2013

Call For Submission

First Round Deadline Friday August 30, 2013
Description Boarding House Arts Incubator is a one-year studio residency program designed to provide five Guelph area based artists with resources to help them advance their professional careers. Artists are selected through a competitive process in response to an open call for participants. This program aims to support a breadth of artistic practices ranging from media-based work to painting to socially engaged art. At the start of the program, an individual mentoring and goal-based development plan is established with each artist. The plan is developed jointly between the artist and members of the Mentoring Committee. The focus of the plan is both on the artists creative development as an individual and on building their professional capacity as a practicing artist during and after the program. Participants in the program may re-apply for a second year through the open call for participants. Schedule The residency begins on Tuesday October 1, 2013 and runs for twelve months. The mentoring program begins on October 1, 2013 and runs until June 13, 2014. Key events through the year include: Monthly and bi-monthly professional development workshops on topics ranging from grant proposal writing to business planning and dealing with HST to how to approach public galleries and private dealers to further study on the graduate level, other artist residency opportunities in Canada and abroad, and professionally- oriented subjects. In addition, other discussions and readings will be planned concerning selected critical, historical, and theoretical topics relevant to the participating artists in the Incubator Program Artist specific programming based on personal goals. This may include (but is not limited to) meetings, events, panel discussions, and talks by visiting artists, curators, critics, etc. as well as optional individual and group critiques 1 or 2 Open Studio events during the year An opportunity for a commercial gallery show after conclusion of program (awarded based on the development of the artists practice). Program Space A large shared studio for the five artists is located at Boarding House Arts. The space is adjacent to the studio of Boarding House Arts Senior Artist in Residence, Ron Shuebrook. Program Fees and Costs Each artist participating in the program is expected to contribute $125 per month toward the costs of the program. All program participants may also be asked to contribute work for auction or rental or asked in other ways to help support the costs of the Incubator program. These contributions are voluntary and will be discussed prior to the artists commencement of the program. The balance of program costs are provided by Boarding House Arts with the support of private donors.

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Sponsorship Opportunity Two full Incubator Program sponsorships (no fees would apply) are available for recent graduates (within the last two years) of the School of Fine Art and Music at the University of Guelph who are experimenting with socially engaged practice. By definition, art that is socially engaged impacts the public sphere in a deep and meaningful way through co-creative action. It could involve working in collaboration with a particular community in public space, for example. In addition to the studio space and mentoring program described above, this opportunity includes a modest production budget for the creation of a socially engaged project at the end of the program, and the possibility of a field trip to a nearby city such as Toronto and/or bringing in a visiting artist. This opportunity is co-sponsored by Musagetes and the School of Fine Art and Music at the University of Guelph. Eligibility and Application To be eligible for the competition, applicants must be professional working artists or new graduates (within two years of graduation) of a post-secondary school degree in studio arts, or of an educational equivalent. Artists must submit a full application package including the following information: Completed application form (obtained by contacting boardinghousearts@gmail.com) Artist CV outlining education, exhibition history, and awards/scholarships 500 word statement of intent describing how the applicant will benefit from participation in the program and what kind of work they will create in the studio itself 10 digital images and/or short DVD video submission of work produced within two years prior to the application date 2 sealed letters of recommendation. Selection Process A shortlist of applicants will be reviewed by the Boarding House Arts Mentors (see list below). A member of the Faculty of the School of Fine Art and Music will be invited to join the jury for the applications of artists working in socially engaged practice. Mentors will recommend which applicants will be offered a final interview at which time the candidate will be evaluated based on the strength of their application and the ability to demonstrate the following: The artistic merit of previous work The potential impact on artistic practice and career development The commitment to professional advancement and creative risk-taking through self-direction, mentorship, and independent mutual learning with other program participants Residents Responsibilities To maintain the studio infrastructure and care for the studios To be self-motivated and committed to working in a co-operative, shared environment To provide own materials and supplies Application Information Contact info@boardinghousearts.ca for information and to receive an application form. Please note, you must provide your own accommodation - this is not a live-in residency. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis. The first round of applicant reviews will take place during the week of September 2, 2013. The deadline to be included in the first round review is Friday August 30, 2013.


Mentoring Committee The Mentoring Committee is comprised of professionals with a broad range of skills and perspectives: art writing and criticism, art education, curatorial practice, media arts, research, fundraising, grant writing, gallery management and studio practice. The responsibility of the Mentoring Committee is to provide professional guidance to participants. Matches will be made between the individual practices and goals of the artists and the expertise of the mentors. Founding members of the Mentoring Committee include: Ron Shuebrook a nationally and internationally exhibiting artist, educator, writer, and consultant who is the former President of the Ontario College of Art and Design, former Chair and founding coordinator of the MFA Program, Dept. of Fine Art, University of Guelph, former President of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, and former President, Universities Art Association of Canada. He has been faculty in undergraduate and graduate programs at many art colleges and universities in Canada and the U.S. such as York University, NSCAD, New York Studio School, and Haystack Mountain School. Represented by the Olga Korper Gallery, Toronto for more than thirty-five years and, recently by renann isaacs contemporary art, Guelph, his work has been collected by more than sixty public galleries and corporations as well as by numerous individuals. Alissa Firth-Eagland is Program Manager at Musagetes in Guelph. She is a curator and writer, educated at the Ontario College of Art and Design (Honours) and cole du Magasin (Grenoble, France) who has curated projects for the Museum of Contemporary Canadian Art in collaboration with Fado Performance Inc. (Toronto, CA), La Fonderie Darling (Montral, CA), the Western Front (Vancouver, CA), No Soul For Sale Festival at Tate Modern (London, UK), and the Nordic Institute for Contemporary Art (Helsinki, FI), among others. Renann Isaacs has worked in visual and performing arts for most of her career. She began as the purchasing and marketing coordinator for The Isaacs/Innuit Gallery (Toronto), then moved into publishing as the owner of Stride Art and Gallery Guide (South Western Ontario), then into composing, producing and touring two albums under the name Renann. She opened renann isaacs contemporary art in 2010, and has curated the collections of several fundraising events including the Guelph Jazz Festival Art Auction. Scott McGovern is a curator, artist, and educator. He studied at the Ontario College of Art and Design. Since 2005 he has worked as the program director at Ed Video Media Arts Centre in Guelph where he has facilitated over 100 exhibitions, events, and concerts. Scott is involved with Kazoo Fest, Festival of Moving Media, and PS Guelph. Judith Nasby is a curator, writer, and Director/Curator of Macdonald Stewart Art Centre, a public gallery serving the university campus, the city, and region. She is an adjunct professor in the School of Fine Art and Music, University of Guelph. Kirk Roberts is a principal of Tyrcathlen Partners specializing in the redevelopment and adaptive re-use of urban heritage properties. His 30-year career spans the non-profit and corporate sectors. In 2010 he helped found Innovation Guelph, a regional innovation centre. From 1996 2010 he served as a division president and corporate executive vice president at Open Text Corporation. In 1987 he founded and subsequently served as the chief executive of one of Canadas first on-line services and social enterprises providing services to nonprofit organizations. Don Russell born in Stephenville, Newfoundland, earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a specialization in fine art from the University of Guelph in 1995 and completed the Advanced Studies Program at the Dundas Valley School of Arts in 2002. Russell has been awarded numerous grants including those from the Ontario Arts Council and the Mtis Cultural Development Initiative. Russells works are represented in many private, corporate and public collections across North America and Europe. In 2008 one of Russells seminal works from the Water Meditations series was acquired by the Canadiana Fund and is currently housed at Rideau Hall, Ottawa, the official residence of the Governor General of Canada.