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Assistance to Major International Exhibitions

Deadlines

15 January

If this date falls on a weekend or statutory holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day. Your completed application and all required support material must be postmarked on or before the deadline date.

The Canada Council will not accept applications postmarked after the deadline date, incomplete applications, or those submitted by fax or email. You will not be contacted if your application is incomplete.

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Program Description

This program offers financial support to Canadian visual arts organizations whose primary mandate is to organize, on a recurring basis, major visual arts exhibitions of national and international importance in Canada. The project grant may be annual or multi-year depending on the nature of the project, the date when the application is submitted and the organization’s activity cycle. Multi-year project grants may be awarded for a maximum of three years. They are renewable.

Program Objectives

The objectives of this program are:

  • to promote the development of innovative ideas and practices in visual arts in Canada with respect to arts practice, interpretation and dissemination
  • to promote relationships among visual arts professionals such as artists, curators exhibition commissioners, benefactors and critics, in Canada and abroad
  • to make Canadian and international artists and curators better known to the public
  • to situate Canadian practices in an international context.
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Eligibility

Eligible Applicants

This program is intended for Canadian non-profit organizations that have held at least three exhibitions of this kind. Non-profit museums and art galleries as well as artist-run centres are not eligible for this program since their primary mandate is different.

Eligible projects must contain a minimum of 20% foreign representation.  Organizations not meeting this condition may be eligible to seek support through Project Grants for Organizations in the Visual Arts.

All programs of the Canada Council for the Arts are available to Aboriginal arts organizations and arts organizations in the various cultural and regional communities of Canada. Organizations that wish to participate should submit an application on the attached form. The material submitted must include:

  • a description of the project, including target dates
  • a list of participants, indicating their roles and, if appropriate, a description of their work
  • a budget indicating other potential sources of income
  • relevant support material such as published catalogues, financial statements prepared by a professional firm, a current strategic and/or business plan.
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Grant Amount

The value of the grant varies according to the nature and quality of the submitted applications and available resources. The grant is paid for a period of one to three years. As the grants cannot cover all the costs associated with these events, applicant organizations are encouraged to seek funding from other partners.

Note: The Canada Council reserves the right to reduce, withdraw, delay or suspend a grant in the second or third year of the multi-year cycle if it has concerns about the viability of the organization.

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Assessment of Applications

Assessment Process

Organizations must submit an application form. The assessment is made by a peer assessment committee. Committee members are professionals active in the Canadian visual arts community. They are also selected in an effort to ensure fair representation in terms of gender, generation, Aboriginal peoples, cultural and regional diversity, and the two official languages of Canada. Generally, the results are announced four months after the application deadline.

Assessment Criteria

Applications that meet the eligibility criteria will be assessed according to the following criteria:

  • The artistic merit of the project and its contribution to the advancement of the visual arts in Canada; skill of the professionals involved (50%)
  • Potential public impact (25%)
  • Administrative merit (includes the ability to carry out the project satisfactorily, commitment to pay the artists’ fees; and realistic cost estimates) (25%).
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Application Form

Assistance to Major International Exhibitions (PDF Acrobat format). This form can only be printed and cannot be filled out online.

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Further Information

Michel Gaboury, Program Officer
Visual Arts Section
Canada Council for the Arts
350 Albert Street, P.O. Box 1047
Ottawa ON K1P 5V8

michel.gaboury@canadacouncil.ca

Telephone: 1-800-263-5588 (toll-free) or 613-566-4414, ext. 5265

TTY: 1-866-585-5559

Fax: 613-566-4332

November 2009