A place to stay, no expectations, and a city that invites exploration and creativity.

OPEN CALL – 8WEEKSinFEZ

• A place-based artist residency in Fez Medina, Morocco
• Deadline: July 15, 2025
• Residency dates: September–October 2025

ABOUT THE PROGRAMME

Hosted by Fez Art Residency, 8WEEKSinFEZ is a place-based artist residency and cultural storytelling project offering free accommodation to selected visual artists in the historic Fez Medina, Morocco.

Set in the heart of the world’s oldest and largest medina, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest car-free urban zone, the programme invites artists to engage deeply with the living traditions, textures, and creative spirit of the city.

This is a low-pressure, self-directed residency designed to provide artists with time, space, and inspiration — without expectations around production or exhibition.

Whether you join for one week or the full eight, the experience is rooted in creative freedom, cultural immersion, and personal exploration.

ABOUT FEZ ART RESIDENCY

Fez Art Residency is a newly founded, independent, artist-led collective based in the historic Fez Medina, Morocco.

We host artists from around the world through personalised, flexible, place-based residencies that encourage reflection, cultural exchange, and creative exploration, and where the Medina acts as both subject and setting.

Bringing together artists, art accommodation, and creative practice under a single banner, the newly founded residency offers an environment where living, making, and cultural immersion are deeply intertwined.

Our programmes are grounded in the belief that slowing down, working without pressure, and engaging authentically with place can open up new directions in an artist’s practice.

From self-directed retreats to projects like 8WEEKSinFEZ, our approach is informal, supportive, and rooted in the unique cultural rhythms of the city.

ABOUT FEZ

Fez is one of the world’s most captivating cities - a place where tradition, craftsmanship, and creative energy meet. Its UNESCO-listed medina is the oldest and largest in the world, home to the oldest functioning university and the largest car-free urban zone globally.

A city of winding alleyways, vibrant souks, tiled courtyards, a myriad of cats, and centuries-old architecture, Fez offers artists a rich visual and cultural landscape. From artisan workshops and street-side calligraphy to soundscapes of daily life, inspiration is found in every corner.

This is a city that invites slowness, close observation, and deep engagement — making it an ideal setting for artists looking to reconnect with their practice through place, texture, and lived experience.

WHO CAN APPLY?

We welcome applications from:

• Visual artists of all disciplines, including painting, photography, textiles, sculpture, installation, and interdisciplinary or research-based practices
  
• Artists aged 18+, based anywhere in the world
  
• Emerging or established practitioners who are self-directed and open to cultural exchange
  
• Residency language is English

 
WHAT WE OFFER

• Free accommodation in private apartments in a traditional Moroccan townhouse, with rooftop terraces and views of the Medina
  
• Flexible stays of 1 to 8 weeks during September & October 2025
  
• A quiet, self-directed residency environment with no production requirements or deadlines
  
• Optional creative add-ons: studio access, artisan visits, cultural workshops

 
WHAT TO EXPECT

Fez is a place of contrast, beauty, and everyday inspiration - from intricate tilework and ancient architecture to artisan markets and call to prayer. Artists are encouraged to slow down, observe with intention, and explore how the city might inform or shift their practice.

The 8WEEKSinFEZ residency is unstructured by design, offering time for reflection, research, experimentation, and discovery. Artists may use their stay to begin new work, reconnect with dormant ideas, or simply find inspiration in the atmosphere of the city.

Accommodation is located in private apartments within the Medina - quiet, fully equipped, and walking distance to shops, markets, and cultural landmarks.

COSTS & FUNDING

• No application fee
  
• Accommodation is provided free of charge
  
• Artists are responsible for travel, food, materials, insurance, and any add-ons
  
• Fez Art Residency does not currently offer stipends, but can provide a letter of support for artists applying for external funding
  
  

IMPORTANT DATES

• Application Deadline: July 15, 2025
  
• Residency Period: September–October 2025
• Shortlisted artists contacted: 4–6 weeks before residency start