2024 Funded Residencies (Visual Arts)
The application period for 2024 residencies has closed. Please check back for information about 2025 Funded Residencies for Visual Artists.
2024 Funded Residencies for Visual Artists
Application Deadline: September 15, 2023 (midnight PST)
Location: Yaqan Nukiy within the Ktunaxa Nation on Turtle Island also known as Creston, British Columbia, Canada
Dates: April 1st to October 31st, 2024
Duration: Up to Two Weeks
No Application Fee
Empire of Dirt invites applications from visual artists that would like to focus on specific projects or develop new ideas that respond to the natural landscape, human interactions with nature, and our impact on the world around us.
Visual artists from all disciplines are invited to apply. In addition to individual artist applications, we encourage artistic duos and artist collectives and/or groups. Artists at every career stage, of all ages (18+), backgrounds, gender identities, and expressions are welcome to apply. Currently, we are only able to accept applicants who are living in Canada, the USA, or are Canadian citizens.
EoD offers up to five funded residencies during its residency season from April 1st - October 31st, 2024. These opportunities are awarded following an open call and application process, or direct invitation. Residencies are up to two weeks.
Residents receive free lodging in one of the three live/work studios (valued at $500/week) and a $500 stipend per week. Artist collectives can receive up to $1000 per week. Artists are responsible for the costs of travel and meals during the residency. If you need additional funding to support your residency, EoD can provide a letter of confirmation.
It is recommended that artists have access to a car, either their own, or a rental. A car can be rented in Cranbrook, BC, which is an hour and fifteen minute drive from the residency, where there is also a small airport. It is recommended that artists bring art supplies to the residency or ship them beforehand as availability is limited in the nearby town of Creston.
Artists-in-Residence are selected by a review committee composed of the EoD Co-Directors and professionals in the field. Artists are selected based on the quality of their work, commitment to practice, and the viability of their residency proposal.
All studios have access to electricity, are heated and are equipped with a camp-like kitchen with potable water, toaster, hot plate, small fridge, kettle, French press, pots & pans, utensils and dishes. WiFi is available in each of the studios, but can be finicky. Residents have access to a communal bathroom with a stand-up shower and laundry facilities located in the residency headquarters. In the extended summer months, there is also a modest outdoor kitchen and communal fire pit where artists often gather to share food and conversation.
EoD recognizes that a diverse community benefits and enriches the organization and the arts. We strongly encourage diverse applicants including Indigenous, Black, and/or People of Colour, people with disabilities, and people of diverse sexual and gender identities, to apply.
Currently, EoD is not wheelchair accessible. The three studios are connected by a series of gravel laneways and each of the studios have between two to three steps to the entry. Our common bathroom is not compliant. If you have access needs not addressed here, email us and we’ll work with you to support them.
Learn more about the residency studios here.
To Apply
Apply online. Please click here to be taken to the online form or click the APPLY NOW button at the top of this page .
The form has five sections requiring your input. Section one: your email address. Section two: contact information. Section three: residency details checklist. Section four: applicant questionnaire (four questions, 100 words or less). Section five: upload a PDF with 10 images of artwork with image information or a five minute video of previous work, an artist statement (100 words), 2-page CV, and contact information for two professional references.
Shortlisted artists will be contacted for an interview (phone or online) on or before October 2, 2023. The selected artists will be notified on or before October 23, 2023.
If you would like to provide an alternative mode of application (video or audio), please contact us.
About Us
Empire of Dirt Residency (EoD) is an artist-run, non-profit organization that fosters a nurturing environment for contemporary visual artists to freely explore their practices, expand them in unexpected ways, and connect, whenever possible, with the local community. We offer two residency programs: funded and independently-funded. EoD offers an open-ended residency experience that affirms the need for research, reflection and experimentation.
Our remote mountain location in Creston, BC provides both quiet and solitude. EoD cultivates and supports a community for emerging, mid-career, and established contemporary visual artists. Residents are given the time and space to concentrate upon the development of their own work. We also support community and creative connections amongst the artists that attend our residency.
In addition to individual artist applications, we encourage applications from arts groups and collectives to develop collaborative projects and other activities crafted to build a sense of community. We are not a medium-specific residency but please be aware of our limitations. Past visual artists in residence work in painting, drawing, photography, film, performance art, fibre art, sculpture, site-specific and responsive art, environmental art, and socially-engaged art. We also welcome applications from writers. Visit artists to view past artists-in-residence.
EoD is also interested in offering opportunities for artists to connect with the local community. We host programming such as workshops, talks, walks, skill shares, and more. Please note that public programming is not a requirement for artists-in-residence but if you are interested, we will work with you and discuss possibilities.
Visit projects to view past thematic residencies and workshop programs at EoD.
Location
Empire of Dirt encompasses 30 acres and is situated on Arrow Mountain, aka Goat Mountain overlooking the Creston Valley. EoD is a 15 minute drive to the town of Creston. We are located in the heart of the Kootenay region, the southeast corner of British Columbia where Ktunaxa people first lived in relationship with the land. The Lower Kootenay Band, known as the Yaqan Nukiy, is a thriving Indigenous community located just south of Creston.
The Creston Valley stretches from Kootenay Lake to the USA border. Surrounded by mountain ranges, the valley offers important winter habitat for many species in the wetlands as well as corridors for grizzly bears and elk. There are many hiking trails in the region, including two up the road from the residency, as well lakes, rivers, and shallow beaches. The nearby Creston Valley Wildlife Management Area is home to nearly 400 different species of wildlife including many rare and endangered species. EoD is bounded by crown land and has immediate access to thousands of acres of the Creston Community Forest.
Creston is a small town with a post office, two grocery stores, four local vineyards, one microbrewery, a community Museum & Archives, a Home Hardware, local butcher, and small shops. EoD is the sister organization to Tilted Brick Gallery, an artist-run centre in Creston through which we create opportunities for local programming, including artist talks and workshops.
Questions
Please visit our F.A.Q.
Email empireofdirtresidency@gmail.com with any questions and please put “2024 Funded Residency” in the subject line.