Purpose
The program supports the research, development and realization of community-engaged arts projects in Ontario. Activities involve professional Ontario artists and community members working together to design, develop and realize collective creative experiences.
Community-engaged art practices are forms of collective artistic expression. In this field, individuals who aren’t professional artists actively participate in the artistic process, and the artistic process is considered as important as the final artistic product. Both the social and artistic outcomes of community-engaged art have value.
There are three categories:
- Planning: to help cover the costs of co-planning and co-designing community-engaged arts projects.
- Project: to help cover the costs of realizing community-engaged arts projects.
- Two-year project: This category is available to community-engaged arts collectives and organizations that have received two or more OAC project grants through community-engaged arts or arts education grant programs within the last five years. Activities must take place over the period of two years.
Mentorship: up to $3,000 in additional funds are available in any category to cover the costs involved in mentoring professional artists from OAC priority groups, to build their skills and experience in project planning and/or facilitating community-engaged arts projects.
- Applicants may be either mentors or mentees.
- Mentees must be professional artists and members of at least one OAC priority group.
- The names of mentors and mentees must be included in the application along with artistic examples of their work and their CVs.
Priorities
The program’s priorities are to support projects that:
- work with sectors beyond the arts, such as health, education, justice and the environment
- provide a sense of community, social connection, civic engagement and contribute to building a more just society
- reduce barriers to arts participation
- increase access to the arts for underserved or marginalized communities
- employ Ontario artists in Ontario communities
Grant Amounts
- Planning: maximum $7,500
- Project: maximum $12,500
- Two-year project: maximum $20,000
Eligible Applicants
- professional artists who are Ontario residents
- ad hoc groups/collectives, based in Ontario, made up of at least 50 per cent professional artists who are Ontario residents
- Ontario-based not-for-profit arts organizations and non-arts organizations
- school boards not partnered in OAC’s Artists in Residence (Education) program (for artist fees and travel expenses only)
- schools run by First Nations or Indigenous education authorities
Important: Non-arts organizations, schools run by First Nations or Indigenous education authorities, and school boards must have an arts partner. Arts partners can be professional artists, arts collective, ad hoc arts groups, or arts organizations.