic environment/offer
- quality of work previously produced, and public and peer response to your work
- Viability
- suitability of your proposal to the residency program
- the skills and artistic ability of your collaborators (if applicable) and their relevance to the proposed activity
- realistic and achievable planning, resource use and evaluation.
- Impact on career
- how the proposed activity strengthens your artistic practice
- the relevance and timeliness of the proposed activity
- how the proposed activity strengthens your capacity as an arts professional, particularly in relation to international development and collaboration.
You should submit support material with your application. Assessors may review this support material to help them gain a better sense of your project.
What you should provide
We do not accept application-related support material submitted via post. Application-related material received by post will not be assessed and will be returned to the sender. If you think you will have difficulty submitting your support material online, or need advice on what type of material to submit, please contact Ellen Dwyer, International Engagement Adviser, Europe on +61 2 9215 9051 or ellen.dwyer@creative.gov.au.
There are three types of support material you may submit:
1. Artistic support material
This should include relevant, recent examples of your artistic or cultural work.
Types of support material we accept
Our preferred method of receiving support material is via URLs (weblinks).
You can provide up to three URLs (weblinks) that link to content that is relevant to your proposal. This may include video, audio, images, or written material.
These URLs can include a total of:
- 10 minutes of video and/or audio recording
- 10 images
- 10 pages of written material (for example, excerpts of literary writing).
Please note: Our assessors will not access any URLs that require them to log in or sign up to a platform. Please do not provide links to Spotify or other applications that require users to log in or pay for access.
If you are linking to media files that are private or password protected like Vimeo, please provide the password in the password field on the application form.
Other accepted file formats
If you cannot supply support material via URLs, you may upload support material to your application in the following formats:
- video (MP4, QuickTime, and Windows Media)
- audio (MP3 and Windows Media)
- images (JPEG and PowerPoint)
- written material (Word and PDF).
2. Biographies and CVs
You can include a brief bio or curriculum vitae (CV) for key artists, personnel or other collaborators involved in your project.
Brief bios or CV information should be presented as a single document no longer than two A4 pages in total.
3. Letters of support
Individuals, groups, or organisations can write letters in support of your project. A support letter should explain how the project or activity will benefit you, other artists or arts professionals, participants, or the broader community. It can also detail the support or involvement of key project partners, or evidence of consultation.
If relevant to your activity, letters of support must provide evidence of appropriate permissions and support from First Nations organisations, communities, and Elders. Please refer to the First Nations Protocols for more information.
You can include up to five letters of support, with each letter not exceeding one A4 page.
The Keesing Studio is in the Cité internationale des arts site in the Marais district.
The studio is on the first floor and approximately 30 sqm, comprising of one large room off an entry, with a partitioned sleeping area, and a small kitchen and bathroom. The furniture is basic, with a bed, bookcase, small table, chairs and a dresser. A larger table and easel may also be requested if necessary.
The Cité is centrally located on the rue Hotel de Ville, which runs beside the Seine, approximately four blocks from the Centre Pompidou, the Louvre, and the Picasso Museum. There are four gallery districts in Paris, all within walking distance of the Cité. Close by is Le Marais, an area with many museums, commercial galleries, cheap restaurants, and coffee shops. The Cité is across the Seine from the Ile de Cité, which is the oldest part of Paris. The nearest metro stops are Pont Marie and St Paul.
The Cité is within easy reach of many literary landmarks in Paris, including the city’s most vibrant bookshops and libraries. Residents are encouraged to make connections with these institutions on, or prior, to arrival to fully immerse themselves in the Paris literary scene.
The Cité’s studios are not wheelchair accessible. Additional access requirements during a residency may be accommodated on request.
The studio is suitable for a single artist or couple, but there is not the space to accommodate children.
Your application must comply with the following Protocols. We may contact you to request further information during the assessment process, or if successful, as a condition of your funding.
Protocols for using First Nations Cultural and Intellectual Property in the Arts
All applications involving First Nations artists, communities or subject matter must adhere to these Protocols, provide evidence of this in their application and support material. More information on the First Nations Protocols is available here.
Commonwealth Child Safe Framework
All successful applicants are required to comply with all Australian law relating to employing or engaging people who work or volunteer with children, including working with children checks and mandatory reporting. Successful organisations who provide services directly to children, or whose funded activities involve contact with children, will additionally be required to implement the National Principles for Child Safe Organisations.
2020-2021
- Yassmin Abdel-Magied
- Kate Cole-Adams
- Eloise Grills
2019-2020
- Kevin Brophy
- Justine Ettler
2018-2019
- Gregory Mackay
- Madeleine O’Dea
2017-2018
- Michelle Wright
- Wayne McCauley
Frequently Asked Questions
Unless stated otherwise in the program description, all residencies are offered for fixed dates and periods of time.
Yes, but this will be at your own cost and we will not be able to provide additional funds towards the extension.
No. You are not required to provide a budget with your application.
It is not essential, but you may want to consider using the ‘Activity Details’ section in the application form to outline the key stages of your proposed residency.
Yes. If successful, you are required to take out travel insurance for the duration of your residency. It is recommended you pay for this from your grant.
The capacity to accommodate children and partners varies for different residencies. Please check the program descriptions for specific requirements. Please note that the programs are limited to the participating artist only and have various limitations e.g. communal living and/or working space or modest living quarters.
Yes, the grant to an individual that accompanies a residency is considered income and taxable. Please visit the Australian Taxation Office website for more information.
The International Residencies Program is dynamic and responsive and the programs on offer may vary from year to year.
Yes. If you are looking for some tips on organising your residency or programs in the region you’re interested in, check out the Tips and Links resources on our International Engagement web page.
There is no limit to the number of international residencies applications you can submit. However, you will need to consider how the assessors will perceive your commitment to a particular residency program and/or market if you have applied for multiple residencies. Each residency requires you to submit a separate application form. Please note, applications to International Engagement funding opportunities do not count as an application to the Creative Australia Grants Program.
Yes, as long as you have satisfactorily acquitted the previous residency grant.
The grant is not intended to cover lost income or rent at home and applicants will need to consider their capacity to undertake the residency prior to applying.
We partner with established and reputable residency providers and each program is unique. Successful applicants will be provided with detailed information about each residency and introductions to the residency providers who will assist artists with making local connections. Our staff are able to provide further advice and contacts, as requested. Artists are also expected to have their own resources, contacts and project plans for the residency.
The grant is a contribution from Creative Australia toward your travel (including airfares and travel insurance) and living costs during the residency period. Applicants are expected to research the cost of living in the residency location they are travelling to. You may need to supplement the grant with your own funds depending on your projected costs for the residency period.
We cannot provide any advice on visa or immigration matters. You must contact the relevant country’s visa service to get current information. We suggest you allow plenty of time to apply for all international visas.