Call for proposals – Maison d’Ariane

The International Garden Festival, presented since 2000 on the site of the Jardins de Métis / Reford Gardens in Gaspésie, is pleased to launch its first call for proposals for its artist residencies at the Maison d’Ariane, in the picturesque village of Métis-sur-Mer. This call is part of the Royal Bank of Canada’s RBC Emerging Artists Project , which helps artists bridge the gap from emerging to established, and supports organizations that provide the best opportunities to advance artists’ careers.

The 2021 call for proposals is open to Canadian artists 35 years of age and under working in the visual arts (painting, sculpture, printmaking, photography, drawing, illustration, multiple techniques, installations, comics, performance and textile arts) or literary arts (written literature, storytelling and spoken word in the literary field). Applications from culturally diverse and First Nations communities will be given careful consideration in order to improve the representation of these artists in the Québec and Canadian cultural landscape.

What we are looking for
Four (4) emerging artists* available for a four (4) week research-creation residency: August 16 to September 12 or September 13 to October 10, 2021. Each residency will bring together two (2) artists, who will live together in accordance with the health measures imposed by government authorities at the time of their residency.

What we offer to artists

• A private room with a workspace adapted to the needs of the artistic discipline
• $2,000 research/creation grant
• A fee of $250 paid for each mediation activity offered to the community
• Living expenses of $350 per week
• Travel expenses up to $500
• Creative and/or production costs, up to $2,000
• Free access to the Jardins de Métis / Reford Gardens and its International Garden Festival, as well as to their facilities, workshops and equipment
  

What we expect from each artist

• Be present during the entire duration of the residence
• Share accommodations with the other selected artist
• Be autonomous and carry out the residence project in accordance with the proposal submitted
• Share the fruit of the creative residency during at least one meeting with the public, at the Maison d’Ariane or at Les Jardins de Métis / Reford Gardens
• Be responsible for the preparation of meals, the maintenance of the bedroom and common areas
  

Mission of the Maison d’Ariane

• To welcome in residence, outside of urban contexts, architects, artists and creators of all forms of artistic and cultural expression, from here and elsewhere, so that they may draw inspiration from their environment to design and create unique works, in dialogue with communities, local organizations and the territory.
• To be a laboratory for experimentation and research that stimulates the creation, invention and imagination of the artists it welcomes and connects.
• The main drivers that guide its actions, both for the creators and for the communities and organizations it serves, are dialogue and exchanges, meetings and sharing.

photo: Marjelaine Sylvestre

photo: Marjelaine Sylvestre

Description of the house
Located a stone’s throw from the St. Lawrence River, in the heart of the village of Métis-sur-Mer, the Maison d’Ariane offers all the comforts of a large historic summer residence. On the second floor, it has five bedrooms, two bathrooms and a powder room with laundry room. The common rooms are all located on the first floor: kitchen and adjoining living room, dining room, living room and screened-in porch. Cultural mediation activities and small exhibitions can be held in the Maison d’Ariane.

COMPOSITION OF THE APPLICATION FORM
The application package (maximum 5 MB) includes two (2) PDF files.

• Completed Identification Form named NAME_FIRST_NAME_RBC_2021
• Description of the residence project named FIRST_NAME_Project_RBC_2021, with, in this order:
  • Personal presentation (1 page)
  • Description of the research/creation project (maximum 3 pages) including:
    • Coherence with your artistic approach
    • Importance of residency in the development of your career
    • Cultural mediation experience offered to the community
    • Technical and material resource requirements (if applicable)
  • Curriculum vitae (maximum 2 pages)
  • Portfolio of previous achievements (maximum 5 pages)

Deadline for applications: Monday, March 15, 2021 before 4:00 p.m. (Québec legal time)
Send by email to: maisonariane@jardinsdemetis.com
Disclosure of selected artists: Week of April 19, 2021

Evaluation criteria and jury
A peer jury of 5 will evaluate each application according to the following criteria:

• Quality and interest of the project (50%)
• Pertinence and scope of your project and how it will benefit La Mitis region, the International Garden Festival and Les Jardins de Métis (30%)
• Artistic path and past achievements (20%)

Applications from artists who are over 35 years of age at the time of their residency, received after the deadline of March 15 at 4:00 p.m. or who do not respect the composition of the application package, as requested above, will not be submitted to the jury.

* For the purposes of this call for proposals, an emerging artist is 35 years of age and under, in the early stages of his career in their art form, usually within the first few years, devotes a minimum of 24 hours per week to their art, makes a financial commitment to their practice and seeks their primary income from their artistic work.