Artist in Residence call for proposals
Each year, we invite a local artist, or an artist with a connection to our Region, to share their practice with our community as our artist in residence.
On this page:
- About the Artist in Residence program
- 2027 Artist in Residence
- Information sessions
- Who should apply?
- Submission requirements
- Selection process
- Compensation
- Resources available to the Artist in Residence
- Timeline
- Application instructions
About the Artist in Residence program
Our artist in residence program advocates for and supports artistic innovation and excellence in various disciplines of contemporary art.
Through this program, we aim to facilitate and develop meaningful relationships between the community and the artist. Artists may take non-traditional routes to develop their careers, and as such, we want to support local artists with diverse cultural backgrounds, lived experiences, and practices.
2027 Artist in Residence
The 2027 Artist in Residence opportunity is a six-month commitment with part-time hours.
For the 2027 Artist in Residence call, working alongside the Parks & Open Space Design & Development team, we are combining the residency and its objectives with an opportunity to inform a future public art commission to be sited in the Lancaster West Park Network. The focus of the residency will be arts-based engagement facilitation with residents to surface themes related to storytelling, neighbourhood identity, and wayfinding through a range of workshop or activity explorations and media. The residency will be completed with a documentation package using words, imagery, design, and/or other media or analysis to describe how those themes surfaced.
The themes or ideas that emerge through this facilitation will support and inform the development of a public call for proposals to realize a public art installation within this network of parks, pursued separately after the residency. The residency is intended as a research and development phase hosted at or within the vicinity of the five park locations in the Lancaster West area, in which the selected artist will be encouraged to address topics of “Who is the community?” and “Community strengths.” Activities should be facilitated in multiple disciplines. The resident’s findings, themes, and concepts may be communicated through data collection, visual imagery, digital records, written works, or a combination of these methods.
Based on the 2027 residency documentation, a future open call for public art will be developed by the Arts & Creative Industries and the Parks & Open Space Design Development teams. That future installation opportunity anticipates a group of public art features in Ash, Arnold, Guelph St., Lips and Hillside parks within the Lancaster West Park Network. A mentorship opportunity that could potentially include the selected 2027 Artist in Residence may also be incorporated during the fabrication and installation phase, anticipated in 2028.
The Artist in Residence program continues to emphasize interactive community engagement and encourages applicants to see the residency as an opportunity to advance their own practice. We will prioritize projects with a strong potential impact on the Kitchener community.
Information sessions
We will host two in-person information sessions to answer questions about this opportunity:
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Tuesday, October 20, noon to 1 p.m.
Held in the Schmalz Room, on the second floor of Kitchener City Hall, 200 King Street West, Kitchener
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Thursday, November 12, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
Held in the Conestoga Room on the ground floor of Kitchener City Hall, 200 King Street West, Kitchener.
Registration is not required. Interested individuals only need to attend one session. You do not need to attend a session to submit a proposal. There will be no virtual meeting options and recording of the information sessions will not be available.
If you have any questions, or require any accessible accommodation, please email us or call 519-783-8302.
Who should apply?
We’re committed to creating and supporting an equity-based platform that includes diverse creative perspectives. We welcome and highly encourage applications from individuals with intersectional identities from groups seeking equity and inclusion. This includes artists from many diverse backgrounds and origins, but we specifically encourage applications from Black, Indigenous, and racialized individuals, 2SLGBTQIA+ community members and people with disabilities.
For the 2027 residency program, we invite artists that are interested in community engagement, research, knowledge collection, and mentorship. Artists with experience and confidence in delivering and facilitating multidisciplinary activities that support participants in developing ideas and creating work are best suited to apply.
This call for proposals is open to artists operating at the boundaries of writing, academic or archival research, and visual arts, bridging the gap between creative practice and knowledge production. Eligible artists live or work primarily in the Waterloo Region or demonstrate a clear, ongoing connection to the region.
Submission requirements
Interested artists must submit a proposal package that includes the following:
1. A resume (CV), short personal biography, or summary of relevant credentials (maximum three pages).
2. A letter of intent (maximum 500 words), including a high-level summary of your arts-based engagement concept(s) for this residency, its feasibility, community impacts, and how the residency would further support or advance your artistic development. This summary may be used as a narrative for administrative and public use.
3. Three to four examples of your work (writing, publications, visual imagery) that collectively demonstrate your credibility, preparedness, and capacity to successfully complete this residency. Please note that the online submission form has a 25 MB size limit for any attachments.
4. A community engagement plan (maximum 250 words) describing your potential approach to facilitation.
5. An approximate budget and schedule outlining the timeline to execute your concept and how the provided honorarium will be used to support it.
6. One reference letter that specifically highlights your credibility in facilitating community engagement.
Incomplete submissions will not be considered.
To ensure fair consideration for all applicants, jurors may have limited time to read each proposal. Please keep this in mind as you prepare your submission.
If you have any questions or require any accessible accommodations, please email our Arts and Creative Industries team or call 519-783-8302.
Selection process
After applications close, a selection committee recruited and facilitated by staff will choose an Artist in Residence based on the evaluation criteria.
The selected artist must be prepared to enter into a legal agreement with the City of Kitchener, and, if applicable, provide an HST registration number.
We reserve the right to end the competition at any stage. In such a case, we will notify all artists who have submitted a proposal as necessary.
Evaluation criteria
In order to be eligible, the applicant must:
· be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
· reside or work in Waterloo Region or have a clear, ongoing connection or affiliation with the region
· demonstrate commitment to their practice
The Artist in Residence will be selected based on the following criteria:
· strength and clarity of overall proposal
· merit of the activities proposed and/or past art-based activities as research or knowledge collection tools
· feasibility of the proposal within the outlined budget and resource limitations
· potential impact on current artistic development
· potential impact on Kitchener community and residents in the neighbourhoods of the Lancaster West Park Network
The selection committee may find that none of the submissions fulfill the project criteria. In this case, we may re-open the selection process.
Selection committee
City staff will assemble the jury to reflect resident demographics and to include the following participants:
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two members with community art-based instruction practices
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one member of the Arts & Entertainment Advisory Committee (ACEC), a volunteer, resident-based group that includes past artists in residence and a range of artists and arts sector professionals
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one Breithaupt Park Neighbourhood Association member
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one citizen residing in the Lancaster West Park Network area
The committee reserves the right to interview a short list of up to three artists prior to finalizing the selection. No City of Kitchener staff members sit on the selection committee.
Compensation
The selected artist will receive an honorarium of $10,000 in two installments. Artists are encouraged to propose a project of a scale that reflects this level of compensation. You may wish to use the Living Wage range for Waterloo Region as a guideline.
This is a part-time, six-month position where the artist will have the flexibility to plan a time commitment that reflects the needs of their proposal.
Upon acceptance, the artist will enter into a contract with the City of Kitchener.
Resources available to the Artist in Residence
The Artist in Residence will have access to advice and expertise from ACEC during monthly committee meetings. The artist can attend these meetings regularly or as needed.
They will also receive guidance, practical input, and help from City staff on developing feasible and implementable community activities and ways to realize project objectives.
In addition to the honorarium, the resident artist will have a budget of up to $2,500 to support pre-approved, out-of-pocket expenses such as supplies, collaborative contributors, or mentor fees, or other resources required to support the project.
For more information on the Lancaster West Park Network Improvements project, visit engagewr.ca/lancaster-west-parks.
Other in-kind resources available include:
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- coordination of writing, editing, design, and printing of promotional materials directly related to the residency project (event invitation cards or posters, brochures, signage, etc.)
- help from City staff in promoting any activities or events
- access to City Hall venues and community centers for neighbourhood engagement (based on availability)
- if applicable, access to public engagement events or activities scheduled by City staff for the Lancaster West Park Network Improvements project
- connections with potential collaborators to support project goals
- support in meeting accessibility needs identified by the artist
- liability insurance coverage during the term of the residency
- neighbourhood demographic summaries or other data available on Kitchener GeoHub
- “What we heard” phase 1 engagement summary report posted on Engage Kitchener project page when it becomes available.
- project information from the EngageKitchener’s Lancaster West Park Network improvements project page: engagewr.ca/lancaster-west-parks
Timeline
This is the proposed project timeline. Please note that the timeline is subject to change.
· October 1, 2026, applications open
- October 20, 2026: in-person information session, 12:00 to 1:00 p.m.
- November 12, 2026: in-person information session, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.
- December 3, 2026: applications close at 5 p.m.
- January 2027: jury selection and presentation to AEAC.
- Feb/March, 2027: presentation to Council and legal agreement.
- April 2027: residency begins.
- End of Sept/Oct 2027: residency finishes
Application instructions
Applications are due at 5 p.m. on December 3, 2026. We will not consider incomplete or late submissions.
The submission time is 5 p.m. based on the City of Kitchener's clock. Please give yourself extra time prior to the submission closing time to ensure the submission is delivered successfully before the closing time and to avoid an internet traffic jam. We encourage you to consider attachment size limits with your submission if submitting online or by email.
You can apply:
· by email
If you have any questions, please send us an email or call 519-783-8302.
Online
To apply online, please complete our application form.
Please review the submission form before beginning your application to familiarize yourself with the requirements. You can save the application and come back to it later.
If you prefer, you can send the application package to us by email at ArtistInResidence@Kitchener.ca. Please use the subject line “2027 AIR application”.
Delivery or mail
To apply by delivery or mail, please submit one (1) unbound, 8.5 x 11” hard copy of your package before the final deadline to:
2027 AIR Application
c/o Economic Development, 6th floor, City Hall
200 King Street West
Kitchener, ON
Canada
N2G 4G7
Attention: Karoline Varin, Arts and Creative Industries Program Administrator.
We are not responsible for damage to, or loss of, support materials. Materials will not be returned.
Land acknowledgement
The City of Kitchener is situated on the traditional territory of the Chonnonton, Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee Peoples. We recognize our responsibility to act as stewards for the land and honour the original caretakers who came before us. Our community is enriched by the enduring knowledge and deep-rooted traditions of the diverse First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Peoples who live in Kitchener today.