Assistance to Visual Artists: Long-Term Grants
Deadline
1 September 2007
Program Description
Long-Term Grants provide support over a two-year period to professional artists who have made a significant contribution to contemporary visual arts. The period of activity covered by the grant must have a series of opportunities in the fields of research/creation, production, career and networking development. The program of work must be designed to advance the long-term artistic and career development of the artist at a key moment in their career. It must include at least two of the following activities:
- Research/Creation: A period of independent research at a key period in the artistic practice of the artist. This period may include participation in artist residencies and other professional development activities. The project must demonstrate the capacity to advance the artistic practice of the artist.
- Production of a new body of work: The production of one or more new bodies of work. The project(s) must demonstrate the capacity to advance the practice of the artist.
- Production towards a confirmed public presentation of your work: The production of one or more works that are the object of at least one confirmed public presentation in a professional context. The project must demonstrate the capacity to advance the career of the artist.
- Career development: A period of activities that advance an artist’s career. An example is travel and research to expand the growth of a professional network with partners such as critics, curators, art dealers or publishers. This can be done in conjunction with the development of promotional tools such as a website, portfolio or small monographs. You must demonstrate that the project occurs in a key period that affects the progression of your career.
Approximately 15 Long-Term Grants per year will be awarded.
Eligibility
General Eligibility Criteria
To apply to the Canada Council for the Arts, you must be a Canadian citizen or have Permanent Resident status, as defined by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. You must meet the Canada Council’s definition of a professional artist, which is an artist who:
- has specialized training in the field (not necessarily in academic institutions)
- is recognized as such by his or her peers
- is committed to devoting more time to artistic activity, if financially feasible.
To meet the above definition as a visual artist, you must also:
- have produced an independent body of work
- have had at least three public presentations of your work in a professional context over a three-year period, and
- have maintained an independent professional practice for at least three years.
Students are not eligible.
All Canada Council programs are accessible to Aboriginal artists and artists of diverse cultural and regional communities of Canada.
Professional Context
Artists’ public presentations and exhibitions, both in Canada and abroad, must be in a professional organization or context where the artists’ work is recognized by a professional curator, gallery owner/art dealer, or collective of professional artists.
In Canada, to be considered professional, an organization must be a public art gallery, a museum or an artist-run centre that pays a professional fee to participating artists. The condition of paying fees does not apply to commercial galleries or professional venues outside of Canada.
The Canada Council for the Arts recognizes that, for contemporary visual artists from Aboriginal as well as culturally diverse communities, and, in rare cases, artists living in remote areas, the networks for peer recognition and exhibition venues may exist in alternative venues. The acceptance of these venues will be determined with the expertise of representatives of Aboriginal and culturally diverse communities in the Visual Arts Section and, if necessary, in collaboration with peers in the milieu.
Specific Eligibility Criteria
You must:
- have shown evidence of outstanding artistic achievement, with at least three exhibitions of international, national or provincial importance in visual arts
- have a two-year detailed work plan
- have at least one confirmed exhibition, public presentation, publication or other professional engagement during the tenure of the grant (if you are applying to the Production towards a confirmed public presentation or
Career Development components)
- have proven critical recognition through three published reviews or catalogue texts
- have proof of unpaid sabbatical or other professional leave without pay, and
- have received at least one prior Creation/Production or similar grant from the Canada Council for the Arts or other arts funding agency or foundation (must be indicated in the curriculum vitae).
Artists may not hold a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) grant and a Canada Council for the Arts Long-Term Grant at the same time.
Other Restrictions
Educational projects, as well as capital and large equipment costs, are not eligible.
You may apply for only one Canada Council Grant to Professional Artists program in any fiscal year (1 April to 31 March). The Canada Council will also accept from you one request for a Travel Grant per fiscal year.
You can receive a maximum of two Grants to Professional Artists from the Canada Council in any 48-month period. This long-term grant counts as one grant.
Note: If you are an established professional artist who works in more than one discipline, such as Visual Arts and Music, and you meet the eligibility criteria as an established artist in both disciplines, you may apply to two different Grants to Professional Artists programs per fiscal year. You must, however, accept or refuse the first grant offered by the Canada Council within two weeks of the date of the grant notification. If you accept the first grant offered, your other application will be withdrawn from any subsequent competition in that fiscal year.
Each disciplinary section defines its own criteria for determining who is considered to be an established artist. For the Visual Arts Section, established artists are those at a mature stage in their careers who have created an extensive independent body of work and have made a nationally and/or internationally recognized contribution to their discipline through public presentation of their work. Established artists must have at least 15 years of exhibition history, in a professional context.
You may receive a maximum of three Canada Council for the Arts Long-Term Grants in your lifetime.
The program has a two-stage peer assessment process. If your applications have not advanced to the peer assessment committee’s second deliberation stage for three consecutive competitions, you must wait two years before reapplying.
You must send all required support material in one package along with your completed application form. An application that does not include all required support material, including digital material that does not correspond to the guidelines provided in the application form, will be considered incomplete and, therefore, withdrawn from the competition.
Note that meeting the eligibility criteria allows you to apply to the program. It does not, however, guarantee that you will receive a grant.
Grant Amount
The grant amount is $40,000 per year for two consecutive years, to a total of $80,000.
This grant supports a period of comprehensive activities in research, creation, production and career development. Note that grants cannot be used for projects that you have completed before the deadline of the competition. Educational projects, capital and large equipment costs are not eligible. Your work plan may include all, but must include at least two, of the following.
Research/Creation
For studio time and travel for a period of independent research and creation; this may also include participation in residencies and specialized professional development activities (workshops, specialized training, etc.).
Eligible costs include:
- subsistence to a maximum of $2,000 per month
- travel related to activities in the work plan
- costs related to an artist residency
- professional development costs, including training
- studio rental and technical services costs, and
- material costs.
Production of a new body of work or towards a confirmed public presentation
For the production of one or more works or towards at least one confirmed public presentation in a professional context.
Eligible costs include:
- applicant’s honorarium
- studio rental and small equipment costs
- materials
- technical services and other related costs
- salaries and fees to other professionals
- transportation of materials related to the project
- shipping costs for exhibitions outside of Canada or at Canadian venues that do not receive operating support from the Canada Council for the Arts, and
- travel related to production of works.
Costs normally assumed by the exhibiting organization are not eligible.
Career development
For activities that advance an artist’s career, such as travel and research to expand a professional network with partners such as critics, curators, art dealers or publishers. This can be done in conjunction with the development of promotional tools such as websites, portfolios, documentation or small monographs.
Eligible costs include:
- subsistence to a maximum of $2,000 per month
- travel related to activities in the work plan
- portfolio and documentation costs
- promotional activities/websites, and
- technical and career development services.
Application Form
Assistance to Visual Artists: Long-Term Grants (in PDF Acrobat format)
This form can only be printed and cannot be filled out on-line.
Further Information
Michel Gaboury
Program Officer
Visual Arts Section
Canada Council for the Arts
350 Albert Street, P.O. Box 1047
Ottawa ON K1P 5V8
Telephone: 1-800-263-5588 (toll-free) or 613-566-4414, ext. 5265
TTY (TDD) machine, for hearing-impaired callers: 613-565-5194
Fax: 613-566-4332
June 2007