Call for applications - Impressions Artist Residency

In collaboration with the Conseil des arts de Montréal

Deadline for applications : April 5, 2021

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA), with the support of the Conseil des arts de Montréal (CAM), is inviting candidates to submit their applications for the Impressions artist residency. For an eight-week period, from June to August 2021, the Museum will open its doors and holdings to a visual artist from one or more of Montreal’s diverse communities*.

As a leading Montreal institution, the MMFA is committed to supporting original initiatives that provide cultural institutions and creators with an opportunity for mutual enrichment. The Impressions residency is for an artist who meets the following criteria established by the Conseil des arts de Montréal:

• A professional solo visual artist (e.g., in painting, sculpture, video art, installation, performance art, photography) who has core training in the arts and whose abilities have been recognized by his or her peers. Professional artists create, perform or publish works for public presentation, devote themselves primarily to the practice of their art and are remunerated for the works they create.
• An artist from a cultural community or visible minority**
• An artist with less than seven years of professional practice in Quebec
• A Canadian citizen or permanent resident
• A resident of the island of Montreal for at least one year

Please note that MMFA and CAM employees, as well as their family members, may not apply for this residency. In addition, an artist already represented in the MMFA collection may not apply.

A dialogue between the artist and the MMFA’s unique collection

The Impressions artist residency will give the artist the opportunity to engage with the Museum’s collection – an invaluable resource for their research and creation project. With a total of 43,931 works, 3,641 of which are on view in its five pavilions, the MMFA has the largest encyclopedic collection in Canada. The artist in residence will bring an original perspective to these rich and varied works.

A project sponsored by the MMFA and the Conseil des arts de Montréal

This project was made possible through the financial support of the Conseil des arts de Montréal. Chosen by a jury comprising a member from each of the organizations responsible for the program, the artist in residence will receive an honorarium of $4,000 and an allowance of $3,000 ($375 per week for eight weeks), for a total of $7,000. The artist will have an opportunity to conduct research that will be used to create works in the weeks following the residency.

The selection criteria are as follows:

• Originality of artistic approach
• Flexibility and ability to work independently
• Awareness of the historical and artistic significance of the works in the MMFA’s collection
• Impact of the project on the candidate’s career, on the advancement of various communities and on the MMFA’s collections.

Candidates interested in applying should submit:

• Their CV
• The attached application form, duly completed
• 10 images of their artworks
• A short biography and description of their artistic approach
• A letter describing the proposed research project, its intended objectives, a work schedule for the eight weeks of the residency, the project’s relevance in terms of their artistic approach and expected outcomes.

Applications must be sent by email in a single PDF file (maximum size 10 MB) to appelresidence@mbamtl.org by Monday, April 5, 2021.

Download form

* Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the MMFA cannot guarantee an on-site residency to the artist selected. Despite this exceptional situation, the MMFA is committed to lending its support and any necessary assistance to the artist. The residency’s details will be set out according to the health measures in effect in June 2021.

** For more information on the definition of these terms, as determined by the Conseil des arts de Montréal, visit www.artsmontreal.org/en/artists/cultural-diversity