Swiss Studio of the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec

The Darling Foundry, located in Old Montreal (Quebec, Canada), is an alternative visual arts complex that stands out by its architecture. It offers opportunities for research, creation, production and exhibition. Its multifunction spaces, adding up a 3500-m² area, include studio-residencies, apartments, technical workshops, galleries, a restaurant and offices.

Since 1987, the Christoph Merian Foundation of Basel and the Conseil des arts du Québec have been cooperating to offer an exchange program aimed at artists from the region of Basel and the province of Quebec. For a decade, the Darling Foundry has been hosting two Swiss visual artists each year. Two six-month stays are granted : from January to June and from July to December. The resident receives a bursary that helps to cover travel and subsistence costs as well as his/her production costs.

The resident artist is given a 65-m² studio-apartment, with access to common residential spaces. Artists also have access to a high-speed Internet connection, to carpentry and metal workshops, as well as to technical assistance. Thanks to public outreach activities set up by the Darling Foundry team, residents can take advantage of several opportunities for promotion. They can thus get to meet the Montreal public by actively participating in open-door events and studio visits by art scene professionals and groups of varied  background and make-up.

First, a committee of arts professionals in Basel evaluates and chooses a list of finalists, from which, at a second stage, a Montreal committee selects two winners. These juries base their choice on the artistic quality of the candidate’s work, the residency’s potential impact on the candidate’s career and the contribution s/he may be able to bring to the art scene in Montreal, Quebec and Canada.

Swiss artists need to fill their application with the Christoph Merian Foundation in Basel.

Additional Information:
Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec
Francine Royer
500, place d'Armes, 15 étage
Montréal (Québec) H2Y 2W2
T ++1 (0)514 864 33 50
F ++1 (0)514 864 41 60
francine.royer@calq.gouv.qc.ca
www.calq.gouv.qc.ca

Christoph Merian Foundation: www.iaab.ch