Aboriginal Traditional Visual Art Forms Program for Individual Artists
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.
Deadline
15 October
If this date falls on a weekend or statutory holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day. Your completed application form and all required support material must be postmarked on or before the deadline date.
Please refer to the Program Guidelines for detailed information.
Program Description
This program supports Aboriginal artists (working individually or together), to undertake activities that contribute to the knowledge, sharing, understanding and development of Aboriginal traditional art forms. Such activities include research, as well as preservation, creation, production and teaching (sharing the knowledge) of Aboriginal peoples’ traditional visual arts forms.
For this program, individual artists working with other artists are considered as individual applicants.
The term “Aboriginal traditional visual art forms” refers to activities by Aboriginal artists that are directed toward the research, preservation, creation, production, teaching and documentation of objects within Aboriginal communities as well as the broader arts community. These activities involve high levels of technical knowledge and ability, and knowledge of materials and subject.
Through their work, artists who practice Aboriginal traditional visual arts forms show their respect for and knowledge of the historical traditions and the development and context of their art form. They are committed to ensuring the survival of that knowledge for future generations.
Eligibility
Note that meeting the eligibility criteria does not guarantee that you will receive a grant.
Who Can Apply to this Program?
This program is open only to Aboriginal people of Canada, which the Canada Council defines as First Nations, Inuit and Métis people.
Individual Artists
Applicants must be Canadian citizens or have Permanent Resident status, as defined by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. You do not need to be living in Canada when you apply.
To be eligible, artists must demonstrate a continuing commitment to their artistic practice, and have community/regional recognition as fully qualified artists in their art form.
What types of activities does this program support?
This program has three components, and they support the following activities:
1. Research Grants
Under this component, artists can apply for financial support to research the techniques and materials used traditionally by Aboriginal peoples in the making and use of artworks.
2. Creation/Production Grants
This component provides financial assistance for the creation and production of new and innovative works of Aboriginal traditional visual arts.
3. Teaching Grants
Artists can receive financial assistance to teach their art form within their immediate community/region. Funding is also available for organizing workshops, lecture series, conferences and round-tables that expand the knowledge and understanding of Aboriginal traditional visual arts forms.
Grant Amount
Research Grants
Artists may apply for a maximum of $20,000. Grants can be used to cover travel, subsistence (maximum of $2,000 a month), equipment rental, transcription and translation costs.
Creation/Production Grants
Artists may apply for a maximum of $20,000, which can be used to cover the costs of subsistence (maximum of $2,000 a month), materials, equipment rental and travel.
Teaching Grants
Artists may apply for grants of $4,000 to $8,000. The grants are intended to cover honorarium fees, travel expenses, materials, teaching aids and equipment rental.
All Components
Applicants located in the Far North (north of the 60th parallel) or in fly-in communities may apply for additional travel and accommodation costs. A maximum of $5,000 is available for these additional costs.
Further Information
Jim Logan
Program Officer
Visual Arts Section
Canada Council for the Arts
350 Albert Street, P.O. Box 1047
Ottawa ON K1P 5V8
1-800-263-5588 (toll-free) or (613) 566-4414, ext. 5266
TTY: 1-866-585-5559
August 2011