The Disciplinary Circulation Working Group (DCWG) is pleased to announce today the publication of an innovative study offering the very first overview of artistic residencies in Quebec. Conducted by the firm DAIGLE/SAIRE, the survey highlights the diversity of residency practices, their challenges, and their indispensable contribution to artistic creation. Part of the research was already unveiled in February as part of RIDEAU 2025.
Link to the STUDY SUMMARY.
Link to the RESIDENCY STUDY.
A Rich and Varied Landscape
The study reveals that artistic residencies take on highly varied forms, responding to the specificities of the organizations offering them and the disciplines involved. Although they differ in their objectives and modalities, they all share a common purpose: to offer a space and time conducive to artistic creation, experimentation, and innovation. They also result in a beneficial exchange relationship between artists and host venues.
A Call for Increased Recognition
Despite their fundamental role in the creative process and their contribution to cultural outreach, artistic residencies suffer from a lack of strategic and financial support. The DCWG therefore invites cultural and institutional stakeholders to recognize their diversity and to adopt flexible initiatives adapted to the needs of artists and host organizations. The approach aims to ensure their sustainability and influence within the Quebec artistic landscape, while also contributing to the creation of Quebec models for the development of artistic residencies in the performing arts.
The study also emphasizes the importance of having a common language to better identify challenges and needs, and thereby facilitate the coordination of the development of this aspect in the field.
Indeed, in addition to conducting an extensive survey of host organizations, the firm DAIGLE/SAIRE focused on the vocabulary surrounding artistic residencies, an unprecedented approach in Quebec. The study thus establishes essential typologies that clarify the different types of residencies, their strategic value, and the main stakeholders in their provision. In an ecosystem where residencies generally develop and organize organically, the development of a common language was essential to ensure the model’s sustainability.
The responses from the 111 organizations that participated in the study, and hosted over 600 residencies in 2023, highlight the following points:
46% received no funding for hosting residencies;
50% are multidisciplinary presenters;
34% supported projects for young audiences;
48% of residents were emerging artists;
78% of residencies lead to a presentation the following year;
30% include “residency” in their mission.
Organizations spend an average of $8,500 to host a residency.
The DCWG
The Disciplinary Circulation Working Group brings together organizations that offer programs aimed at supporting the development, outreach, and circulation of the performing arts. Its mission is to foster collaboration, mutualization, and the sharing of best practices.
The DCWG includes the Quebec Music Council (CQM), En Piste, National Circus Arts Network, La danse sur les routes du Québec (La DSR), Les Voyagements, the Quebec Storytelling Network, La Rencontre Théâtre Ados (La RTA).
The Study on Artist Residencies in Performing Arts in Quebec was made possible thanks to the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec.
Information
Daniel Meyer
contact@danielmeyer.ca
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514 233-3056