Artist Residencies in Toronto

AGO X RBC Artists-in-Residence

Toronto, Canada

The AGO x RBC Artist-in-Residence Program supports early-career artists with three-month hybrid residencies at the Art Gallery of Ontario, offering mentorship and resources to develop projects engaging museum audiences.

Connected Minds by Sensorium at York University

Toronto, Canada

The Connected Minds Artist-in-Residence program, hosted by Sensorium at York University, offers a unique opportunity for artists to engage with the intersection of media arts, performance, and digital culture. This residency supports artist-researchers from equity-deserving groups to explore the social impacts of emerging technologies. Participants will develop research-creation experiments, hold workshops and talks, and produce a public exhibition. The residency emphasizes collaboration with students and faculty, fostering interdisciplinary exchanges across neuroscience, intelligent technologies, and society. The program provides a stipend, a research budget, and access to extensive resources and facilities at York University. Artists are expected to be on-site regularly and contribute to the Connected Minds community through various engagements. The residency can be six months or one year, depending on the project, and is open to artists worldwide.

Drake Hotel

Toronto, Canada

The Drake Hotel in Toronto offers an Artist in Residency program that provides artists with accommodation to work in their chosen medium, often in public hotel spaces, fostering creativity and experimentation in a unique environment. The program has been a staple in Toronto's creative scene for years, hosting local, national, and international artists, and includes related offerings like the Artist Loft for touring performers. A sister program at Drake Devonshire in Prince Edward County features 2-3 night stays with food allowances during winter months.

Gibraltar Point

Toronto, Canada

Gibraltar Point Centre for the Arts on Toronto Island, Ontario, Canada, offers two types of artist residencies: self-directed and thematic/programmed. The self-directed residencies provide artists, writers, and composers with private accommodations and studio spaces for short-term stays in a distraction-free environment, ideal for creative focus, research, or collaborative work. Studios are well-equipped, ranging in size and amenities, and the serene, car-free island provides a peaceful retreat year-round. The thematic residencies, on the other hand, bring together up to 18 artists to explore specific topics under the guidance of facilitators, fostering collaboration, dialogue, and new perspectives. Gibraltar Point offers accommodations, shared facilities like kitchens and lounges, and access to beautiful outdoor spaces, including scenic lakefront views, making it a unique and inspiring environment for artists across disciplines.

Gibraltar Point Centre for the Arts

Toronto, Canada

Gibraltar Point Centre for the Arts offers fully subsidized month-long residencies for professional artists on Toronto Islands, providing uninterrupted time to think, create, and experiment. The center hosts various residency types including self-directed programs, thematic residencies, and specialized programs like graduate research-creation residencies, accommodating up to 19 residents at a time.

Harbourfront Centre

Toronto, Canada

Canada's only career-focused artist-in-residence program dedicated to contemporary craft and design, offering opportunities in ceramics, design, glass, metal, and textiles. The program functions as an incubator providing studio space, mentorship, teaching and exhibition opportunities, and professional development within a vibrant creative community.

MOTHRA

Toronto, Canada

MOTHRA is an artist-parent collective based in Toronto, Canada, that offers child-inclusive residencies to support the integration of caregiving and art practices. Founded in 2018, MOTHRA aims to normalize the presence of children in the arts sector, providing a platform for artists to work alongside their children. The residency, hosted at Gibraltar Point Centre for the Arts, encourages collaboration, co-working, and dialogue on issues relating to caregiving and art. It supports artist-parents by addressing the challenges of maintaining an art practice while caring for children, promoting a more inclusive and vibrant art community. The program emphasizes the need for systemic change in arts funding, studio practices, and societal attitudes towards caregiving. MOTHRA also engages in research, activism, and networking with similar groups globally to advocate for the rights of artist-parents.

THIRDSPACE Emerging Artist Intensive

Toronto, Canada

THIRDSPACE Emerging Artist Intensive is a month-long summer residency program at OCAD University in Toronto, Canada, designed for interdisciplinary emerging artists, including students, recent graduates, and early-career practitioners exploring new directions. Participants receive mentorship from a Toronto-based artist-in-residence, access to shared studios and specialized facilities, workshops, field trips, discussions, and culminate in a public exhibition at the OCAD U Graduate Gallery.

Toronto Artscape Inc.

Toronto, Canada

Toronto Artscape Inc. operates artist residency programs, most notably at Artscape Gibraltar Point on the Toronto Islands, offering affordable short-term studio and accommodation rentals for artists seeking focused creative work in a distraction-free environment. The organization is a not-for-profit that develops real estate projects, programs and services to empower artists and connect them to communities across Toronto.