As an artist founded and operated residency, the Mudhouse’s ethos continues to be to provide an increasingly diverse group of artists an affordable, international residency experience. Determined by a selection committee, Full fellowships are based on the merit of the applicants work while Partial fellowships are need based.

Artists are asked to submit an application through SlideRoom, with the link on our application page.

The Full Fellowship Award includes accommodations, studio space and two meals each day for the two week duration of the residency at no cost to the artist. The artist is responsible for their own travel to the residency, any additional groceries, art supplies or excursions outside of the village. The Full fellowship is determined by a selection committee based on the merit of the applicants work.

The General Application allows the artist to choose from two residency fee tiers. The residency fee includes accommodations, studio space and two meals each day for the two week duration of the residency. The artist is responsible for their own travel to the residency, any additional groceries, art supplies or excursions outside of the village. Artists who are able to pay the full residency fee may select to pay $4400 in their application. Artists who require a partial fellowship to attend may select to be considered for a partial fellowship, for a residency fee of $3600.

Artists are welcome to apply to both the Full Fellowship Award and the General Application.

The Full Fellowship Award is very competitive, in 2024 it received 200 applications. Artists who apply for the Full Fellowship award will not be automatically considered for the General application.

The accommodations for each artist include a private bedroom and either a private bathroom or a bathroom shared with no more than one other artist. Each apartment also has a shared kitchen. All of the accommodations in the village are unique, as they are the guest homes of the village’s residents. Room assignments are at the discretion of the directors, with attention paid to the artist’s discipline. Studio artists are housed close to the studio, writers are housed in accommodations with adequate work space, etc. To see some images of the accommodations we have used in the past, look at our photos page. All the accommodations come with bath towels and bed linens.

The studio is a shared facility in the village’s renovated original one-room school house, with dedicated, individual workspaces within; including a table, chair, easel and wall space, if desired. The studio is available to the artists 24/7, with electric outlets and electric lighting. It is bright with natural light and airy. The Mudhouse also offers the use of the use of the grand piano/ private concert hall to musicians/ composers in residence. Writers are housed in accommodations with access to a writing/work space.

The Mudhouse does not provide Wifi. There is no Wifi in the Mudhouse, accommodations, or studio building.

For cellular service artists should look into either an international plan with their cellular provider, purchasing a physical Greek sim card upon arrival, or purchasing a temporary travel e-sim.

Artists who want to use wifi on their laptops in their accommodations or in the studio should plan on adding international data to their phone through SIM or data plan, and using it as a hotspot.

Sometimes it is a windy day and there is no wifi service all day! We are on a remote mountain village and cell service/wifi access is not always reliable.

Only spouses that are participating as fellow artists-in-residents are allowed. Children are not allowed as part of the Residency. We encourage our artists to think of this as undisturbed time, a respite from daily life and an opportunity to participate fully in a new community.

Pets are not allowed.

The weather is typically warm during the day, and cooler at night. It is not unusual for temperatures to reach 40 degrees Celsius (or higher) during the day (about 95- 100 degrees Fahrenheit). It is a dry, sunny heat and August will be consistently warmer than June. The Studio building is covered, well ventilated, and equipped with fans. There are very few buildings with air conditioning in the village, but many of the residences are built with thick adobe-like walls that keep the rooms inside cool. Nights may become very cool, artists are encouraged to bring light summer clothing as well as a warm sweater, jacket or long pants for a cool night. There is also the possibility of rain during the day, and it’s a good idea to have a rain jacket and umbrella. Hiking shoes and hiking socks are recommended, as are comfortable walking shoes. Bring a swimsuit, beach towel, sandals, sunscreen, sunglasses, hat, swim goggles and reusable water bottle for a beach trip.

The village is 5.5 miles up a steep, winding mountain road from the coast, a two hour hike each way. There will be a group trip to the beach on the last day of the Residency. If you plan to visit the beach regularly, we encourage you to rent a vehicle.

Artists who are able to pay the full residency fee may select to pay $4400 in their application. Artists who require a partial fellowship to attend may select to be considered for a partial residency fee of $3600.

All prices are listed in USD

Artists are asked to prepare a Pecha Kucha presentation. Pecha Kucha are 20 slides at 20 seconds per slide, for a 6 minute and 40 seconds presentation. Slides will be submitted as a powerpoint presentation by May 1, and arranged ahead of time for the residency presentation evenings.

The closing exhibition will take place at the close of the second week of the Mudhouse. Artists will propose works created during the course of the residency, which will be included in the closing exhibition at the discretion of the directors.

Artists may also choose to organize their own studio visits, informal critiques and readings among themselves.

Mudhouse organized excursions and events include a guided tour of the Minoan archaeological site, artist presentations in the evenings, the closing exhibition, and a beach trip on the last day of the residency.

The residency deposit is non-refundable.

To reserve your spot in the program, artists must submit a non-refundable deposit equal to 35% of the residency fee. If you cancel your residency, this deposit will not be refunded. The remainder of the residency fee is due no later than May 1.

If you have paid additional residency fees beyond the deposit, refunds will be issued according to the following schedule:

-       Before May 1: 65% of residency fees (excluding the deposit) will be refunded

-       On or after May 1: No residency fees will be refunded

If you wish to reschedule your residency to a different session within the same calendar year after submitting the non-refundable deposit, we will attempt to accommodate the request if circumstances allow. Rescheduling requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis. All rescheduling requests must be submitted in writing to hello@mudhouseresidency.com

Residencies cannot be rolled over from one year to the next.  

Should there be an unforeseen cancellation of the residency occur due to any extraordinary event beyond the reasonable control of Mudhouse, including but not limited to war, fire, earthquake, flood, strike, pandemic, law or act of governmental authority, or any other event rendering Mudhouse unable to operate the residency, Mudhouse shall notify the Artist in writing as soon as reasonably possible. In such circumstances, 65% of the residency fee attributable to any remaining days of the residency shall be refunded to the Artist.

Personal circumstances affecting the Artist, including illness or injury of the Artist or a family member, family emergencies, personal or professional conflicts, travel difficulties, or a change of plans, shall not in themselves constitute grounds for a refund. Should the Artist be unable to attend or complete the residency due to such circumstances or other extraordinary events, any refund for the remaining portion of the residency fee shall be at the sole discretion of Mudhouse. The Artist shall notify Mudhouse in writing as soon as reasonably possible if they are unable to attend or complete the residency.

The major airport in Crete is in Heraklion. The airport bus station is a short walk after you pass through Customs and exit the airport, across from the car rental area. First, you will need to take the #6, 10 or 19 blue bus to the KTEL central bus station in Heraklion, it comes every 20 minutes, costs 2€ and takes about 12 minutes. At the central bus station in Heraklion, you will take the bus to Ierapetra (it makes a stop in Agios Nikolaos). The buses to Ierapetra, the largest town near the Residency, are €12 - you will need cash for this. The bus takes approximately 2.5 hours.

The KTEL bus schedule is approximate and subject to change. We recommend buying a ticket at the station rather than online, because the most recent schedule will be posted at the bus station.

We will pick you up at the Ierapetra bus stop, stop for groceries, and then drive you to the Residency village of Agios Ioannis, which is about 30 minutes. There are at least three villages on Crete called Agios Ioannis. The Mudhouse Residency is in the village of Agios Ioannis, above Koutsounari, near Ierapetra, in the Lasithi province.

Leaving the Mudhouse is the reverse of arrival, but please keep in mind the transit time. You’ll want to make sure your return flight doesn’t leave before 11am to be safe. There is also taxi service from Heraklion to Agios Ioannis, but it costs around €110 each way.

Occasionally artists have chosen to spend a night in Heraklion before or after the residency because it allows for more flight options. We recommend the GDM Megaron hotel, but there are many nice boutique hotel options in Heraklion. The Archaeological Museum in Heraklion is definitely worth checking out. Peskesi is an incredible restaurant in the city center.

The address for the bus depot in Heraklion is Efessou 102, Iraklio 713 06, Greece (view on Google Maps). You don’t need to buy your bus tickets online, you can purchase tickets at the bus depot. Heraklion is a small city, and very walkable. Heraklion is also the port city for an overnight ferry from Athens (Piraeus). If you choose to take the ferry, we recommend the Minoan Lines. You can book a deck seat (cheapest) and spend the night in the lounge on a couch (bring a pillow and blanket!), or you may book a shared or private cabin. The ferry departs approximately 9pm and arrives in Heraklion approximately 6:30am.

It’s not necessary to rent a car, but keep in mind that there is no public transportation in the village, and it’s about a 5.5 mile hike down to the nearest beach and convenience store. If you are renting a car, download and print (do it!) these driving directions to arrive at the Mudhouse (Google Maps will try to take you over goat paths, DO NOT FOLLOW GOOGLE MAPS). You no longer need an international driver’s license to rent a car on Crete, only a valid driver’s license from your country of origin.

If your residency begins on the 10th of June, for example, you should plan to arrive in Ierapetra at some point during the day on June 10th. This means taking the bus from Heraklion to Ierapetra on June 10th, where the Mudhouse Residency staff will pick you up and bring you to the village of Agios Ioannis. We will have lunch and dinner for artists arriving on the first day of the session.

If your residency ends on June 24th, this means the Mudhouse staff will be coordinating trips to take the artists to Ierapetra at different times during the day on June 24th. There will be lunch provided for those artists still in the village during the day, but there will be no dinner or accommodations for that evening.

For artists who choose to spend the night in Ierapetra, and take the bus to Heraklion the next day, we recommend the Cretan Villa Hotel and Casablanca nearby for late night snacks and drinks, as well as breakfast in the morning. We also recommend visiting Yiannis and Maria at their store By the Sea in Ierapetra.

You should rent a car if you plan on doing much of your work outside of the village, along the coast or exploring the countryside. Cars can be rented at the Heraklion airport or seaport, and are typically very cheap for manual transmission economy cars.

Lunch and dinner on most days are provided by Mudhouse and served family-style at the Kafeneio. Meals feature traditional Cretan Mountain cuisine, often incorporating fresh vegetables and herbs grown in the gardens surrounding the village, seasonal produce, salads, and meat.

Artists must communicate any food allergies or dietary restrictions in advance through the residency information forms. Mudhouse will make reasonable efforts to take these into account when planning meals. However, all food is prepared in a single, small kitchen at the traditional Kafeneio, and allergen-free preparation cannot be guaranteed. Artists with food allergies or dietary restrictions are responsible for assessing whether the meals provided are suitable for their individual needs. Mudhouse cannot guarantee that all individual dietary needs or preferences can be fully accommodated. Artists with specific dietary requirements may need to supplement the provided meals to ensure their individual nutritional needs are met.

Breakfast is not provided, and artists are responsible for preparing their own breakfast in the kitchens in their accommodations. Upon arrival and approximately halfway through the residency, artists will be taken to a local grocery store where they can purchase breakfast foods, snacks, coffee, tea, drinks, and any additional ingredients or food they wish to prepare during their stay.

No. The village is not handicap accessible. It is a 600 year old village built on the side of a mountain in rural Crete, and there are many steep steps and stairs throughout.

No. There are no stores or supermarkets in the village. The nearest supermarket is in the town of Ierapetra.

There are no art supply stores in the village. The nearest town, Ierapetra, has a print and stationery store, with a small cache of elementary art supplies. Artists must bring the supplies with them that they intend to work with. It is not possible to mail supplies to Mudhouse, so please plan to pack what you will be using.

The Mudhouse Residency does not have a dedicated ceramics facility. We do not have a kiln on our premises. We encourage all artists, including those working in ceramics, to adopt the resources the remote mountain village and our rural studio has to offer.

Many of the artists working in ceramics at Mudhouse use experimentation as a core part of their process. They explore form and material through sketching, photography, and written documentation. After recording their ideas, they often return the work to clay—recycling the material so it can be reshaped again or allowed to return to the earth form which it came. This process allows artists to work through ideas and inspiration while in residency and create their finished, fired works at home where they have access to their regular studio and kiln.

There is a ceramics studio in the town of Ierapetra, called the Tzaros Ceramics facility, where artists can purchase materials, pay a fee for use of the space, and participate in kiln firings. We cannot guarantee the availability of certain materials or that firing schedules will align with your time at Mudhouse. If you are planning to access this space, we advise you rent a car, as Ierapetra is approximately a 20-minute drive from the village.

Artists wishing to access the Tzaros Ceramics facility must communicate this to Mudhouse staff in advance. We will put you into contact with the studio for you to arrange the details.

There is a printing service in Ierapetra at a shop called CopyLand. Prints are inexpensive, and they can print all international A Format sizes, and have different paper options for you to choose from. For artists who want to show large format digital work in the final exhibition, this is a great and affordable option. CopyLand is accessible by car from the Mudhouse. This is the option we suggest for artists wishing to print text or image while at Mudhouse.

There is a Canon PIXMA PRO-100 Inkjet Printer at the Mudhouse, it can accommodate paper up to 13 x 19”. BYO Paper, we recommend the Canon Photo Paper Pro Premium Matte in 13 x 19”. You will need to bring your own ink. You must download the driver for the printer if you plan to use it. You will need to be able to attach a standard USB to your computer (BYO adapter). We do not provide tech support for the printer, so please plan to use it only if you can manage your own printing. Mudhouse does not supply ink or paper for the printer, artists wishing to use the printer must bring their own supplies. Because of the cost of ink, we suggest only planning to use this printer if you will be printing a lot during your stay. Otherwise, the print shop in Ierapetra should be able to satisfy your printing needs.

The Mudhouse has two digital projectors that can be used during the exhibition.