2025 AGO x RBC Artist-in-Residence Program

Call for Proposals: A Three-Month Residency for Early Career Artists

Deadline for Submissions: October 31, 2024, 5:00 PM ET
The residencies will occur between January and October, 2025

Apply Now

Are you an early career artist looking for mentorship and the chance to develop your artwork at the Art Gallery of Ontario?

The 2025 AGO x RBC Artist-in-Residence Program will support three artist projects, each to be developed over a three-month residency and shared with AGO visitors. Artists are asked to respond to one of the three unique residency formats in their proposals. We invite artists to think about the engagement of people in the museum context and how personal experience and one’s expanded practice shapes their project in the context of the AGO.

We are looking for early career artists and collectives interested in creating and developing artworks from a broad range of art practices (e.g., maker and/or social experiences, experience design, live performances, etc.)

This residency may also be hybrid, with opportunities to connect both in-person and online with AGO staff and audiences. Three consecutive three-month residencies will run between January and October, 2025. Artists are invited to take inspiration from a specific AGO collecting area, artwork, or genre, a current or upcoming exhibition or an area of expertise within the museum, including conservation, library & archives, and education & public programs.

Engagement with AGO audiences—whether broadly defined or specific to one’s area or research-creation and its alignment to one of the three thematic calls—is at the heart of this residency. Proposals must explain how AGO visitors, staff, and other collaborators will interact or engage with and through the project.

What residency period do I apply to?

There are three (3) distinct residencies: the Winter residency will engage with younger audiences in the media of your choice; the Spring residency will engage with youth through a range of practices; and the Summer residency engages with people through performance or new media.

You may only select one of these three (3) residencies.

Please review the three residency options and select the one that best fits your project and art practice.

Winter Residency: January – March 2025

We are seeking project proposals from emerging artists and collectives with community-engaged practices that focus on young audiences. Successful projects will engage with the AGO’s diverse collection of artworks and exhibitions in creating a large-scale installation that fosters public interaction and collaborative artmaking. The project will be co-developed with our learning team and presented as part of March Break, 2025.

Spring Residency: April – June 2025

We are seeking proposals from emerging artists, collectives, and youth groups that are interested in youth and community engagement. Notions of care, youth mentorship, and skill development are possible modes of engagement, as well as being open to expanded approaches to art making.

Summer Residency: July – September 2025

If you are an emerging artist working in live or new media, and can imagine your work benefiting from a three-month residency at the Art Gallery of Ontario, please apply. We are looking for a project proposal best suited to a museum setting. As part of the residency, in addition to presenting your project, you can also access various parts of the institution and their associated experts.

Selected artists will receive:

  • Mentorship for early career artists to develop their project (i.e., meetings with the AGO mentors are taken in-person and may be undertaken remotely based on residency plan)

  • Daily access to the Anne Lind Artist-in-Residence Studio, exclusively used by the artist (applicants are to describe expected use of on-site studio)

  • Artist budget of $10K (inclusive of travel, if applicable, per diem, and collaborators' costs) with a smaller but incremental budget for materials and presentation

Who should apply?

  • Artists who have experience in working with large public audiences and/or maker projects is an asset

  • Artists, individuals, or artist collectives who self-identify as ‘emerging’ and are in the early stages of their artistic career

  • Artists residing in Canada

  • Practicing professional artists with two (2) or more years of experience

  • Applicants from underrepresented communities are encouraged to apply. We welcome applications by populations who have not been equitably represented in museums, including Black, Indigenous, artists of colour, LGBTQAI2S+, women, and persons with disabilities

Please note that we do not accept applications via email or applications sent after the deadline. We encourage you to submit your application well in advance. Deadline for Submissions is October 31, 2024, 5:00 PM ET.

To submit your application, please use the online Application Form.

 

 

FAQs

Who can apply?
  • Artists or collectives with some experience working with large public audiences and/or maker projects
  • Artists, individuals, and artist collectives who self-identify as ‘emerging’ and are in the early stages of their career
  • Artists residing in Canada
  • Practicing professional artists with two (2) or more years of experience
What residency period do I apply to?
  • Select the residency period that best aligns with your project proposal
  • There are three (3) distinct residencies: the winter residency will engage with younger audiences in the media of your choice; the spring residency will engage with youth through a range of practices; and the summer residency engages with people through performance or new media
    • You may only select one of these three (3) residencies
What do I submit?

Complete the online application form, which must include:

  • Artist statement, inclusive of project proposal (500 words max., one page, size 12 font)
  • Proposed project budget
  • Resume/CV (one page, size 12 font)
  • Relevant portfolio: provide a selection of five (5) images of your work in .pdf format, and/or links to videos, which help us understand your artistic practice and its connection to the proposed project
How do I submit an application?

To submit your application, please use the online Application Form.

Late submissions of applications or proposals sent by email will not be accepted.

Please note that we do not accept applications via email or applications sent after the deadline. We encourage you to submit your application well in advance.

How long is the residency period?

The residency period is three months. Once confirmed, successful artists will receive a Winter, Spring, or late Summer 2025 residency period.

How does a hybrid residency work?

This residency will require the successful candidate to develop a weekly schedule with the AGO team, consisting of a research and production schedule and mutually agreed upon check-in discussions or work periods onsite. Artists will be required to maintain minimum weekly meetings onsite (or remotely, as per their project description). Artists have access to the AGO Artist-in-Residence Studio.

When do I receive my budget?
  • Artist Fee: Once artists are selected, they receive 50% of their artist fee upon the start of the residency period and 50% upon completion of their residency project
  • Production Costs: Reimbursed for production costs will be provided once a working budget has been established collaboratively between the artist and the AGO. We do not provide artists with the production fee in advance or prior to sharing invoices for work completed during the residency period
What do I include in my budget?

Artists receive a one-time fee of $10,000 CDN (inclusive of travel, if applicable, per diem and collaborator fees). Additional budget for materials production and presentation costs for the project will be established during the residency period.

$13,000 CDN for the jury review process. This residency uses a co-creative approach, acknowledging there may be unforeseeable costs for the artist within the institutional setting. These will be discussed and modified as needed as part of the residency program’s commitment to mentorship and learning.

What other support do I receive?

Mentorship with select curatorial staff, educators, and other AGO professionals.

Who is the jury?

The jury features members of the AGO’s Education & Programming team and their colleagues across the gallery.

When will results be available?

All applicants will be notified via email by November 30, 2024.

Are there examples of other projects made during a residency at the AGO?

Yes. The program has been running for over 14 years and has enjoyed working with artists with a broad range of practices. Please visit the artist roster page to explore the diverse range of projects that were co-developed with them: https://ago.ca/artist-residence-program-artists

For more information, contact:

Jesse King: [email protected]

Be the first to find out about AGO exhibitions and events, get the behind-the-scenes scoop, and book tickets before your visit.
Sign up to get AGO news right to your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time.