Visual Arts Projects

The program supports not-for-profit arts organizations, ad hoc groups, collectives, and independent curators to research, present or document the work of professional Ontario visual artists and connect them with Ontario audiences, or to undertake other initiatives that benefit the visual arts community.

Ontario Art Council

Overview of the Visual Arts Projects program:

The Ontario Arts Council (OAC) offers a "Visual Arts Projects" grant program aimed at supporting the creation, presentation, and dissemination of visual art in Ontario. This program provides financial assistance to professional visual artists and organizations working in a variety of disciplines, including painting, sculpture, printmaking, installation, performance art, photography, and more. Below is a detailed overview of the program, including its benefits, eligibility criteria, application process, and other key details.

Benefits of the Visual Arts Projects program:

The following are priorities in this program:
To support significant opportunities for Ontario artists to exhibit and engage with Ontario audiences
To support artist-driven and emergent programming or activities
To support the development of artist-run centres/organizations
To support public art galleries to extend their capacities to work with contemporary Ontario artists
To support the development of independent curatorial practices

Eligibility criteria of the Visual Arts Projects program:

Incorporated not-for-profit Ontario-based visual arts organizations, including artist-run centres and public art galleries
Ad hoc groups and collectives made up of visual artists or arts professionals, with 50% of its members residing in Ontario
Independent Ontario-based curators; curators must not be employed in a full-time curatorial position in a public gallery or artist-run centre
Other not-for-profit arts organizations presenting visual arts projects
Important:
Galleries within a multi-purpose institution (such as a library, university, museum or municipality) must have their own board of directors or an advisory body responsible solely for the gallery.
Non-visual arts organizations must show they have appropriate visual arts professionals involved in the project
Additional requirements:
Individual artists applying must be Ontario residents with Canadian citizenship or permanent residency.
Organizations must be Ontario-based and not-for-profit.