Call for applications: Impressions Artist Residency

In collaboration with the Conseil des arts de Montréal.

Deadline for applications : December 10, 2021

The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA), with the support of the Conseil des arts de Montréal (CAM), is launching a call for applications to its Impressions artist residency. For an eight-week period, in March and April 2022, the Museum will open its doors and holdings to a visual artist from one of Montreal’s cultural communities.*.

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

• Is a professional solo visual artist (e.g. in painting, sculpture, video art, installation, photography) who has a basic training in the arts and whose skills are recognized by their peers. The professional artist creates, performs or publishes works for public consumption, is primarily devoted to their art practice and is remunerated for the works they create.
• Belongs to a cultural community or visible minority.**
• Has less than seven years of professional practice in Quebec.
• Has Canadian citizen or permanent resident status in Canada.
• Has resided on the island of Montreal for at least one year.

Please note that MMFA and CAM employees are not eligible to apply for this residency. The same applies to their close relatives. In addition, any submissions from artists whose works are already represented in the MMFA’s collection will not be accepted.

A dialogue between the artist and the MMFA’s collection, unique in its kind in Canada

The Impressions artist residency favours a transversal dialogue by allowing the artist to draw inspiration from the Museum’s collection to carry out a research and creation project. The MMFA is home to the largest and most wide-ranging collection in Canada, with close to 45,000 works, 3,415 of which are on display in its five pavilions. The artist in residence will bring forth an original perspective on this rich and varied collection.

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

This project received financial support from the Conseil des arts de Montréal. Chosen by a jury composed of members from 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 residency will afford the artist the opportunity to conduct research that will serve as the foundation for creating works in the weeks that follow. These works will then be exhibited in the Mezzanine of the Maison du Conseil des arts de Montréal in the months that follow.***

Artist selection criteria:

• Originality of artistic approach
• Flexibility and ability to work independently
• Awareness of the historical and artistic context of the works in the MMFA’s collection
• Potential for the project to have a positive impact on the candidate’s career, the expansion of the Museum’s audiences and the MMFA’s collections.

Those interested must include the following documents in their submission:

• A résumé.
• The duly completed application (see appendix).
• 10 images of their artworks.
• A short biography and description of their artistic approach.
• A letter of intent outlining the proposed research project, its objectives, a proposed work schedule (over eight weeks), the relevance of the residency to their artistic approach, and expected outcomes of the residency.

Submissions must be sent by email in a single PDF file (maximum size 10 MB) by Friday, December 10, 2021, to: appelresidence@mbamtl.org.

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*Due to the pandemic, the MMFA cannot guarantee the selected artist an on-site residency. Despite the extenuating circumstances, the MMFA is committed to offering all necessary support to the artist. The terms of the residency details will be defined in accordance with the health measures in effect in March 2022.

** For an explanation of these terms, as defined by the Conseil des arts de Montréal, please visit www.artsmontreal.org/en/artists/cultural-diversity

*** Due to the pandemic, the CAM cannot guarantee the presentation of an exhibition in the Mezzanine, nor can it guarantee the presentation of all forms of artistic practice, given the technical means at its disposal. In the event the work cannot be exhibited, the CAM and the MMFA will come to an agreement with the artist on an alternative solution (e.g. lecture).