Nila House Residency

Production residency

Residency brief

Nila House opened its doors in Jaipur in 2019 and is a flourishing centre of cultural exchange, sitting at the intersection of craft, design, sustainability and community empowerment. As a ground-breaking non-profit initiative located within one of India’s oldest craft centres, Nila House has been honouring and celebrating dozens of Indian craft traditions, although based in and focused on Rajasthan. The pan-India nature of Nila’s work and expertise therefore provides a supportive environment for crafts collaborations and knowledge exchange.

For the first time, in partnership with Villa Swagatam, Nila House will welcome an artist in residence within its premises of a unique heritage value. Through the Nila framework, the resident will be able to interact, work across disciplines and actively engage in community craft projects. This is an invaluable opportunity for applicants hoping to enrich their practice through craft process work or exposure to endangered knowledge systems and their custodians. In turn, the residency aims to provide opportunities for growth and exposure to community groups as well as to the craftspeople themselves.

  • Thematic focus Arts & Crafts (textile, indigo techniques)
  • Location Nila House, Jaipur (Rajasthan)
  • Dates From October to December 2024, or from March to May 2025
  • Length of stay 1 to 3 months (depending on the artistic proposal)
  • Apply Now

Our Space

Nila House, Jaipur (Rajasthan)

As a UNESCO World Heritage City and a Creative City of Crafts and Folk Art, Jaipur - often referred to as “the pink city” – is notoriously known for its craft traditions, which have become one of the strongest pillars of the city’s foundations.

Nila House is located against the backdrop of a Rajasthani home from the 1940s, refurbished by the landmark architect Bijoy Jain from Studio Mumbai. It encompasses a series of open studios, collection showrooms, an archive and research library, an exhibition gallery, a textile vault and artists-in-residence rooms.

Residency conditions

  • The resident should produce an artwork by the end of his/her residency at Nila House.
  • The resident should be willing to loan his/her artworks produced during the residency to Nila for future exhibitions.
  • The resident should be willing to participate in at least one artist talk or presentation of his/her work to fellow residents, students and the Nila community.
  • The resident should be willing to give up to 20% of his/her residency time to participate in various public engagement events such as open studios, talks, performances, workshops, etc. organized by Nila House or the French Institute in India.
  • The resident should be open to documentation of his/her process by Nila as well as to dedicating his/her time, skills or artwork to one of the surrounding craft communities, where mutually deemed to be beneficial.
  • The resident will be provided with studio facilities, as well as workshop rooms and a common terrace.
  • The resident will be provided with on-site accommodation, which includes a separate lockable air-conditioned/heated room with an attached washroom, a laundry space, and an equipped kitchenette to be shared with the other artists.
  • The resident will receive a fixed stipend of INR. 60,000 per month to cover his/her food and living expenses.
  • The resident will receive a residency grant of INR. 50 000 per month.
  • The resident’s travel costs to and from his/her home address will be covered by the French Institute in India.

Eligibility criteria

  • Proficiency in English is required for the applicant.