Banff Centre Visual Arts Thematic Residency – On Other Archives (Banff, Canada)

Name: Banff Centre Visual Arts Thematic Residency – On Other Archives (Banff, Canada)
Start: 2026/04/01
End: 2026/05/06
Location: Canada

Organizer Information:

Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity. Visual Arts at Banff Centre offers exceptional programs for contemporary artists led by diverse faculty at the forefront of contemporary art, located in the inspiring mountain setting of the Canadian Rockies.

Title & Description:

Applications are open for the Visual Arts Thematic Residency: On Other Archives.

Working with institutional, personal, fictional, and/or speculative archives, participants are invited to think critically about the archive as a method or “technology” for re-storying social and cultural narratives. Themes may include familial/ancestral lineages and cultural inheritance, oral histories, micro-histories, absence, amnesia, and re-memory. Participants will be guided by leading faculty Deanna Bowen, Krista Belle Stewart, and Tarah Hogue.

Category:

Visual Arts & Thematic Research (Includes ceramics, digital media, painting, drawing, printmaking, papermaking, photography, sculpture, and installation).

Eligibility:

Who: Open to individual artists or duos (no more than two collaborators) from Canada or internationally. (Priority will be given to artists who have NOT attended a Visual Arts residency at Banff Centre in the past three years).
Age Limit: Applicants MUST be 18+ at the time of the program start date.
Experience Level: Must have completed formal training in visual arts at the post-secondary level OR possess equivalent experience and peer recognition acquired through traditional knowledge/practices.
Attendance: The program is designed for participation over the entire period. Variable/partial dates will NOT be considered.
Studio Restrictions: Children are strictly NOT permitted in visual arts studios or production areas.
Visa Requirements: International accepted participants MUST obtain a Visitor Visa to enter Canada. (Banff Centre programs do strictly NOT meet the requirements for a Canadian Student Visa).

Program Benefits & Awards:

Workspace: Generous, assigned individual studio spaces with access to shared, exceptional technical production facilities.
Mentorship: Faculty-supported research-creation, studio visits, lectures, and discussion workshops.
Archive Access: Access to the Whyte Museum and Banff Centre archives is available by prior arrangement.

Application Fee & Program Costs:

Standard Application Fee: $65
Indigenous Application Fee: $35 (For applicants who identify as Indigenous).

Application Requirements:

Submission of a project proposal aligned with the thematic track.
Archive Access: If you are seeking access to the Whyte Museum or Banff Centre archives, you MUST explicitly indicate your interest and rationale in your project description.