Here and There art installation at Sunset Community Centre

How the Artists in Communities residencies work

What you need to know

Each year, several community centres profile local issues and interests, and host selected artists to carry out projects in work-only residencies that respond to these profiles.

  1. Community cultural development principles
  2. Eligibility and budget
  3. Prepare your application and apply
  4. Selection process

Key dates

Application deadline extended to noon on October 18, 2021.

  • Jury selection and interviews: November
  • Selected artists announced: January 2022
  • Residencies complete and final reports due: December 2022

Community centre associations and Park Board staff, with the support of artists experienced in community-engagement, select artists for the residencies.

If your project is awarded a residency, you will devote around 300 hours to research and develop your project, complete it with community members, and publish a blog and final report. Along the way, you will work with Park Board community arts programmers, community centre staff, the public, and local partners.

Community cultural development principles

Successful project proposals apply the principles of community cultural development:

  • Supporting artists working in community contexts
  • Encouraging the development of a wide variety of interactions between artists and community members
  • Providing a framework for creative collaboration between artist and communities
  • Encouraging and supporting artistic projects that leave a physical or social legacy in the community
  • Making our communities more vibrant
  • Inspiring participation and relationship-building
  • Engaging communities and people – even those who don't see themselves as artists – as creators, producers, performers, and active audiences

Creekside stroller dance

Drawdown at Cambie

Eligibility and budget

Eligibility

Open to artists and artist teams working in any and all discipline and living in Metro Vancouver.

An artist or artist team can only be awarded one residency per year, and no more than two residencies in a four year period.

Our funding no longer supports murals, tile mosaics, or banners as there are alternative funding avenues for these.

Budget

  • Artist fee: $10,000
  • Materials: $2,000

Flax harvest at Trillium Park North

Julie Chapple and Elisa Thorn at Coal Harbour Community Centre

Prepare your application

Community centre profiles

When you apply for a residency, address the community centre's goals, interests, issues, and neighbourhood context using the community centre profile.

View the profiles of community centres with residency opportunities:

Gather the required materials

  1. A project description outline:
    • Length: up to 1 page per community centre you apply to
    • File format: PDF or Word
    • Describe your project in relation to the community centre profiles' interests and issues. If applying to multiple centres, provide a project description for each centre.
    • Describe how this project is based on principles of community cultural development and how it will engage this particular community. Give specific examples of how these principles will be realized in your proposed project. 
  2. A current CV
    • Length: up to 2 pages for individual artists, up to 1 page per artist for artist teams
    • File format: PDF or Word
  3. Supporting documentation 
    • Include examples of your current art form in either of the following media:  photos, video, or audio
    • Documentation of successful works created in a community context is highly recommended
    • Number: Up to 10 items and 3 audio or visual files. Excess items will not be presented to the jury.
      • Images:
        • File format: JPG or TIFF
        • File size: less than 3 MB
        • Resolution: less than 300 dpi
      • Video:
        • File format: QuickTime, RealPlayer, Windows Media Player, or Flash Player
        • Duration: all samples combined must not exceed a maximum of ten minutes. Any media that surpasses the cumulative ten minute mark will not be viewed.
      • Audio:
        • File format: MP3, AIFF files, or online platforms (example: SoundCloud)
        • Duration: all samples combined must not exceed a maximum of ten minutes. Any media that surpasses the cumulative ten minute mark will not be viewed.
  4. A documentation list of your works and their viewing order:
    • File format: PDF or DOC
    • Include your name and for each work, its title, media, format (example: QuickTime, MP3, or full online address), dimensions (if applicable), location, and date
    • Mac users must include “.jpg” at the end of each image file

Selection process

Program in-depth