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Program Information
Laura Jean Foster, Spring BAiR 2023. Photo by Rita Taylor.
Overview
Banff Artist in Residence (BAiR): Early Career 2025 is an immersive program of studio practice, creative exploration, critical feedback and mentorship, for visual artists of all ages, in the early stages of their careers.
Open to visual artists working across mediums, Early Career BAiR 2025 combines the artistic freedom of a self-directed residency with the supportive benefits of an organized program. As well as having the space to create, research, and experiment, participants are part of a community of emerging artists committed to developing and expanding their practice.
Artists have targeted access to shared production facilities and knowledgeable staff who are available to provide technical support and assistance. The residency experience is supported with lectures, workshops, and individual studio visits with faculty as well as dialogue amongst peers.
What does the program offer?
Visual Arts residencies offer a structured program where visual artists, curators, and other arts professionals come together to create work and discuss pertinent themes. Through peer interaction, discussion groups, studio work, formal lectures, and studio visits from world-renowned visiting faculty, participants gain new ideas and insights that can be applied to creative exploration and professional development of their work.
Artists are provided with a studio, accessible 24 hours a day, as well as access to our extensive facilities in Visual Arts and across the Banff Centre campus.
Who should apply?
This residency is for visual artists of all ages, in all disciplines, who have completed formal education or training in visual arts at the post-secondary level or who have acquired equivalent experience through traditional knowledge and practices and have received some recognition from their peers through exhibitions, grants, and/or awards.
This program is designed for participation over the entire program period. Variable dates will not be considered. Collaborative groups are welcome to apply. Groups no larger than two people will be considered.
Banff Centre invites applicants from anywhere in the world, and artists of all ages (18+), backgrounds, gender identities, and expressions.
Banff Centre is grateful to the following supporters for making this program possible:
Gail and Stephen A. Jarislowsky Outstanding Artist Program Endowment
Faculty
Althea Thauberger
Althea Thauberger (she/they) is an artist, filmmaker and educator known for place-based experimental documentary projects involving collaborative research and production. Her final works—films, videos, audio recordings, and photographs—reflect on relationships between community histories and geopolitical events, and sociopolitical power dynamics, including ones involved in the production process itself. Thauberger’s recent exhibitions include the Kaunas Biennial in Lithuania, the Toronto Biennial of Art, and La Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal, and The Contemporary Art Gallery in Vancouver. Thauberger is of settler Scandinavian and Black Sea German descent, is based in the unceded territory of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh territory, and teaches visual art and cultural theory at The University of British Columbia.
Faculty
Sean Lee
Sean Lee (he/they) is an artist and curator exploring the assertion of disability art as the last avant-garde. His methodology explores crip cultural practices as a means to resist normative idealities. Orienting towards a “crip horizon”, Sean’s practice explores the transformative possibilities of access aesthetics as an embodied politic that can desire the ways disability disrupts.
Sean is currently the Director of Programming at Tangled Art + Disability. He holds a B.A. in Arts Management and Studio from UTSC. Sean is also an independent curator, lecturer, and advisor, adding his insights and perspectives to conversations across Canada, the US, and internationally. He has taught “Accessibility in Curating: A Framework” at NODE Curatorial Studies Online and the Hidden Project with Goethe Institut Shanghai. Sean serves on the board of the Toronto Arts Council and CARFAC Ontario, and is Chair of TAC’s Visual and Media Arts Committee, and is a member of the External Advisory Panel supporting the City of Toronto in the development of its next ten-year culture plan, the Action Plan for Toronto’s Culture Sector.
Faculty
What's Included
Single Room
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Your program fee includes a single bedroom on the Banff Centre campus for the duration of your program.
Get connected with other artists on campus and focus on your projects in a creative environment while we take care of the day-to-day essentials.
Full Flex Meal Plan
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Using a credit-based system to dine on campus, our flexible meal plans allow you to select meals according to your own needs during your stay. Banff Centre can respond to most dietary requests.
The Full Flex meal plan is equivalent to $70 credit per day, equivalent to breakfast, lunch and dinner at our Buffet service.
Paul D. Fleck Library and Archives
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The Paul D. Fleck Library and Archives are delighted to support Banff Centre Participants, Artists, and Faculty with access to collections, including program-relevant books, scores, artists’ books, recordings, periodicals, and an object library.
Gym Membership
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Your program fee includes free access to the swimming pool, climbing gym and fitness equipment at the Sally Borden Fitness and Recreation Centre.
Studios & Facilities
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Create in one of our specialized studios and utilize shared production facilities in printmaking, ceramics, sculpture, photography, digital media and more (subject to additional fees)
Lecture Series
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A series of outstanding guest artists and curators will give free public talks and hold informal discussions.
Participant Resources
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Enrich your experience and get to know other artists on campus by taking advantage of the activities and support provided by our Participant Resources team.
Showcase Your Work
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This program offers opportunities to showcase your work-in-progress in [one of our performance venues / an open studios event in Glyde Hall].
Group Seminars/Workshops
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Join in group seminars/workshops.
Box Office Discounts
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Enjoy special artist rates for ticketed performances or complimentary access to events.
Fees & Financial Assistance
Application Fee: $65 for individuals or groups ($35 for applicants who identify as Indigenous).
Application fees are non-refundable.
Individual group members must pay an additional registration fee of $35 on acceptance.
*Scholarship of 100% is available and will be applied to cover tuition, and 50% is available to offset meals and accommodation costs.
Scholarship of 100% is available to Canadian Indigenous participants and will be applied to cover tuition, meals and accommodation costs.
If you would like to be considered, please complete the Financial Aid section when uploading your supporting materials.
Banff Centre will issue official tax receipts for eligible tuition fees and financial assistance and awards as required by the Income Tax Act. You will receive a T2202 (Tuition and Enrolment Certificate) for eligible tuition fees paid and a T4A (Statement of Pension, Retirement, Annuity, and Other Income) for applicable financial assistance and awards.
Help fund your experience at Banff Centre. View a compiled list of national and international opportunities here.
How to Apply
Learn more about the steps to Complete Your Application.
Resume
A one-page resume describing your academic, artistic, professional, and other relevant artistic experience.
Letter of Intent
A 500 word description of why you wish to attend this program, what you hope to learn or achieve and what impact it could have on your artistic practice.
Project Proposal
In 500 words, describe the conceptual framework of your proposed project, your weekly execution plan, details of the mediums you propose to use and your level of knowledge in the processes required, and outline any specific technical or support requirements.
Resource Request
Outline all studio, equipment, software, facility, or staff support requested in our upload tool. Final resource allocation is at the discretion of the department.
Portfolio
Provide 10 samples of your artistic work. Curators and researchers must submit three samples of written work. File sizes and specifications are available in our upload tool.
Additional Information
Collaborative groups of no more than two are welcome to apply.
- If you are applying as an individual, you must complete both the online application form (including $65 processing fee) and a SlideRoom application.
- If you are applying as a collaborative duo, one artist must complete both the online application form (including $65 processing fee) and a SlideRoom application. Please submit only one SlideRoom application per collaborative duo. There will be a $35 registration fee of the second artist upon acceptance to the program.
Adjudication
Participants are selected by impartial adjudicators on the basis of their submitted material. In addition to artistic merit, educational training, and relevance of application to theme of the program, consideration will be given to the likelihood that the artist's work and career will benefit from the program. Project feasibility and the capacity of Banff Centre to support the artist are also considered. Banff Centre’s values are reflected in program development and delivery.
Banff Centre respects the need for artists to plan ahead for their visit; applicants will be notified as soon as adjudication is complete.
Priority will be given to applicants who have not attended a Visual Arts Program at Banff Centre previously.
Eligibility
Applicants must be ages 18+ at the time of the program start date.
International Applicants
Banff Centre welcomes domestic and international applicants for this program. Please note, Banff Centre programs do not meet Canadian Student Visa eligibility requirements, you must obtain a Visitor Visa to enter Canada. Accepted individuals are responsible for identifying and complying with the immigration requirements to enter Canada as a visitor from their country of origin. Current wait times to receive a visa are much longer than normal, so applicants who require a Visitor Visa should check the current expected processing times prior to applying.
Disclaimer
All programs, faculty, dates, fees, and offers of financial assistance are subject to change. Program fee is subject to applicable taxes. Non-refundable fees and deposits will be retained upon cancellation. Any other fees are refunded at the discretion of the Banff Centre. The application deadline is 11:59 p.m. Mountain Standard Time.
Contact Admissions
For questions on preparing your application, please contact Admissions:
Toll Free Number (Canada + USA)
1.800.565.9989
Phone
403.762.6180
