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Local Arts Residency

The Local Arts Residency at Kingston Grand Theatre helps local artists by providing space and support. It started in 2021 following the COVID-19 pandemic and now continues to run every year.

Our Arts and Culture services department manages the residency, operates the Kingston Grand Theatre and oversees the Grand OnStage program.  

Josh Lyon, Allen Bergeron, Jay Middaugh, and Céline Klein recorded videos of all artists-in-residence at the Kingston Grand Theatre to provide a behind-the-scenes look at the artists and the work they created and explored. You can view previous Residency videos on the Kingston Grand Theatre YouTube channel.

2025 Call for applications

Applications for the 2025 Local Arts Residency are now open. We invite Kingston-based new or mid-career professional artists or collectives working in theatre, dance, music, circus, comedy, or inter-disciplinary practices to apply.

Artists-in-residence will receive:   

  • In-kind use of a professional workspace featuring state-of-the-art equipment in the Baby Grand, a black box theatre, for a duration of five days.
  • Access to the space.
    • Monday through Friday within the residency period during standard operating hours (9 a.m. - 5 p.m.). We assess requests for access to the space outside these hours case-by-case.
  • Professional support in technical production to aid in the development of the artist’s creative practice.   
  • Promotional support for public artist talk, community workshop, etc.
  • Documentation from the residencies for promotional use. 
  • Funding support through an honourarium of $1,000 for artistic expenses.  

Successful candidates will work with City of Kingston staff to determine a five-day residency based on the following weeks: 

  • July 7 - 11
  • July 14 - 18
  • July 21 - 25
  • July 28 - August 1

  • Applicants must have a City of Kingston mailing address and must already be promoting themselves as a Kingston-area artist.
  • Applicants must be *emerging or mid-career professional performing artists working in theatre, dance, music, circus, comedy or inter-disciplinary practices.  
  • Applicants must be individual artists or collaborative duos/teams/small ensembles under the leadership of a single applicant.   
  • Only one application per artist or collective. Applicants may not apply as an individual AND be part of a simultaneous collective application.  
  • If you participated in a previous Local Arts Residency as the lead artist-in-residence, you are not eligible to apply in 2025. If you collaborated on a previous Residency, you are eligible to apply.

Note: The City defines an emerging or mid-career professional performing artist as someone who has developed their skills through training and/or practice; is recognized as such by artists and/or peers working in the same artistic discipline; actively practices their art; seeks remuneration for their work; and has a history of public presentation.   

Application process

Submit your application in Word or PDF format via e-mail to artsprogramming@cityofkingston.ca before Tuesday, April 15, 2025 at 5 p.m.

Your application email should have the subject heading 'Local Arts Residency Application' and include the following:

  1. Cover page with name and contact information including mailing address, email, and telephone number.
  2. Project proposal and a brief description of your practice (500 words maximum) that includes what you intend to focus on while in residence.
  3. Please include your proposed daily work schedule (within Kingston Grand Theatre operating hours) and desired residency weeks ranked in order of preference.
  4. Please list any artists you may be considering collaborating with during the residency.
  5. Short biography (150 words maximum). 
  6. Résumé (2 pages maximum).
  7. The name and contact information of one reference.  
  8. Maximum 3 images that demonstrate the artist/collective’s work in JPEG format, with relevant caption information (up to 1.5MB each)
  9. Maximum 2 links to video (preferred method) or 2 videos (up to 250MB each, which can be sent via WeTransfer). 

A selection committee of past Artists-in-Residence will review applications and evaluate them to select four artists or collectives for the 2025 residency program based on criteria outlined below.

  • Artistic Merit – the application reflects artistic quality based on the artist/collective’s body of work.
  • Artistic Practice – the artist/collective demonstrates a commitment to their discipline.
  • Diversity – we consider and represent applications from all communities and performing arts disciplines. We also encourage integration across performing arts disciplines.   
  • Community – the application reflects a commitment to facilitate community access to the artist/collective's work (willingness to facilitate a public artist talk, community workshop, etc.).

  • Application opens: Tuesday, March 18, 2025.
  • Deadline to apply: Tuesday, April 15, 2025 by 5 p.m.
  • Review period: April 17 – May 15, 2025.

Past artists-in-residence

Browse the list of past artists who have participated in our residency program.

  • Shanique Peart & Shenel Williams
  • Krista Muir
  • Chantal Thompson

  • Megan Hamilton
  • Benedictus Mattson, Devanshi Mishra & Movement Market Collective
  • David Parker & Jane Kirby
  • Nice On

  • Jan Le Clair
  • Zahra (Harriet) Badua-Baffoe & Melissa Noventa
  • Lydia Wilton
  • Sophia Fabiilli & Zoë Sweet

  • Michael Duguay
  • Spencer Evans
  • Francisco Corbett
  • Erin Ball with Bon Evans
  • Miss Emily
  • Camille Spencer
  • Kay Kenney
  • The Gertrudes
  • Gary Rasberry

The City of Kingston acknowledges that we are on the traditional homeland of the Anishinabek, Haudenosaunee, and the Huron-Wendat, and thanks these nations for their care and stewardship over this shared land.

Today, the City is committed to working with Indigenous peoples and all residents to pursue a united path of reconciliation.

Learn more about the City's reconciliation initiatives.

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