Artist residency at the Insectarium | Espace pour la vie

This project is part of the Celebrating Entomophilia series.* These events take place outside the Insectarium to help people appreciate the ways in which insects are essential in maintaining balance in nature and therefore to our health and wellness. The events are meant to inspire creators from a variety of disciplines who in turn convey their discoveries, vision and enthusiasm to the public.

* Entomophilia
The term entomophilia has a new meaning in the context of the new biophilia-inspired Insectarium: love, respect and appreciation of insects.

Who is eligible to apply?

This program is aimed at professional artists, professional artist collectives and non-profit organizations working in non-disciplinary artistic practices.

What are the program’s objectives?

This program is designed to:

• support the creation of original works by Montréal artists in an unconventional setting
• stimulate interest in arts and science
• promote science and explore the relationship between arts and science
• introduce the selected artist to the world of insects and stimulate interest in entomophilia
• present the insect-inspired work as part of the Celebrating Entomophilia series in the fall of 2025

What assistance is provided?

• A maximum of $15,000 to cover the cost of the residency and creation
• 80 hours in the Conseil des arts de Montréal studios

What do the partners contribute?

• Unlimited access to the Insectarium to observe the insects during museum opening hours (it is also possible to visit outside of opening hours with prior agreement)
• Up to 20 hours of meetings with Insectarium specialists, including guided tours of breeding labs
• Access to an original sound bank
• Access to an image bank
• Presentation costs will be covered by the Insectarium, if applicable

How long does the support last?

This is a one-time, non-recurring grant.
The residency will run for 6 months between January and August 2025. 

Presentation of the work

The Insectarium wishes to present the work produced during the residency as part of the Celebrating Entomophilia series in autumn 2025. Each Celebrating Entomophilia event will be unique and will take place at a different popular cultural venue (outside of the Insectarium).

The presentation location will be chosen based on the selected project. The location must be in Montréal (outside of the Insectarium), be free to visit, and must not have already hosted a Celebrating Entomophilia event. The presentation could be part of an annual cultural festival or event. The artist(s) may suggest a presentation location in their application.

A budget separate from the residency budget has been set aside for production and presentation costs, to discussed based on the selected project and museum’s capacity. Support from the Insectarium for organizing this stage of the project is also planned.

Documentation of the process

The artist or collective’s project will be the subject of interviews or filming at different points in the residency. The goal is to highlight the creative process and narrative it creates, i.e., exploring the world of insects and how this exploration inspires innovation, enthusiasm for this new creative world, and awareness about insects’ ecological roles and adaptations.
The video clip will be produced by Espace pour la vie and broadcast on the institution or a partner’s platforms (for example, these video clips or this podcast, which were produced for the third and fourth Celebrating Entomophilia respectively).

What are the general eligibility criteria?

Individual artists

• Have Canadian citizenship or permanent resident status
• Have been residing on the Island of Montréal for at least one year
• Be recognized as a professional artist
• Have completed at least one professional art project

Artists’ collectives

• Be represented by a designated member in charge of the application
• Be a group of artists, regardless of the number (minimum two artists)
• Be made up of two thirds of members who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents, with the proportion residing outside Canada not exceeding one third
• Be made up of a majority of the group’s members (50% +1), including the person who submitted the application, residing on the Island of Montréal
• Be made up of professional artists

For arts organizations

• Be a non-profit organization or artists’ cooperative that pays no dividends
• Be headquartered on the Island of Montréal
• Have a board of directors composed mainly of Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada
• Have the principal mandate to create, produce or disseminate artistic works

Professional requirements

• Possess a level of recognized and demonstrable competence
• Be managed by qualified individuals
• Have stable artistic leadership
• Present activities whose artistic quality is recognized by peers in the same arts practice
• Employ professional artists and cultural workers

What types of projects are eligible?

The call is open to any residency project in non-disciplinary art practices.  For example, non-disciplinary practices may include interdisciplinary, relational, community or In situ art, as well as collaborations between art and science.  It must be a new creation, inspired by insects, and conceived for the occasion. Attention will be paid to the subject matter related to the Insectarium’s mission and the scope of the project. 

When must the project be carried out?

The residency will run for 6 months between January and August 2025. 

How many applications will be accepted?

Only one project will be selected.

Who is ineligible to apply?

Artists who have been recipients of previous Celebrating Entomophilia residencies.

Applicants

• Artists who have been recipients of previous Celebrating Entomophilia residencies 
• Individual artists and artists’ collectives and non-profit organizations that do not meet the general and specific eligibility requirements
• Public or parapublic organizations representing governments or municipal corporations
• Organizations dedicated to teaching, education, and professional training

Projects

• Projects completed before receiving the Insectarium’s response
• Composition or musical performance projects
• Projects that are essentially promotional or educational
• Capital projects or projects to acquire specialized equipment
• Cultural mediation projects 

Applications

• Incomplete applications
• Applications received after the submission deadline

The evaluation committee will automatically reject ineligible applications.

How do I apply?

Visit the Insectarium’s website for more information or to submit your application.

How are applications evaluated?

The committee will be composed of members of the Insectarium team and external professionals with a broad range of expertise, experience and perspectives. The selection committee will be sensitive to current environmental concerns (e.g., choice of materials, project life cycle) and inclusion.

What are the evaluation criteria?

Quality of artistic work – 35%

• Overall quality of the application and compliance with presentation guidelines   
•  Quality of previous work   
•  Innovative character and originality of artistic approach 

Merit and relevance of the project – 40%

• Relevance of the concept to the entomophilic theme  
• Presence of a mix or juxtaposition of artistic practices  
• Clarity of project  
• Originality of the proposal  
• Artistic quality and interest of residency project 

Project management and financial stability – 20%

• Ability to carry out the project  
• Technical feasibility of the proposed project  
• Realism of budget forecasts and financial equilibrium 

Eco-responsible transition – 5%

• Integration and implementation of environmentally responsible practices, such as concrete actions to reduce the project’s ecological footprint in terms of creation, production, promotion, waste management, and team and equipment transportation; efforts to include eco-design, digital sobriety, and energy efficiency, etc. 

What is the response time?

Between the application deadline and the decision taken by the Conseil and the Insectarium, a period of five (5) to six (6) weeks is required to process the application.   

How will the grant be paid?

The grant will be provided through the Conseil des arts de Montréal and the Insectarium.

The $15,000 grant will be paid in two instalments:

• $10,000 at the start of the residency by the Conseil des arts de Montréal (payment times may vary depending on the internal processing time of Ville de Montréal departments, which are beyond the control of the Conseil des arts de Montréal.)
• $5,000 upon submission of the final report by the Insectarium

What are my obligations?

Applicants who accept payment thereby agree to fulfill the activities the grant is intended to cover and comply with all associated terms and conditions, which will be communicated upon acceptance of the application.

The organization, collective or artist undertakes to:

• create a non-disciplinary work inspired by insects 
• be present in Montreal for most of the residency period 
• create and complete this work to disseminate or perform in autumn 2025 
• participate in interviews and filming to document their creative process and how their opinions about insects evolve
• mention in all communications about the project the contribution of the Conseil des arts de Montréal and the Insectarium | Espace pour la vie
• collaborate with the Insectarium in organizing dissemination of the work
• notify the Conseil as soon as possible if unable to carry out the project in the fiscal year for which the grant was awarded. In such cases, they may be obliged to reimburse some or all of the amount awarded
• file a report, no later than one month after the end of the project, indicating whether the objectives were achieved and how the budget was used
• provide, before the end of the project, at least one relevant, royalty-free visual element related to the completed project that the Conseil des arts de Montréal or Espace pour la vie can use for promotional purposes

In addition, organizations, collectives, artists and their representatives agree at all times not to communicate with members of the evaluation committees or members of the Council’s Board of Directors in any matter relating to the management, evaluation or decisions related to their application. 

The Conseil des arts de Montréal staff are available to answer questions about the application evaluation process and decisions.