Photography Residencies in Canada

A Position on Retreat

Lake Cowichan, Vancouver Island, Canada

A Position on Retreat, an artist residency situated in Lake Cowichan on Vancouver Island, Canada, offers a serene environment for artists from diverse disciplines. Known as 'The Blue House,' this comfortably renovated home sits at the center of a picturesque tourist town, surrounded by Canada's breathtaking natural landscape. Within a five-minute walk, residents have access to grocery stores, charming coffee houses, restaurants, beautiful beaches, and scenic hiking trails. Enveloped by a temperate rainforest, ancient old-growth forests, the vast Pacific Ocean, and numerous lakes and waterfalls, the residency is a haven for creative inspiration and rejuvenation. A Position on Retreat strikes a perfect balance between community engagement and the tranquility of nature, providing artists with an ideal setting for both creativity and reflection. This artist residency on Vancouver Island is an exemplary retreat for artists who seek to immerse themselves in nature and focus on their creative pursuits. It's an environment where the natural beauty and calm of the surroundings contribute significantly to the artistic process, making it a sought-after destination for artists looking to enrich their practice.

Adélard (Adelard)

Frelighsburg, Canada

Adélard is a non-profit organization dedicated to contemporary art, located in Frelighsburg, Quebec, offering immersive residencies for professional artists. Their six-week residencies provide artists with time and space to develop projects while creating connections with the local community. Residencies take place in a heritage barn, with exclusive studio access during weekdays and public engagement on weekends. Artists are required to participate in at least one cultural mediation activity. The program includes a private apartment, an honorarium, and exhibition space. Adélard aims to foster artistic development and community interaction, contributing to both the artist’s career and local cultural life. Applications are open to artists worldwide, with a focus on diverse and high-quality projects.

Alchemy Artists Residency

Waupoos Island, Ontario, Canada

Alchemy Artists Residency, founded in 2015, is an artist-led international program on Waupoos Island, Prince Edward County, Ontario, where food, art, garden, and table converge to foster site-inspired artmaking, collaboration, and community engagement. The Summer 2026 residency, held August 7–14 on a 15-acre island in Lake Ontario, emphasizes extended studio time, private reflection, shared meals, and exploration of process and materiality in artistic and culinary practices. It welcomes local and international artists interested in living and working within a temporary community.

BANFF

Banff, Alberta, Canada

The Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, located in the Canadian Rockies, is a renowned post-secondary institution offering programs in artistic disciplines, leadership, and mountain culture. It began in 1933 with a single drama course and has since grown into a global hub for arts and creativity. The Centre provides various programs, including Indigenous Leadership, thematic and self-directed residencies, and practicum programs for hands-on training. Key residencies cover diverse fields like Indigenous World Dance, Chamber Music and Opera, Indigenous Arts, Literary Journalism, and Visual Arts. The Centre is supported by the Government of Alberta, the Government of Canada, and private donors, functioning under Alberta's Post-Secondary Learning Act as a registered charity. Its mission is to advance creative potential, bringing together artists, leaders, and communities for collaborative and inspirational endeavors. The vision of the Centre is to be a catalyst for creativity and thought, fostering the realization of potential in a supportive environment. Situated on Sacred Buffalo Guardian Mountain, the Centre offers a unique setting that inspires participants to connect with their surroundings and each other.

Barbara Spohr Memorial Award for Photography

Alberta, Canada

Annual fully funded residency award for mid-career Canadian photo-based artists at Banff Centre's Crich Studio. Supports independent research, creative exploration, and project development with 24/7 studio access, darkroom, digital facilities, and up to $1,000 in supplies.

BareneedStudios

Canada

Name of Residency: Sharon PippyArtist retreat and residency, bareneedstudios is located in Bareneed on the raw and natural Port de Grave Peninsula, a one hour drive west from St. Johns, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.The year-round dual studio space offers artists, curators and creative types a getaway from their everyday existence – an experience framed within a unique geographic and cultural context.bareneedstudios encourages cultural exchange through local, provincial, national and interna

Caetani Cultural Centre

Vernon, Canada

The Caetani Cultural Centre, located in Vernon, British Columbia, offers international self-directed residencies for emerging and established artists, writers, curators, and cultural researchers. Situated within a historic 1895 heritage home, this residency provides private living spaces and two on-site studios designed for visual and interdisciplinary artists. Participants are encouraged to explore creative practices across a variety of mediums, including visual arts, writing, music, and digital media. Artists can book short-term residencies from three days to up to three months, with extended stays available upon negotiation. The residency fosters a quiet, independent atmosphere while offering optional opportunities for community engagement such as artist talks, open studios, or workshops. The nearby Vernon Community Arts Centre provides additional access to ceramics and printmaking facilities. Nestled in the Okanagan Valley, the Caetani Centre allows residents to immerse themselves in nature, history, and a vibrant local arts scene. Residents are responsible for travel and project costs, but the program provides affordable fees for both accommodations and studio spaces.

Gallery 44

Toronto, ON, M5V 3A8, Canada

Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography is an artist-run centre in Toronto committed to supporting diverse approaches to photographic and image-based practices through exhibitions, education programs, and artistic production. The organization offers multiple residency opportunities including the Career Launcher program for OCAD U students and the Member-in-Residence program for current Gallery 44 members, providing access to production facilities, mentorship, and exhibition opportunities.

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.

Klondike Institute of Art and Culture

Dawson, Canada

The Klondike Institute of Art and Culture (KIAC) Artist in Residence Program, founded in in partnership with Parks Canada, accommodates two artists at a time in historic Macaulay House in Dawson City for research, development, and production of new or ongoing work. It welcomes visual artists, media artists, interdisciplinary artists, and curators of all levels from Canada and internationally, providing free housing and studio space while requiring a public talk or open studio and possible community outreach. Participants cover their own travel, food, and materials, with no stipend or fees provided.

La Chambre Blanche

Québec, Canada

La Chambre Blanche is an artist-run centre in Québec City, Canada, founded in 1978, dedicated to promoting experimentation and dissemination in visual and digital arts, including performance, photography, installation, and new media practices. It offers research residencies and master's degree residencies to artists and curators, providing opportunities to explore artistic practice, production, and contemporary cultural issues in real and virtual spaces. The centre serves as a hub for artists, makers, and the community interested in visual arts and digital innovation.

Ottawa School of Art

Canada

Name of Residency: Ottawa School of Art Residency ProgramThe Ottawa School of Art (OSA) established an artist residency program during its 135th anniversary. The residency program is located solely in the ByWard Market campus in downtown Ottawa. OSA has opened its specialized studios there for ceramics, printmaking & sculpture for use by resident artists during the schools regular hours of operation. OSA will accept a maximum of 2 artists per studio at any time during the year. We suggest that t

Ross Creek Centre for the Arts

Canning, Canada

The Ross Creek Centre for the Arts offers self-directed and project-based artist residencies in a rural Nova Scotia retreat setting, providing time, space, studios, accommodations, and meals to professional artists across disciplines like visual arts, writing, theatre, dance, film, music, performance, photography, and fibre arts. Residencies last 2 weeks to 4 months (typically 4-12 weeks), with options for community engagement, teaching workshops, or large-scale projects, and applications accepted year-round. The program emphasizes inspiration from the changing landscape and supports both individual and collaborative artists.

Studio H Canada

Canada

Name of Residency: Studio H multimedia & interdisciplinary artist residencyStudio H Canada collaborative art residency and exchange is hosted by Heidi Bergstrom in Metchosin, a stunningly beautiful rural municipality of Victoria, BC, Canada. Artists from around the world and Canada, in all disciplines and media, are invited to engage in collaborative projects or to develop new work on their own in this creative and inspiring setting. The vision of the Studio H Canada Art Residency program is to

The Herdsman House in Neubergthal

Canada

Name of Residency: The Herdsman House in NeubergthalWe accommodate year-round, self-directed, and self-funded individual residencies for up to 3 people, with the option to accommodate family, and negotiate financial limitations. The Herdsman House offers 2 bedrooms with writing desks, a bedstee, kitchen, living space, and 3 piece bathroom. Below the art studio of the residency owner, Margruite Krahn, there is a suite that includes a large bedroom, kitchenette, and private bathroom. Both spaces i

The Ou Gallery

Vancouver Island, Canada

The Ou Gallery is a gorgeous and intimate place to nurture your creative rest and renewal. Artists and writers have 24-hour access to their own designated studio in a 100 year-old boat-building workshop and a thoughtfully appointed private bedroom in a shared suite with a fully equipped kitchen and bathroom. Our Great Room, with its modern fireplace, original fir floors, 12’ ceilings and huge windows overlooking a creek fed by Mount Swuq'us (and frequented by herons and owls) is a perfect spot to unwind and connect with other creatives after a full day in the studio. Located in the Quw'ustun Valley, in the heart of Vancouver Island, a stunning, nature-filled place. Come here to decompress, gather new inspiration alongside like-minded artists and devote space and time to your work. There is no fee to apply. Residencies are two or four weeks long. See website for details: www.theougallery.com.

The Sointula Art Shed Residency

Sointula, Canada

The Sointula Art Shed is a small artist-run residency program established in in Sointula, British Columbia, Canada, offering a self-contained cottage and adjacent shed studio with a window gallery in a remote fishing village founded by Finnish socialist utopians. It welcomes writers, musicians, visual, and performing artists seeking quiet, nature access, and community engagement through workshops, open studios, and exhibitions. Residencies typically last 1-2 months at a cost of around $700-850 CAD, with no stipends provided but support for grants and local outreach opportunities.

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.

VU PHOTO

Québec, Canada

VU Photo is an artist-run centre in Québec, Canada, dedicated to promoting and supporting research and creation in photography through exhibitions, residencies, and special projects for artists based in Québec and Canada. It offers a two-week research and creation residency with a $1,000 artistic fee, production spaces in digital and analogue photography, and opportunities for exhibitions including fees, accompaniment, and professional documentation. Since 1981, VU has fostered diverse photographic practices and contributes to contemporary discourse on the medium.

Woodhaven

Kelowna, Canada

The Woodhaven Artist in Residence Program, hosted by the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies at UBC Okanagan, is a unique opportunity for artists from various disciplines to immerse themselves in a serene natural setting. Situated within a nature conservancy in Kelowna, British Columbia, the program supports artists engaged in visual arts, digital arts, performance, social, and community-based artistic practices, with a special encouragement for BIPOC artists and those from marginalized groups. The residency offers accommodation in a two-bedroom home and full use of a studio at the Woodhaven Eco Culture Centre, promoting work that explores sustainable and just relationships with nature amidst climate change. Artists are expected to engage in community programming, contributing to the vibrant exchange between the artist, the university, and the broader Kelowna community. The program highlights UBC Okanagan’s commitment to ecological stewardship and creative exploration, providing a paid residency for artists to develop site-specific projects that engage with the local environment and communities. This residency is a testament to fostering artistic innovation and environmental consciousness, offering a contemplative experience for artists to create, reflect, and connect.