Foreword and objectives of the program

Since its inception in 1994, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) has been very actively involved in the development of a network of venues devoted to artistic creation, production and artistic renewal offered to artists and writers to enable them to pursue their work under professional conditions.

The network of studio-apartments is one means emphasized by the CALQ to encourage the presence of Québec artists and their works on the domestic and international scene. It has facilitated exchanges and participation in the career development of numerous artists and writers from around the world.

The CALQ's studio-apartment program seeks to:

• support and stimulate artists by making available to them an environment and the means appropriate to the production and dissemination of their works;
• foster the artistic renewal of artists and writers by giving them access to a new, stimulating cultural environment;
• facilitate exchanges of artistic or literary viewpoints and help establish durable ties between Québec and foreign artists.

The CALQ hopes to offer the artists and writers who participate in the program outstanding possibilities for artistic renewal and creation, which are hard to achieve otherwise.

Periods of residency afford artists a unique personal and professional adventure in which they invest time and energy and which contribute in very practical terms to the development of their career and, consequently, to the enrichment of Québec culture.

Description of section II-B:
Research and artistic creation residency for artists and writers in Nunavik (Inukjuak and Kangiqsujuaq)

In January 2009, in conjunction with their respective action plans, the Kativik Regional Government, the Avataq Cultural Institute and the CALQ signed an Entente spécifique sur l'amélioration des conditions de pratique des artistes, des écrivains du Nord-du-Québec, secteur Kativik. The agreement has just been renewed for a period of three years.

This agreement focuses, in particular, on the career development of professional artists and the emergence of the upcoming generation of artists in Nunavik. It seeks to establish the conditions necessary for the artistic renewal of Nunavik artists and writers through reciprocal arrangements with artists and writers from other regions of Québec. It is intended to foster artistic and cultural initiatives elaborated in partnership and to enhance the development of markets and audiences for professional artists and writers. 

Furthermore, it reflects departmental policy directions pertaining to the democratization of culture and confirms the CALQ's commitment to the recognition of regional distinctiveness.

The implementation of this agreement centres, in particular, on the continuation of the Fonds du Nunavik pour les arts et les lettres, whose $100 000 budget is intended for section I: Support for professional artists and writers, section II-A: Research and artistic creation residency in Montréal, and section II-B: Research and artistic creation residency for artists and writers in Inukjuak. Since the 2010-2011 fiscal year, a second residency located in the village of Kangiqsujuaq is being offered in Nunavik.

The three-year agreement stems from close collaboration between the Kativik Regional Government, the Avataq Cultural Institute, the Direction régionale du Nord-du-Québec in the ministère de la Culture, des Communications et de la Condition féminine, the CALQ and the ministère des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l'Occupation du territoire.


Objectives
In particular, this program is intended to:

• contribute to the establishment of enduring links between Québec and Inuit artists and facilitate exchanges of artistic viewpoints;
• offer Québec artists the possibility of engaging in a period of artistic renewal in one of the most inspiring regions of Québec;
• facilitate the identification of new artistic creation, research, production and dissemination networks.

The projects submitted in conjunction with this residency must, as far as possible, involve interaction with the community, from the standpoint of the elaboration or the dissemination of the works. The candidates must explain the links that they wish to create with the villagers and the dynamic means through which they intend to integrate their artistic activities into the community.

Applicants may indicate in which of the two villages they wish to engage in the residency, otherwise the selection committee will choose the place of the residency in light of the applicant’s file.


Fields concerned
Architectural research, the circus arts, the media arts, the multidisciplinary arts, the visual arts, popular song, dance, literature, the arts and crafts, music, and theatre


Target clientele 
Artists and writers with at least two years of professional practice.


Locations


Inukjuak. Photo: Jobie Weetaluktuk

Established in 1980, Inukjuak is a village that comes under the authority of the Kativik Regional Government in the Nord-du-Québec administrative region. Located on the eastern coast of Hudson Bay, Inukjuak borders the north shore of the Rivière Innuksuak, known for its turquoise waters and turbulent rapids. The village is located 180 km south of Puvirnituq and 240 km north of Umiujaq. The numerous archaeological sites scattered along this winding river are a reminder that this region has been inhabited for thousands of years. Gentle, undulating hills dominate the hinterland and vast spaces endow the landscape with silent beauty, as the Inuit villagers say. The summit of the hills affords a splendid vista of the village, the small port, the Hopewell Islands and Hudson Bay. In spring, ice between these islands and the mainland is moved by the action of tides and currents to create a spectacular field of immense, upraised blocks of ice.


Kangiqsujuaq. Photo: Robert Fréchette

The community of Kangiqsujuaq (the large bay) occupies an exceptional site 10 km from the Hudson Strait on the south-eastern shore of Wakeham Bay. It is nestled in a glacial valley surrounded by mountains. Kangiqsujuaq has a population of roughly 600 and is bursting with vitality. The visitors’ centre in Pingualuit National Park should not be missed. It offers a glimpse of the diversity of Inuit culture and protects the Pingualuit crater, a remarkable, internationally-renowned natural site.


The residency and the grant
The residencies will last two months and will take place in July and August 2012.

A $10 000 grant is awarded to the artist in conjunction with this program. It covers personal insurance, travel, living expenses and the cost of purchase, transportation and insurance coverage for the material necessary to carry out the project.

This studio is being made available through the collaboration of the Kativik Regional Government, the Kativik School Board and the Avataq Cultural Institute.

In return, the CALQ will host an Inuit artist for a two-month stay in an apartment in downtown Montréal (section II – A: Research and artistic creation residency in Montréal).

Registration deadline

March 2, 2012
 

Target clientele 
This section of the grant program is intended for professional artists, writers and storytellers and architectural professionals. In the interests of stylistic simplicity, the term “applicant” refers to any artist, writer, storyteller or architectural, landscaping, urban planning and urban design professional.

The Act respecting the professional status of artists in the visual arts, arts and crafts and literature, and their contracts with promoters (R.S.Q., c. S-32.01) defines a professional artist as "every creator who declares himself to be a professional artist, produces works on his own behalf, whose works are exhibited, produced, published, presented in public or marketed by a promoter, and has been recognized by his peers as a professional artist by way of an honourable mention, an award, a prize, a scholarship, an appointment to an adjudication committee or an invitation to participate in a salon or by any other similar means. Moreover, every artist who is a professional member of an association recognized under the Act or forming part of a group recognized under the Act is presumed to be a professional artist."

The Act respecting the professional status and conditions of engagement of performing, recording and film artists (R.S.Q., c. S 32.1) defines a professional artist as "any natural person who practises an art on his own account and who offers his services for remuneration, as a creator or performer," especially in the fields under the responsibility of the CALQ.

Under this program, the artist or writer must have disseminated works in a professional context. 


Eligibility requirements
The applicant must be a Canadian citizen or a landed immigrant as contemplated in section 2(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and in both instances must normally reside in Québec and have resided there over the past twelve (12) months.

When such an applicant submits a project in a discipline other than the discipline in which he normally pursues his career, he must have to his credit at least one work in the new discipline that has been disseminated in a professional context. 


Restrictions
Groups are not eligible for this section of the program.

An applicant who has already received financial support under a CALQ grant program, regardless of the section, is obliged to produce a report on the use of the grant at the conclusion of his project.

This report must be submitted before any new application is made, regardless of the program or section, and the Conseil must have approved it.


Specific rules
Artists or writers may not, within a given registration period, submit two projects in the same section, whether individually or as part of an artists’ or a writers’ group, regardless of the discipline.

However, an applicant who has already received financial support under a CALQ grant program other than a grant in this section or in respect of a studio or a studio-apartment may submit an application in this section if his project has not been completed.

An applicant may only receive one grant per fiscal year of the CALQ in this section or in respect of a studio or a studio-apartment.

Employees of the Kativik Regional Government, the Avataq Cultural Institute, the Direction régionale du Nord-du-Québec of the Ministère de la Culture, des Communications et de la Condition féminine, the CALQ and the Ministère des Affaires municipales, des Régions et de l’Occupation du territoire are ineligible for this section.


Submission of the application
Applicants wishing to register for this section must fill out the appropriate form and submit a complete application that includes all of the documents demanded. The registration form is available on the CALQ's Website.

A Grant application guide is available upon request from the CALQ on it Website.

Only the original of the form signed by the applicant is deemed to be valid. The submission by fax or e-mail of the application is not permitted.

Incomplete applications or those sent after the registration deadline will not be submitted for evaluation. The postmark will be regarded as proof of the date on which the application was mailed. 

In the case applications submitted at the offices of the CALQ, the applicant will receive a dated acknowledgement of receipt. 


Contents of the application
A single copy of the complete application must be submitted (21.6 cm x 27.9 cm or 8½" x 11"). To facilitate photocopying, do not staple or bind the documents.

Applicants are asked to provide three copies of supporting documents (CDs, DVDs, texts or other relevant documents).

The applicant's file must contain:

• the applicant's curriculum vitæ (maximum of three pages);
• the presentation of the project and the timetable for its realization;
• if need be, letters of undertaking from the collaborators and a description of their contribution to the project;
• where applicable, a clipping file comprising a maximum of five pages of photocopies of articles published over the preceding five years;
• visual or sound documents comprising a maximum of two ½-inch VHS videocassettes, CDs, DVDs or 20 slides of works produced over the past five years.

Applicants do not have to submit a detailed budget to support their application.

Any supporting document or other item submitted after the registration date will not be submitted for evaluation.

Only visual material, sound recordings and publications are returned to applicants within 90 days of the announcement of the results.

The CALQ is not responsible for the loss of items submitted with the application or damage sustained by such items during shipping. We recommend that applicants avoid submitting the originals of supporting documents or material.

Subject to provisions in the Act respecting Access to documents held by public bodies and the Protection of personal information, the CALQ, the Kativik Regional Government and the Avataq Cultural Institute must respect the confidentiality of the documents and information in their possession and those submitted to them.

An artist who changes address after submitting his application must promptly notify the Avataq Cultural Institute of the change of address to ensure that correspondence reaches him at the new address. 


Place of registration
All applications must be sent to the Montréal office (Attention: Francine Royer):

CALQ
500, place d'Armes
15e étage
Montréal (Québec) H2Y 2W2
Telephone: 514-864-3350
Toll-free number: 1-800-608-3350


Handling of applications
The CALQ does not send acknowledgements of receipt.

A program manager ascertains whether or not applicants satisfy the program's eligibility criteria. 

Before the selection committee convenes, copies of each application are given to all committee members for examination. The selection committee meets and evaluates all of the items in the file.


Evaluation of the applications
The selection committee that examines grant applications is made up of individuals recognized in one or more of the disciplines concerned who have a good knowledge of the artistic practice specific to Nunavik. Members of the selection committee are subject to the rules and provisions stipulated in the CALQ Policy respecting selection committees and advisory committees. The CALQ will ensure the presence of Inuit artists on the selection committee when it organizes this evaluation.

All applications are assessed on their merit, in light of the eligibility requirements, objectives and evaluation criteria specific to the section of the program. The selection takes into account both the comparative value of the projects and the funds available. The CALQ's decision is final and without appeal.

The CALQ makes available the names of selection committee members three months after it reaches a decision on the awarding of grants.


Ethics
The members of the Board of Directors, CALQ employees and selection committee members are subject to a code of ethics and rules of professional conduct. All of them must act in good faith in the exercise of their duties and avoid taking part in any discussion concerning a grant application that might be marred by a conflict of interest. Furthermore, they may not use for their own purposes confidential or privileged information communicated to them.


Evaluation criteria

• the quality of artistic work;
• the interest of the project in relation to the artistic approach and development of the artist's work;
• the quality of the arguments that the applicant presents to justify the relevance of his residency;
• the contribution or impact of the applicant in his community;
• the feasibility and realism of the project.

Response
Applicants will be informed of the response to their applications approximately three months after the registration deadline.

If the application is accepted, the applicant will receive from the CALQ with the announcement letter a document describing all of the procedures and conditions pertaining to the use of the grant.


Attribution procedures
The CALQ will pay the grant in one instalment.

In accordance with the tax legislation in force, the applicant must declare the amount of the grant awarded to him. The CALQ will issue on behalf of the other partners a tax slip and will submit the grant recipient's name to the ministère du Revenu.

The CALQ may not award a grant in respect of the same expenses related to a project already supported under another program of the CALQ or any other organization whatsoever.

By cashing the grant cheque, the applicant undertakes to carry out the project stipulated and to comply with the conditions pertaining to the payment of the grant.

An applicant who is unable to carry out in whole or in part the anticipated activity or who significantly modify the project or the timetable for its realization must promptly contact the CALQ to agree upon an arrangement, failing which the CALQ may demand the full repayment of the grant. 

The grant recipient undertakes to submit a detailed report on the use of the grant or the findings of his research on the form provided by the CALQ. This report on the use of the grant must be submitted within a maximum of three months of the project's completion and must be approved by the CALQ. Applicants must submit the report before they submit a new application.

Research findings and the rights that the grant recipient holds in respect of any work, estimate, drawing, document, plan, report, datum, invention, method or process realized in conjunction with the program remains the grant recipient's property. The CALQ and the Avataq Cultural Institute may, however, reproduce certain documents for internal management purposes.

When the project leads to public activities such as performances, exhibitions and so on, or to publications, the logos of the CALQ, the Kativik Regional Government and the Avataq Cultural Institute or mention of their contribution must appear in information, promotional or advertising documents, in order to account for the use of funds earmarked for cultural activities. The grant recipient must comply with the norms governing the use of the logos of the CALQ, the Kativik Regional Government and the Avataq Cultural Institute.

All of the logos must be of equivalent dimension. In a horizontal sequence, the CALQ's logo must be the first one on the left, followed by those of the Kativik Regional Government and the Avataq Cultural Institute. In a vertical sequence, the CALQ's logo must appear first, followed by those of the Kativik Regional Government and the Avataq Cultural Institute.

The signatures must not be altered in any way.

Grant recipients must contact Martine Dufour (see contact information below) concerning the use of the logos of the Kativik Regional Government and the Avataq Cultural Institute.



Avataq Cultural Institute
Louis Gagnon
Ben Watt
Aumaaggiivik - Secrétariat des arts du Nunavik

Montréal office
4150, Sainte-Catherine St. West, Suite 360
Westmount (QC) H3Z 2Y5
Telephone: 514-989-9031, ext. 246
Toll-free number: 1-800-361-5029
Fax: 514 989-8789
louisgagnon@avataq.qc.ca
Website: www.avataq.qc.ca

Failure to comply with any or all of these conditions may jeopardize the artist's eligibility for subsequent grants.


Offices of the 
CALQ

Québec City (head office)
79, boul. René-Lévesque Est
3e étage
Québec (Québec)
G1R 5N5

Telephone: 418-643-1707
Toll-free number: 1-800-897-1707

Montréal
500, place d'Armes
15e étage
Montréal (Québec)
H2Y 2W2

Telephone: 514-864-3350
Toll-free number: 1-800-608-3350



Additional information

Kativik Regional Government: www.krg.ca

Kativik School Board: www.kativik.qc.ca

Avataq Cultural Institute: www.avataq.qc.ca




Workshop at the Pigiursavik Centre in Inukjuak



Aurora Borealis over Kangiqsujuaq. Photo: Robert Fréchette





Note
The masculine form of pronouns is used in this document and designates without discrimination both women and men.