Program Notice
Online programs coming soon.
We will be offering 14 programs online from September to December 2020, featuring two programs per discipline in Literary Arts, Visual Arts, Music, Performing Arts, Indigenous Arts, and Indigenous Leadership. Details about these programs, including information about applications and admissions, will be available soon.
If you would like to be among the first to know about or new programs, please subscribe to our newsletter. In the meantime, you can browse a sampling of previous programs to learn more about our offerings.
Banff Centre’s facilities and spaces remain closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic; we look forward to reopening as soon as it is safe to do so. If you have any questions about specific programs, please contact registrars_office@banffcentre.ca.
Program dates have passed. Please join our contact list for updates.
The Dark Arts
Program Information
Work by artist Tobias Williams, BAiR Late Spring 2017 residency
Program Overview
The Dark Arts is an intensive residency program exploring contemporary photography, current conceptual themes, and the technological advances that have fostered various approaches to creating photographic-based artwork.
From palladium printing to 360-degree imaging, photographic artists have adapted to various tools to express their ideas and comment on the way we view the world. The camera is now part of our everyday uniform; image creation and sharing is commonplace.
Photo-based practices may encompass interactivity, installation, 3D printing, and other mediums and processes where image creation is no longer simply an end in itself. Artists are faced with issues of commercialization, surveillance, algorithmic image generation, and the ubiquity of image-making in relation to meaning in their work. How are these new tools, processes, and societal adaptations, changing what is considered “photographic”?
What does the program offer?
Residencies offer structured programs where 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 artists and curators, participants gain new ideas and insights that can be applied to creative exploration and professional development of their work.
Who should apply?
Visual artists whose work is based in photographic practices and the concerns of the program theme. Applicants should have an exhibition/publication record, formal training in visual arts, or equivalent experience and recognition from their peers.
Faculty
What's Included
When applying, choose between staying in a single or a shared 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.
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.
The Light Flex meal plan includes $21 credit per day, equivalent to breakfast and lunch in Vistas Dining Room.
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). Collaborative groups share studio space.
This program offers opportunities to showcase your work-in-progress in an open studios event in Glyde Hall.
A series of outstanding guest artists and curators will give free public talks and hold informal discussions.
Your program fee includes free access to the swimming pool, climbing gym, and fitness suite as well as discounted rates for classes at the Sally Borden Fitness and Recreation Centre.
Access a wide range of publications, books, music and films in the Paul D. Fleck Library and Archives, open six days a week.
Enjoy special artist rates for ticketed performances or complimentary access to events.
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.
Fees & Financial Assistance
Application fee: $65 for individuals or groups. Individual group members must pay an additional registration fee of $35 on acceptance.
*Financial Aid up to 100% is available to cover tuition (meal plans and accommodations are not eligible).
If you would like to be considered, please complete the Financial Aid section when uploading your supporting materials.
Help fund your experience at Banff Centre. View a compiled list of national and international opportunities here.
How to Apply
Detailed Project Proposal and Timeline
In 500 words, describe the framework of your proposed project in relation to the residency theme, 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.
Adjudication
Participants are selected by impartial adjudicators on the basis of their submitted material. In addition to artistic merit, consideration will be given to the likelihood that the artist's work will benefit from the program.
Applicants will be notified of their status as soon as adjudication is complete.
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 the Registrar
For questions on preparing your application, please contact the Office of the Registrar:
