The theme of the residency will be HOME. For newcomers, home can be a place left behind, a space in flux, or a future still being imagined. For Indigenous artists, home is rooted in ancestral land, community, and resilience, often in the face of historical and ongoing displacement. The HOME residency creates a space for dialogue between these experiences, revealing shared struggles and points of connection while honoring the complexities of each perspective. We are interested to see what artists can create and present through their art practices, and what may occur when these artists come together to collaborate and work and exhibit in the same space.

5 artists will be selected by Sparrow Arts Society’s board of directors for this project. In our selection, we will be looking for a variety of art forms (primarily visual art with the openness to performers, writers, or filmmakers), diversity of backgrounds, and experiences. We will also be selecting an artist who would also like to be the lead artist(s) who will organize the residency along with all the administrative tasks involved including scheduling events, art talks, marketing including social media, and workshops.

Once the artists are selected, we will arrange a series of meetings so that the artists can connect, share their ideas and art, and work together to organize and plan their residency. We aim to provide space and support to the artists with our mentors Danielle Piper and Yiting Hui, where meaningful relationships can grow among the artists. To encourage this, we will invite the artists to co-create a collaborative piece centered around the theme of “HOME,” which may begin to take shape through discussions in our early meetings.

At one of the earlier meetings, we will invite an Indigenous Elder to share what Home means to them. This will be a great way to learn and begin sharing perspectives and finding unexpected connections which may help to inform the rest of the residency. Newcomer artists will also be invited to share their personal journeys and experiences as immigrants in Canada, offering further layers of insight

and perspective. Some of these meetings may also coincide with events at Sparrow ArtSpace such as Artist Trading Cards, which are great opportunities to connect with other artists and community members as well.

Through the collaborative project, we are excited to see how each artist’s practice evolves alongside with other artists — influenced by the shared stories, deeper mutual understanding, and reflections on the many meanings of “Home.” We hope that this collaborative project not only fosters meaningful artistic partnerships and encourages artists to step beyond their habitual practices, but also inspires new voices and ways of expression while engaging critical dialogues and co-creating.

Sparrow Arts Society will also attend these meetings to support the artists and mentor them through the residency process as needed. The artists will sign a residency agreement with Sparrow Arts Society which will include the details of the residency and care of the space.

The artists will have the opportunity to exhibit existing work related to the theme of HOME and/or create new pieces before and during the residency term. The 2-month residency will be from July 1 to Aug 30, 2026. In this time, the artists can use the space to work in and create new work in the space. The artists will present an exhibition which could change throughout the term and will have both an Opening and Closing Reception. The artists will engage with the community by being open to the public with some of the artists in attendance Thurs-Sat 11am-6pm, present artists talks (3, with 2 artists each), 5 workshops (1 per artist), and create the opportunity for visitors to the space to participate in a community art piece (drop-in in public hours). During the residency the artists will also collaborate together to create one collaborative art piece.

In September, the artists will work together with Sparrow Arts Society to present the results of their residency in a report.

• October 15, 2025: Application Deadline

• October/November 2025: Evaluation of Applications and Interviews with potential candidates

• November, 2025: Notification of Results

• January to June 2026: 4 meetings with artists-in-residence (dates/topics TBA)

• July 1, 2026: move-in day of residency and space orientation

• July-August 2026: exhibiton, 5 workshops, 3 artists talks, community art project, open studio, artists-in-residence gallery attending Thurs-Sat 11am-6pm (schedule TBA)

• August 29, 2026: Closing Reception

• August 30/31: de-installation and residency wrap-up

• September 2026: meeting to create a final report of the residency and Sparrow Artspace Exit Survey

Each of the successful artists-in-residence will receive the following:

• Exhibition Artist fee: $644.00

• installation/deinstallation of exhibition: $281.00

• Honoraria for 5 meetings: $250.00

• Workshop Facilitation (optional): $541.00

• materials for workshop (optional): $200.00

• Honoraria for Closing Event: $50.00

• Honoraria for Gallery attending for opening hours: $540.00

• Honoraria for opening event: $50.00

• Artist Fee for Artist Talk: $391.00

• TOTAL: $2,947.00

Other possible fees (not available for each artist):

•  Honoraria for Photography to document the residency   $ 1,000.00  

• Facilitation of Community Art Project   $ 757.00  

• Supplies for Community Art Project   $ 300.00

Project Coordinator

Approximately 150 hours @ $40/hr: managing artists, schedules, meetings, social media design & posting, organizing workshops and events, and other administration tasks. The project coordinator will be one of the five artists and will receive the above renumeration ( $2,947.00) plus $6,000.