Gateway: Art at the Hotel

Who is eligible to apply?

Professional artists’ collectives and non-profit arts organizations working in circus and street arts who have already received funding through programs offered by the Conseil des arts de Montréal.

What are the program objectives?

Gateway: Art at the Hotel is part of the Conseil’s desire to play a leading role in the recovery by targeting and combining two sectors severely affected by the pandemic—the arts and the hotel industry. The Conseil wishes to put the extraordinary talent of local artists front and centre in collaboration with city partners.

Gateway: Art at the Hotel aims to:

• develop a creative and sustainable collaboration between the Montréal hotel and arts communities
• support the revival of the Montréal arts community in a meaningful way, while contributing to the revitalization of the downtown area and hotel sector
• showcase the artistic creativity of the city

What hotels are participating in the program?

The selected projects are paired with one of the following five hotels: Hotel 10, Hotel Bonaventure Montréal, Le Germain Hotel Montréal, Hotel Monville and Le Saint-Sulpice Hotel Montréal. In collaboration with the host hotel, the shows will be adapted to the performance space from June to September 2021. They will then be performed from September to December 2021.

What type of assistance is provided?

Awarded amounts could be up to $30,000 and will take into account:

• the performance’s size and the complexity of adaptation
• the number of performances
• the availability of artistic teams and participating hotels

The selected collectives or organizations must agree to offer eight or more performances. Assistance granted may cover up to 100% of the project’s costs or form part of a financial structure that includes multiple funding sources. The budget must include all costs: coordination, scouting, adaptation, rehearsals, performances, etc.

What is the duration of the support?

Support is provided on a one-time basis. Performances must take place between August 30 and December 31, 2021.

What disciplines are eligible?

Circus and street arts only.

What are the general eligibility criteria?

Status and conditions

Artists’ collectives and arts organizations that have already received funding from any Conseil des arts de Montréal program.

Artists’ collectives

• be a group of artists, regardless of the number (minimum of two)
• be represented by a person responsible for the application; the representative must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada
• two thirds of its members must be artists with Canadian citizenship or permanent residence; the proportion of members of the collective residing outside Canada may not exceed one third
• the majority of the collective’s members (50% +1) must reside on the Island of Montréal, including the person responsible for the application
• all members must meet the Conseil’s definition of professional artist

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 mandate to create, produce or disseminate art 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
• be staffed by professional artists and/or cultural workers

Are there any special eligibility criteria?

Collectives or organizations selected for the project must:

• have already presented a performance to an audience
• designate a person who will act as the liaison with the hotel throughout the project who
• is authorized to make the decisions required to carry out the project on behalf of the collective or organization
• will document decisions made with the hotel
• will participate in coordination and status meetings as necessary

What types of projects are eligible?

Any show ready to present that can be adapted for a series of performances.

When must the project be carried out?

The artistic projects will roll out in two separate periods:

From June 30 to August 30, 2021 – Preparation and adaptation of the performance

• coordination meetings and scouting visits to hotels
• rehearsals for the adaptation of the performance
• planning of performances with the hotel
• all other artistic development and production requirements

Each step must be planned in keeping with the government’s physical distancing guidelines and health measures.

From August 30 to December 31, 2021 – Performances

• performance presented as planned
• solicitation of feedback from hotel staff

Please note: If another lockdown forces the closure of the performance spaces or common areas of the hotels, performances will have to be postponed.

How many applications will be accepted?

Five applications will be accepted.

Who is ineligible to apply?

Individuals and organizations

• individual artists
• collectives and organizations that have never received funding from any Conseil des arts de Montréal program
• artists’ collectives that are incorporated as for-profit or not-for-profit organizations
• teaching, educational, or professional organizations
• public or para-public organizations representing governments or municipal corporations
• organizations registered as general partnerships

Projects

• corporate promotional projects
• cultural mediation projects

Activity sectors

• organizations working exclusively in variety arts or comedy
• applicants working exclusively in cultural mediation
• collectives or organizations in the visual arts, digital arts, cinema, video, dance, literature, new artistic practices (multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary), music and theatre sectors

Applications

• incomplete applications
• applications received after the deadline

Ineligible applications will not be considered by the evaluation committee.

What are the obligations of participating hotels?

Participating hotels undertake to adopt a proactive approach in their dealings with the artists’ collective or company. This spirit of collaboration is essential and will make it possible to identify performance spaces and adapt the performances to the selected spaces

The hotels must also provide artists and their production teams with approximately 25 to 40 hours of access to performance spaces for preparation and rehearsals. They must also provide access to a private space that will serve as a dressing room for artists and as a storage space.

Finally, the hotels shall designate an employee who:

• will serve as the primary liaison with the collective or company throughout the project
• will be authorized to make the decisions required to carry out the project
• will document decisions made
• will participate in coordination and status meetings as necessary

Can specific populations receive additional financial support to submit their application or complete their project (accessibility costs)?

Yes. Accessibility costs refer to costs that certain individuals, particularly those who are D/deaf and/or living with a disability, must pay to take advantage, in the same way as others do, of the services and programs offered by an institution for research, to create, produce or disseminate their art. Reimbursement of part of these costs by the Conseil des arts de Montréal may offset the financial disadvantage.

The Support Fund for Accessibility Costs is a financial assistance measure that complements the Conseil’s other programs. The deadline to apply for support for accessibility costs is the same as that for the program being applied to.

Artists, collectives or organizations that have obtained financial assistance from the Conseil to carry out a project can also file an application for accessibility cost support up to three months after the decisions related to the successful project have been sent out, provided the project is not completed before the deadline to send out decisions for accessibility cost support applications.

Support is divided into three components:

• component 1 – Financial support to submit a grant application or to apply for one of the Conseil’s initiatives
• component 2 – Financial support for accessibility costs for a project funded by the Conseil
• component 3 – Financial support for presenter organizations for accessibility costs to welcome audiences for a project funded by the Conseil

For more details, please see this additional information on the Support Fund.

Can I apply to both this program and the Art out in the Open program?

Yes, you can. Remember to specify this in your application and provide a timeline that shows that you are capable of completing both projects, if successful.

Can I apply for this program if I have already received funding from another program this year?

Yes, you can. Remember to specify this in your application and provide a timeline that shows that you are capable of completing both projects, if successful.

Who should submit the application?

A duly authorized representative of the collective or organization may do so.

What information and documents must I include in my application?

Documents to include:

• the press review of the performance that is the subject of the application
• the most recent financial statements
• the organization’s policies and equity process, if applicable

How are applications evaluated?

An ad hoc committee of artists and cultural workers from the circus and street arts sectors will evaluate the applications. The committee will consider the program’s objectives and the criteria set out below, taking into account the comparative value of the projects.

What are the evaluation criteria?

Artistic quality of the performance: 50%

• the show’s artistic merit and quality
• uniqueness and authenticity of the artistic approach
• quality and originality of past productions

Relevance and adaptability to the performance context: 30%

• time frame for the performance’s preparation and adaptation in collaboration with the partner hotel
• detailed process for adapting to the performance space and high-traffic areas
• interaction with the audience
• quality of previous adaptations or partnerships

Project management and feasibility: 20%

• realistic budget projections and timeline
• relevant experience of the team
• efforts made to compensate artists

What is the response time?

It will take three to five weeks from the date of the application for the Conseil to process it and reach a decision.

How will I be informed of the decision?

The representative for the collective or organization will receive an email invitation to view the results on the ORORA platform. No decisions will be communicated by phone.

Can I appeal the decision?

The Conseil’s decisions are final and not subject to appeal. However, Conseil staff are available to answer any questions regarding decisions.

Applicants agree not to communicate with members of the evaluation committee or the Conseil’s Board of Directors about the management or evaluation of their application, or about decisions related to their application.

How will the grant be paid to the collective/organization?

By direct deposit, in a single payment.

Commitments

Accepting payment of the grant constitutes, for the collective or organization, an undertaking to complete the activities covered by the grant and to comply with the accompanying conditions, which will be communicated upon acceptance of the application.

The collective or organization undertakes to:

• carry out the proposed project as planned
• notify the Conseil as soon as possible if unable to carry out the project in the fiscal year for which the grant was awarded. The grant recipient may be obliged to reimburse some or all of the amount awarded, as applicable
• if requested, submit activity reports and financial statements at the required times
• if applicable, include in its report photographs, videos or any other relevant, royalty-free visuals that the Conseil may use for promotional or archival purposes