Call for Artists
4th Edition of Artch – Emerging Contemporary Art
Expanding the outreach of emerging artists in contemporary art!
Be part of Artch’s fourth cohort and take advantage of this platform to improve your knowledge.
Taking part in Artch offers the following opportunities:
- A training in artistic entrepreneurship
- A 5-day outdoor exhibition at Dorchester Square in downtown Montreal: mid-September 2021
- Training supervision until the end of the exhibition
- A grant of $ 1,000 per artist
- One year access to the Artch online gallery
You have until 11:59 p.m. December 22nd, 2020 to complete your application form
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is Artch?
Artch is an initiative of Carrefour jeunesse-emploi Montréal Center-Ville (CJE), Art Souterrain and Jack Marketing.
The project was put in place quite naturally while respecting the initial strengths and missions of each partner, and this rich alliance of skills allows the project to be approached in its entirety.
Artch’s mission is to root a real interest in emerging contemporary art in downtown Montreal by creating a new meeting place for amateurs, visual arts professionals and the general public. Public space then becomes a dissemination platform for emerging visual artists. Ephemeral developments combining design, town planning and architecture, will highlight the works in order to create an immersive experience for buyers, viewers and professionals.
Artch is an exchange platform whose objectives are to propel emerging artists by offering them professional training and putting them in contact with the business community. The project also aims to train new collectors, to mobilize cultural actors and to introduce the general public to the visual arts.
To best achieve these goals, Artch revolves around two central actions for artists:
- Training with workshops aimed at providing professional tools for emerging artists.
- A 5-day exhibition in public space including a pre-opening.
Eligibility criteria
This program is only intended for individual artists with a practice in the visual arts: painting, print-based media, photography, drawing and sculpture. And big news! We welcome performance projects with great interest.
What are the requirements?
- Be 35 and under during the application
- Have less than 5 years of professional artistic practice
Define yourself as a professional artist - Living and working in Montreal
- Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
Be available for the following periods:
- During training sessions: from the end of May to June 2021
- Editing: 1 week before the event in September 2021
- Dismantling: mid-September 2021
- The 5 days of the event: mid-September 2021
The following are not eligible:
- Art collective projects
- Artists living outside Quebec
- Visual artists with a practice in installation, sound and video art.
- Incomplete requests
- Applications received after the deadline.
What kind of support is provided by Artch?
For the realization of the exhibitions and to better prepare the diffusion of the works of the artists, Artch makes available a certain number of financial, technical or diffusion aids:
- Financial aid: each artist will receive a grant of $ 1,000 as a stamp which includes the costs of producing the exhibition and the framing (note that paper works must be framed).
- Artist entrepreneurship training: free and compulsory for all artists participating in the project.
- Technical assistance: before, during and after the event, the artist may be accompanied by our technical teams.
- An exhibition module: each artist will be offered a module during the Artch exhibition period free of charge.
- Exhibition cartels: presence of an explanatory text on the biography and the artist’s approach in each module.
- Mediation: each artist will be accompanied for 5 days by a mediator to interact with the public
- One year access to the Artch online gallery to sell the artworks
What will the training be about?
In accordance with the missions of Artch Souterrain which aims at providing professional guidance and and integrating artists into the artworld, the content of the training is developed as a real toolbox which will allow artists to overcome certain obstacles that they meet during the first few years of their career, while tackling themes such as: the promotion of artistic work; legal aspects relating to artist status and works; conservation, marketing and distribution of works.
Artch’s main mission is to support and train young visual artists, from concept to completion of the exhibition. The artists will be accompanied by mentors and / or a technical team in all stages of the creation of their project (production, production, packaging, assembly, distribution, dismantling and reviews after the event).
Artch offers a series of free training courses offered by professionals in the world of contemporary art through individual and collective actions.
The selected artists must be present for the duration of the training. We will communicate the exact dates soon.
Where will the exhibition be held?
At Dorchester Square, known as Dominion Square in Tio’tia:ke / Montréal, is located in the heart of downtown, between Peel and Metcalfe streets. Ideally located, it represents 11,000 m2 of space suitable for traffic and passage.
Each artist selected by Artch will exhibit in a space designed for him. Modules imagined and designated by FUTIL will be installed in the main alleys of the park. Each module or exhibition space will have 32 linear feet during the 5 days of the event.
What are the specifications of the exhibition modules?
16 ‘long x 14’ wide and 8 ‘high (4.9 m long x 4.25 wide and 2.45 high) Artificial light in each module
A smooth white display surface
A vaulted and transparent roof in stretched canvas
(Please note that there is no power outlet in the modules)
Hanging system with picture rails and transparent cables
Are the modules provided free of charge?
Yes. Each artist will be provided a module free of charge for the duration of the Artch exhibition.
What are the opening hours of the exhibition?
Mid-September 2021, for 5 days, from 12:00 to 19:00
The first day, at 19:00, will take place at the opening
The following 4 days, the exhibition will open its doors to the public at 12 noon;
These 4 days will take the form of exhibition days with mediation activities.
How and until when can I apply?
To apply to the next edition of Artch, you can complete the online form
What do I have to provide?
Below is the list of items to provide:
1-Your curriculum vitae in PDF (2 pages maximum)
2-A certificate of registration from your university (if you are a student of the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) or Concordia University);
3-A visual retrospective of your work: 10 visual documents maximum (jpeg format 1024 × 768 pixels or 768X1024 pixels); CAUTION each visual must be named in the same way in the following format: visual1-nomartist-date of creation. Example: visual3-sarahgineaudelyon-2016
4-A PDF format text on your general artistic process of approximately 500 words;
5-A description of your artworks (technical requirements,materials and installation requirement;
For any questions: info@artch.org
What defines a professional artist?
A professional artist, whether self-taught or having completed academic or formal training, has acquired the experience and knowledge required for the development of his personal practice, and is recognized as such by his peers (artists of the same artistic tradition). He or she creates, interprets or publishes works in the public realm, is dedicated primarily to his or her art practice, and should receive compensation for the works that he or she creates. See
Why is it not permitted to submit a portfolio for sound, video or numerique projects?
The outdoor exhibition conditions featuring modules located in a public area which presents technical limitations, therefore such mediums are off limits.
How many artists will be selected?
The call for artists aims to single out a maximum of 23 emerging artists who will be selected by a jury put together by Art Souterrain, and made up of professionals recognized for their expertise in contemporary art.
What are the selection criteria?
- Audacity and originality: The work submitted demonstrates a unique artistic approach. The artist shows boldness in the language and the delivery of his or her work.
- Accessibility: The work successfully appeals to a large public from all walks of life and promotes the accessibility of new artistic practices in the visual arts.
- Technical innovation: The work demonstrates creative and innovative qualities through the use of a revisited medium or atypical technical design.
- Consistency of artistic purpose: The body of work must demonstrate consistency and a well-thought out direction.
- Purchasing potential of the work or service provided to the community.
What are the responsibilities of the artist and Artch?
By collecting the grant, the artist agrees to perform the activities laid out by the grant and to respect the conditions attached.
Artists who are unable, for any reason whatsoever, to undertake the selected project for which he or she has received support must inform the Artch team. Depending on the situation, they may be required to reimburse, in whole or in part, the amount granted.
The works created in the course of this agreement remain the intellectual property of the authors. Artch will pay no exhibition fees for the exhibited works.
Does one have greater chances if the artist is a college graduate ?
Absolutely not. The selection criteria are not based on your academic endeavors, but rather on your work and the approach used.
Why target the 35 and under age group?
Carrefour Jeunesse emploi Montréal Centre-Ville (co-productor) along with the artistic community, provides support to youth aged 16 to 35 who live, transit or spend time in downtown Montreal, by motivating and coaching them through the pursuit of their educational, professional, creative or artistic business projects focused on helping them find their place in the labour market or elsewhere.
What are the steps involved in the application review process ?
The process involves five main steps:
The procedure will be done in five important steps:
September 9th to December 22nd 2020: deadline for filing
January 2021: reception of files and verification of the admissibility of the request by the Artch- Emerging Contemporary Art team
Mid-February 2021 selection by the members of the jury of the successful candidates
Beginning of March 2021: responses to artists
End of May 2021: start of training
Artists are informed of the decisions by email; no information regarding decisions will be given by phone.
Applicants agree to never contact the members of the jury regarding the management, review or make decisions related to their application. The Artch team is the sole entity authorized to answer questions from applicants.
Artch warrants the confidentiality of the personally identifiable information in its possession as well as the refusal of access to any confidential document received, with the exception of cases subject to the provisions of the Act Respecting Access to Documents Held by Public Bodies and the Protection of Personal Information (RSQ, chapter A-2.1).