Long-Term Grants to Artists and Curators
The Canada Council for the Arts is committed to equity and inclusion, and welcomes applications from diverse Aboriginal, cultural and regional communities, including people with disabilities.
Program Description
Programs of work must be designed to advance the long-term artistic and career development of the applicant and include activities in at least two of the following:
- research/professional development
- production of a new work
- production for a public presentation
- career development.
Deadline(s)
Grant Amount
Eligibility
Eligibility of Applicants
Note that meeting the eligibility criteria does not guarantee that you will receive a grant.
General eligibility criteria
To apply to this program, you must be a Canadian citizen or have permanent resident status, as defined by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. You do not need to be living in Canada when you apply.
You must also 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 a professional by his or her peers (artists working in the same artistic traditions)
- is committed to devoting more time to artistic activity, if possible financially.
To meet the definition of a professional fine craft artist or curator, you must also have:
- produced an independent body of work
- maintained an independent professional practice for at least three years
- for an artist: had at least three public presentations of work in a professional context over a three year period
- for a curator: curated at least three exhibitions or public presentations of contemporary fine crafts in a professional context over a three-year period.
Specific Eligibility Criteria
In addition to meeting the general eligibility criteria above, you must:
- show evidence of outstanding artistic achievement with at least three exhibitions of international, national, provincial or territorial importance in contemporary fine craft
- have at least one exhibition, public presentation, publication or other professional engagement confirmed for the grant period (if you are applying for support of production for public presentation or career development activities)
- have received critical recognition through three published reviews or catalogue texts
- have received at least one creation or one production or similar grant from the Canada Council for the Arts or other arts funding agency or foundation (you must indicate this in your curriculum vitae or résumé).
Eligibility of Programs of Work
Programs of work supported by this grant must include a series of opportunities in the areas of research, production, career and/or networking development.
Your program of work must include at least two of the following activities:
- Research/professional development: A period of independent research at a key period in your artistic practice. For example, this could be defined as time away to research, explore or open oneself up to new concepts, techniques, materials, processes, or ways of working.This may include participation in artist residencies and other professional development activities. The grants also support curators in the research of editorial or curatorial work leading to the production of articles, books and exhibitions in the field of contemporary Canadian fine craft.
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Production of new work: The production of one or more new bodies of work. The project(s) must demonstrate the capacity to advance your practice.
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Production for public presentation: The production of one or more works for which you have at least one confirmed public exhibition. The presentation of your work must be in a professional context that marks an expansion or advancement in the level of recognition or critical reception and dissemination of your work.
- Career development: A period of activities that advances your career. An example is travel and research to expand a professional network with partners such as curators, art dealers or publishers. Career development activities can include the development of promotional tools such as a website, or a portfolio. You must demonstrate that the project occurs in a key period that affects the progression of your career. For example, this could be defined as a time when focusing on the career aspects of your practice can fully take advantage of recent increased interest in your work.
Further Information
Program Officer
Visual Arts Section
1-800-263-5588 (toll-free) or (613) 566-4414, ext. 5269
More info can be found here.
