Leighton Artist Studios

Imagine a place where time slows down and your creative practice takes priority.

Surrounded by the forested slopes of Banff National Park, Leighton Studio Residencies provide a rare opportunity: uninterrupted time and dedicated space to focus on your work in one of our 10 purpose built studios.

These self-directed residencies range from 1 to 6 weeks and support both solo and collaborative projects. Designed for creatives working independently without production or technical assistance, they offer the freedom to manage your own schedule in a quiet, immersive setting.

Choose from three residency streams below:

Solo residencies for individual practitioners
Group residencies for small collaborative groups or collectives
Photography and digital media residencies with access to a black-and-white analogue darkroom

Leighton Studio residencies welcome artists and creative professionals across a wide range of disciplines, including:

Curatorial Practice: research and writing
Design: architectural, environmental, interactive, visual, functional, and fashion
Music: composition and songwriting
Theatre Arts: dramaturgy, playwriting, and theatrical development
Visual Arts: drawing, painting, digital art, and multimedia
Writing: literature, poetry, non-fiction, journalism, and screenwriting
Interdisciplinary Projects: integrating multiple creative disciplines

Join a global community of creatives who have chosen Leighton Studios to develop new work, reflect deeply, and advance their creative process.

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Residency

Program Dates April 06, 2026 - March 26, 2027

I had never done a residency before, and I wasn’t sure how productive I could be with all that open time, but I surpassed even my own hopes. Working in a Leighton Artist Studio gave me the best of all worlds: my own, uninterrupted space, plus the option of spending time with participants in the writing and music programs, attending readings and concerts, collaborating with others. I felt well-supported (and encouraged) by the Leighton staff and took full advantage of the riches the Paul Fleck Library has to offer — as well as the riches of my natural surroundings. In short, my residency was an enormously inspiring and very productive experience.

Stuart Ross, Leighton Artist Studios, 2025

About the Leighton Studios

Built with artists in mind, the Leighton Studios are a rare example of architecture created for the creative process.

In 1983, Banff Centre invited leading Canadian architects to design dedicated studios for creative work—spaces that remove distractions, foster concentration, and provide the physical conditions to create freely. Eight were selected, each designing a unique structure nestled in the forested slopes of Banff Centre. Together, these spaces became the Leighton Studios, named in honour of David and Peggy Leighton. David Leighton served as Banff Centre’s visionary president from 1970 to 1982.

The studios officially opened in 1985, inaugurated by His Royal Highness Prince Philip. Since then, more than 1,000 artists from around the world have created new work here—novels, operas, exhibitions, screenplays, choreography, sound art, and more.

Over time, the studios have expanded:

In 1988, the Crich Studio was added, with a private darkroom for black and white photography.
In 2008, the Painter House was introduced to support groups and collaborative residencies.

Notable alumni include Daniel MacIvor, John Adams, Ken Lum, Jonathan Dove, Yann Martel, K.d. lang, Lawrence Hill, and Joni Mitchell.