BOLSA PADA

2027 OPEN CALL

Applications for 2027 open soon.

  • More information soon.

BOLSA PADA 2027 is a bursary for artists with Portuguese nationality and/or permanent residency in Portugal participate in PADA's international residency programme.

Our international residency programme welcomes artists from different disciplines to stay from 1 or 2 months. We will favour artists who have researched and propose projects suitable to the residency and the surrounding environment.

Preferred dates are asked on the application form. If you would like to apply for alternative dates please let us know. Your flexibility in dates is greatly appreciated and helps us schedule.

Make sure you read and familiarise yourself with the residency programme and guidelines before applying.

Residency Guidelines PDF
A graphic design poster with a textured, abstract background in shades of blue and orange. Overlaid text in white reads "Open Call 2026 Bolsa PADA Candidaturas Ate 10 Agosto," with small text "PA D A" at the bottom left corner.

  • Application is done via an Open Call.

    This is what you will need to apply and begin your preparations:

    - Personal details and contacts

    - Preferred season

    - CV

    - Cover letter introducing yourself and your motivation, including your relation with Barreiro (max. 300 words)

    - Artist statement describing your practice/research and areas of interest (max. 300 words) *

    - Project proposal indicating any particular project you would like to propose for the residency (max. 300 words) *

    - Portfolio (max. 10 pages, 10MB)

    - A few sentences about how your project will minimise its impact on the environment

    * As an international residency, artists applying must be comfortable communicating in English; the application form you'll find ‘pt’ and ‘en’ fields to fill in with your artist statement and project proposal, all other entries must be written in English.

Application Form (CLOSED)
People walking on a dirt path near an old, abandoned industrial site with a tall, weathered chimney and dilapidated building structures under a clear sky.
An art display in a gallery featuring various photographs and print materials related to mountains on a white wall. A wooden table with brochures or postcards and a wooden bookshelf are also visible.
An art gallery display featuring a table covered with pink and gray abstract sculptures and paper artworks on the wall behind it.
A table covered with white fabric displaying sea shells, a glass jar with dark objects inside, and a few orange pieces of coral or shell.
An artist is painting on a large canvas in an art studio, surrounded by colorful abstract paintings, with art supplies on a table nearby.
Person with short blonde hair taking a photo of artwork on gallery wall with a smartphone.
Two people in an art gallery or studio with white walls, hanging metal sculptures, ladders, and a colorful abstract painting on the wall. One person is jumping with arms raised, and the other is looking up at the sculptures.
An artist with short dark hair and glasses working on a watercolor painting in a studio, wearing a black shirt and a paint-spattered apron, with various artworks and sketches on the wall behind her.
Person with blonde hair creating abstract art on a table in a colorful, spray-painted studio with bottles of paint and art supplies on a nearby cart.
A woman working on a sewing machine in an art studio with colorful paper, fabric, and art projects around her.
Woman in black jacket and beanie holding paper, standing in an abandoned warehouse with geometric sculptures on the ground behind her, and another person crouching in the background.
People gathered in an art gallery with abstract and modern art on the walls, some standing, one sitting on the floor, and one sitting on the ground with legs crossed.

The residency includes

Programme of Activities and Support

We believe dialogue is important for a rich studio practice, and the residency programme has been developed with this in mind. By organising monthly activities, artists have the opportunity to engage with each other and develop new contacts.

PADA provides structured opportunities for artistic development through a programme of tours, presentations, critiques, and mentoring:

  • Artists are taken to the Industrial Museum, where a local historian will do a brief introduction to the history of Companhia União Fabril (CUF). Artists that would like to work with the archives, can make further meetings.

  • PADA provides a 2h walking tour to the restricted areas of the industrial park (old Sotinco Paint Factory and the North side of the Industrial Park) to introduce artists to the contemporary reality of the area.

  • The curator of the residency prepares and conducts a tour to some galleries, artist-run spaces, artists’ studios and other exhibitions venues or projects in Lisbon. This is aimed to expand the artists network within Lisbon and showcase some of the Portuguese art scene.

  • At the start of the residency, artists give a short, informal 10-minute introduction to their practice. These sessions are led by the residency curator and PADA’s founder, who also outline the programme ahead.

  • Artists receive two in-depth studio visits with the curator—early and mid-residency—to discuss goals, ideas, and progress. These meetings support critical reflection and professional exchange.

  • Mid-residency group critiques are held in the studios, offering artists the chance to present their work-in-progress and receive feedback from peers, the director, and curator.

  • Final critiques are held in the gallery, where each artist presents up to three finished works. The session supports final exhibition planning and culminates in the selection of works for the concluding group show.

Facilities

  • 36 m2 studio

  • Accommodation in a private double bedroom

  • Access to all PADA Studios facilities, including gallery and workshop

  • Access to the restricted areas of the Industrial Park

The Bursary

In 2025 PADA launched a residency bursary exclusive to Portuguese artists (or artists with other nationality, but permanently living in Portugal), after several years of refining and solidifying its activity. This bursary covers the international residency participation fee, however, does not include a pecuniary grant, materials nor meals.

Selection criteria

• Quality of work and commitment

• Applications that take into consideration PADA´s unique location and facilities

• Unique perspective and approach

• Interest and willingness to work and live in a community of artists

• Clarity and focus of proposal

After applying

Artists will be informed about the success of the application.

After receiving the invitation the artist will be asked to pay a 50% deposit to hold their place in the program within 14 days and two-part agreement between the prospective resident and PADA will be signed. A copy of that agreement can be requested in advance should you have any questions.

Cancellations have to be announced with as much notice as possible. The deposit is not refundable in case of short cancellation.

We encourage artists to apply for individual funding to cover the residency costs. Make sure to inform us as soon as possible when applying for funding. We help all successful applicants with letters of support.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.

  • Not being in crowded Lisbon - but being in this sort of urban hinterland was just so perfect for me. The open sunlit De-Chirico-esque landscape fed into a de-cluttered mental space - it was like being cut adrift in the best possible way - a sense of freedom and time to explore.

    Matthew Swift

  • I enjoyed every single minute of it!! - The residency at PADA is truly one of the best things I have done. The time, space and freedom the residency provided me enabled me to test and explore new materials and ways of working, to think and consider the properties of the materials I was using and why. I came to PADA with an intention and left with a completely different body of work than what I had intended and my practice is richer and stronger for it.

    Anna Boland

  • The documentation PADA does for us, filming our work and photography is really helpful to my practice. Often people ask for images of me working because my work is very much about the process but often when I'm working, I'm just working and I've photographed my work but not with myself doing the work. Now I have a reference point.

    Stephanie Pau

Minimalist art installation featuring a circular wooden structure, exposed plywood panels, connected by thin rods, with a small sculpture on top, in a white gallery space with a flag on the wall.
An industrial-style sculpture featuring a large, irregular hole in a white wall, with yellow plastic lattice material outlining the opening on the floor and hanging along the wall edges.
Mixed media art installation of a horse sculpture made from wood, fabric, and other materials, situated in a white gallery space with a hanging apron or bag on the wall.
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