Artist in Residence

The Artist in Residence program will provide one professional artist or one collective of artists with the opportunity to develop a new piece of work with the stated purpose of animating outdoor public spaces. The goal of the program is also to engage the community through the creation of small-scale temporary installation(s) or creative experience.

The overarching goals of the Artist in Residence program are to:

• Animate outdoor public space(s);
• Foster accessible, inviting and fun community engagement in arts;
• Support the creation of vibrant places and spaces in Richmond Hill;
• Create opportunities for intercultural exchange;
• Provide an opportunity for an artist(s) to build their portfolio and body of work; and
• Offer opportunities for residents and visitors to experience art in non-traditional spaces and in non-traditional forms.

The Artist in Residence program is a Recreation & Culture Plan initiative and artists are encouraged to submit projects that support the themes identified in the Plan. For more information, visit RichmondHill.ca/CulturalPlan

The Artist in Residence program is open to emerging, mid-career and established professional artists working in, but not limited, to the following disciplines: Performing Arts, Visual and Media Arts (including Film/Video), Dance, Music, Multidisciplinary, Craft, Theatre and Literary Arts.

The artist must be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Canada, aged 18 years or older.

Full-time City of Richmond Hill employees are not eligible to participate. 

The artist will:

• Create an accessible, inviting and fun artistic project to animate outdoor public space(s)

• Deliver a tangible outcome, such as a small-scale temporary installation(s) or creative experience.

• Commit to engaging community members in creative experiences through interactive programming.

• Work with Richmond Hill staff to develop a residency plan, including, but not limited, to site selection, outreach strategy and residency beginning and end dates.

• Deliver the project on time and within budget.

• Submit a final expense report.

• Communicate frequently with the Cultural Services Coordinator to provide progress updates.

• Preparation of the artwork, transport of the artwork and installation/removal of the artwork.

• Work with the Cultural Services Coordinator to provide content for the City’s social media accounts.

• Participate in interviews with local media, where appropriate/required.

• Document their work through photographs and/or video.

• Be available to deliver presentations at the Richmond Hill Cultural Summit.

• Participate in post-residency debrief.

Please note: mid and large scale temporary installations that would require engineering consultations or approval will NOT be considered as they are beyond the scope of the Artist in Residence Program.

Due to the timing of this residency, applicants may wish to consider integrating their Project Proposal into the City’s existing holiday events programming, i.e. Merry Marketplace/First Night.

• Assist the artist with necessary permits.

• Work with the artist to develop residency plan, including but not limited, to site selection, outreach  strategy and residency beginning and end dates.

• Provide a maximum budget of $7,000 (see further information under Budget).

• Draft the Artist in Residence program agreement between Richmond Hill and the artist.

• Recognize the artist as the official Richmond Hill Artist in Residence for 2023.

• Assist with the documentation of work and promotion of residency.

• Connect the artist with local resources, including volunteers, businesses, organizations, and other artists.

Richmond Hill has identified multiple community engagement sites across the town. These sites have been identified as those that have higher pedestrian traffic. The artist will be required to base the work in one or more of the below listed sites. Richmond Hill staff and the artist will work in collaboration to identify the most ideal site(s) for the proposed work. Please note that all sites are outdoors and may not have any permanent structures onsite to provide shelter in the event of inclement weather.

• Downtown core - Yonge Street from Major Mackenzie Drive to Crosby Avenue

• Mill Pond Park

• Lake Wilcox Park

• Richmond Green Park

Please note that the community engagement sites attract users of all ages so the subject matter of the proposed project must be suitable for all.

The total budget for all expenses related to this project is a maximum of $7,000 Canadian Dollars.

Proposals indicating a total cost including artist fees, materials and expenses exceeding this will not be considered.

The aforementioned budget includes all expenses related, but not limited to: artist fees, preparation and submission of detailed renderings if required, coordination and technical or other expertise as required, preparation of any information and/or documents required for installation, attendance at meetings and site visits, purchase of relevant materials, shipping costs, delivery to the site, and installation.

The artist must submit a budget breakdown as part of their application and must clearly indicate the fee that will be paid to the artist. Once accepted by Richmond Hill, the artist fee cannot be changed without prior written approval. A T4A tax form will be issued to the artist for the amount indicated.

Please note: this is not a live-in residency and no studio space is provided. Should the artist require studio space for the duration of the project, this must be clearly identified and included in the project budget. Storage may be available but the project proposal should also identify this as a requirement. 

Applications will be assessed based on the following:

1. The strength of the proposed project. For 2023, additional consideration will be provided to applicants whose project proposal includes an RH150 theme. 
2. The artist’s demonstrated experience developing temporary installations and/or creative experiences for outdoor spaces.
3. The strength of the community engagement opportunity during the artistic creation process and/or final product.
4. The proposed project’s connection to one or more of the identified Community Engagement Sites.
5. The project’s connection to themes and priorities identified in the Recreation & Culture Plan.
6. Ability of the project to be delivered within the identified time frame and financial parameters.

Applications will be reviewed by a selection committee.

Applications are due September 20, 2023 at 11:59 pm.

• Applications will be reviewed and, if necessary, interviews will be conducted between September 14-28.

• The residency period will occur between October - December 2023 with the active community engagement component taking place over a three to four week time period. The exact beginning and end dates of the residency period should be identified by the artist in their submission and will be confirmed following acceptance of the submission.

Artists may be required to provide proof of General Liability Insurance if selected using the City of

Richmond Hill’s Certificate of Insurance. The Certificate of Insurance will be provided to the artist by Richmond Hill staff.

1. Application form including artist statement

2. Project proposal that includes:

   • Proposed artistic project with clearly identified outcomes

   • Proposed community engagement process

   • Timeline

   • BudgeT

   • Site identification – the artist may request a specific Community Engagement Site(s) or may identify ideal qualities of the proposed site(s). The site selection will be determined by Richmond

     Hill in collaboration with the artist

   • Any additional technical, logistical, or infrastructure assistance considerations

   • Summary of past experience executing community engaged art projects and/or animation of outdoor public spaces

3. Artist resume including education/training and list of exhibitions, publications, performances and awards

4. Work samples – maximum five (uploaded jpegs, PDFs, YouTube videos, or any other online platform; audio files should not be more than 5 minutes)

5. Work sample description – provide a numbered list to correspond to the work samples provided.

   The documentation list should include artist’s name, description of work, title, date created, medium(s) and dimensions.

6. High resolution digital headshot of the artist(s)

7. High resolution image to be used for promotion of project, if available.

Deadline for submission is September 20, 2023 at 11:59 p.m.

**Please note that late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.

Applications can be submitted online.

Application packages can also be dropped off or mailed to:

Richmond Hill Artist in Residence

Leanne DiMonte

Cultural Services Coordinator

Elgin West Community Centre

11099 Bathurst St

Richmond Hill, ON L4C 0N2

For more information, contact Leanne DiMonte, Cultural Services Coordinator at leanne.dimonte@richmondhill.ca or call 905-780-2918

2019- Cindy Scaife, A Puzzling Habitat 

The 2019 Artist in Residence was muralist and arts educator Cindy Scaife. Cindy created a sculpture series called A Puzzling Habitat, which focused on the power of art to generate awareness of threatened species in our local community. Families were able to create their own craft version of these sculptures through various workshops. In total, there were 6 family workshops and over 500 people interacted with the sculptures.

The 2018 Artist in Residence was blacksmith Aimie Bothelo. Aimie created a temporary installation called Bookaleidoscope.  The interactive sculpture was located at the Richmond Hill Central Library Garden and allowed the community the chance to view the world in different patterns and colours.  Two workshops were also offered where families were invited to create their own craft kaleidoscope.  

The 2017 Artists in Residence were The Karma Project, Hasheel Lodhia and Robert Halley. They presented six performances of Intercollective, an interactive experience where music and movement came together, to honour the diverse fabric of Canada and the residents of Richmond Hill.