Research Residencies in Canada

Avatar Audio and Electronic Art

Québec, Canada

Avatar is an artist-run centre in Québec City dedicated to research, creation, production, and dissemination of audio and electronic artworks. The organization offers multiple residency programs ranging from one to four weeks, designed to support emerging and established artists in developing innovative sound art projects with access to specialized studios, equipment, and technical expertise.

Ayatana Artists' Research

Ottawa, Canada

The Ayatana Artists' Research Program, now known as Biophilium, is a Canadian artist residency focused on encouraging artists' engagement with wildlife, ecology, nature, and life sciences through thematic research expeditions, seminars, and workshops. It previously offered weeklong in-person stays with excursions to natural habitats, labs, and observatories near Ottawa, including housing and meals, but has shifted to two-week online study seminars. Connections are maintained with Ottawa institutions like the National Gallery of Canada and local universities.

Canadian Centre for Architecture

Montreal, Canada

The Canadian Centre for Architecture (CCA) in Montreal offers the Emerging Curator Residency Program, enabling emerging curators under 30 to propose and develop innovative projects on contemporary architecture, urban issues, landscape design, and related dynamics during a three-month residency. Finalists undergo a two-month remote mentorship in , with the selected candidate residing on-site between January and June to collaborate with the CCA team, culminating in project completion by . The program provides financial support including CAD 12,000 for travel, housing, and living expenses, plus separate project production funding.

The Daniel Langlois Foundation in Montreal offered a Researchers in Residence program supporting doctoral or post-doctoral researchers and equivalent artists exploring innovative approaches at the intersection of art, science, and technology, particularly new media. Residents worked at the Centre for Research and Documentation (CR+D), accessing computer workstations, digital collections, high-speed internet, and technical support. The program ran actively from around to but appears inactive today, with a funding moratorium noted in for other grants.

Fogo Island Arts

Fogo Island, Canada

Fogo Island Arts is an international residency program founded in 2008 that invites professional contemporary artists, curators, writers, filmmakers, musicians, designers, and thinkers to live and work on Fogo Island, Newfoundland, Canada, fostering creation, research, and connections around themes of sustainability, ecology, economy, and belonging. Residents stay in saltbox houses within local communities, with access to individual studios in scenic locations, and are expected to engage publicly through presentations or workshops. The program, part of the Shorefast Foundation, supports a range of disciplines and has specific opportunities like the fully funded 6-8 week Newfoundland and Labrador Artist Residency.

Gibraltar Point Centre for the Arts

Toronto, Canada

Gibraltar Point Centre for the Arts offers fully subsidized month-long residencies for professional artists on Toronto Islands, providing uninterrupted time to think, create, and experiment. The center hosts various residency types including self-directed programs, thematic residencies, and specialized programs like graduate research-creation residencies, accommodating up to 19 residents at a time.

La Chambre Blanche

Québec, Canada

La Chambre Blanche is an artist-run centre in Québec City, Canada, founded in 1978, dedicated to promoting experimentation and dissemination in visual and digital arts, including performance, photography, installation, and new media practices. It offers research residencies and master's degree residencies to artists and curators, providing opportunities to explore artistic practice, production, and contemporary cultural issues in real and virtual spaces. The centre serves as a hub for artists, makers, and the community interested in visual arts and digital innovation.

Toronto Artscape Inc.

Toronto, Canada

Toronto Artscape Inc. operates artist residency programs, most notably at Artscape Gibraltar Point on the Toronto Islands, offering affordable short-term studio and accommodation rentals for artists seeking focused creative work in a distraction-free environment. The organization is a not-for-profit that develops real estate projects, programs and services to empower artists and connect them to communities across Toronto.

University of Victoria & Jeffrey Rubinoff Sculpture Park Artist Scholar Residency

Victoria, Canada

The University of Victoria & Jeffrey Rubinoff Sculpture Park Artist Scholar Residency is an annual program for artists and scholars to create work for exhibition or publication inspired by Jeffrey Rubinoff’s sculptures and the park experience, typically spanning 2-6 weeks in September-October at the Sculpture Park on Hornby Island, BC, plus one week at UVic in Victoria to engage with faculty and students.