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Assistance to Contemporary Fine Craft Artists and Curators: Project Grants

Deadline

1 March

Program Description

Project Grants provide support for research, professional development, production, networking and career development activities for professional artists and curators (for research only) making a contribution to contemporary fine craft. The project must be significant and advance the long-term artistic and/or career development of the applicant at a key moment in their career. There are three types of project grants, as follows:

  • Research/Professional Development: This type of grant allows for a period of independent research at a key moment in the artistic practice of the fine craft artist. The project must demonstrate the capacity to advance the artistic practice of the artist. The grant also supports critics and curators in the research of editorial or curatorial work leading to the production of articles, books and exhibitions in the field of contemporary Canadian craft.
  • Production: This grant supports production costs of one or more works where there is at least one confirmed public presentation of the work(s) in a professional context. Production support is also available to assist fine craft artists in the development and fabrication of one or several production-line prototypes. The project must demonstrate the capacity to advance the career of the artist.
  • Career Development: This grant supports the advancement of an artist’s career through development of specific tools such as websites and portfolios, career development activities, and (or) the growth of a professional network with partners such as critics, curators, art dealers or publishers. The applicant must demonstrate that the project occurs in a key period with regard to its impact on the progression of his or her career.

Applicants may apply to only ONE of the above project grant types per deadline.

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Eligibility

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 also meet the Canada Council’s definition of a professional artist, which is an artist who:

  • has completed his or her basic training (university or college graduation or the equivalent in specialized training, such as two or three years of self-directed study or apprenticeships)
  • 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 of a professional fine craft artist or curator, you must have:

  • produced an independent body of work
  • made at least three public presentations of work in a professional context over a three year period
  • maintained an independent professional practice for at least three years
  • critics must have at least three publications to their credit; curators must have produced at least three exhibitions or publications.

Students are not eligible.

This Canada Council program is 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 fine craft 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 Aboriginal and culturally diverse communities in the Visual Arts Section and, if necessary, in collaboration with peers in the milieu

Specific Eligibility Criteria

Production

In addition to the general eligibility criteria described above, you must have one confirmed public presentation in a professional context.

Career Development

In addition to the general eligibility criteria described above, you must provide a detailed work plan and confirmed activities, such as a professional meeting, an exhibition, public presentation or a publication.

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Grant Amount

The maximum grant amount that you can receive from this component of the program is $20,000.

You are expected to determine the amount of your grant request based on your needs, the period of time required for the project and the budget guidelines provided under each project grant type described below. You may not be awarded the full grant amount requested.

The Canada Council does not provide retroactive funding.  In other words, grant funds cannot be used to cover expenses that occur before the application deadline.

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Application Form

Assistance to Contemporary Fine Craft Artists and Curators: Project Grants (PDF Format)
This form can only be printed and cannot be filled out on-line.

OR

To apply for a grant online go to GO! Grants Online

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Further Information

José Niaison
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. 5269

TTY: 1-866-585-5559

January 2010