A unique experience to engage with audiovisual archival materials.

Posted: February 15th, 2022
Deadline: March 20th, 2022, 11:59pm EDT
Timeline: 3 months in Summer 2022 
Location: Online/remote, in person possible with COVID-19 protocols in place at CFMDC’s office
Support: Archive/Counter-Archive in collaboration with CFMDC

Archive/Counter-Archive (www.counterarchive.ca) and the Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre (CFMDC) invite applications for an Artist in Residence. 

The artist will create an artwork based on or inspired by audiovisual archives found at CFMDC. The final work may be a short media work (sound or moving-image) or take the form of an installation, presentation, mixed media performance, or curated program. We have defined counter-archives as political, resistant, and community-based. They are embodied differently and have explicit intention to historicize differently, to disrupt conventional national narratives, and to write differences into public accounts. 

Counter-archives seek to counter the hegemony of traditional archival institutions that have normally neglected or marginalized women, Indigenous Peoples, the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and immigrant communities. 

Please note that this residency does not provide accommodation in Toronto, but provides some funding for travel and subsistence. At the conclusion of the residency, the artist is expected to participate in a public exhibition/event showcasing their residency work - their other work(s) outside of the residency may be included. This may take the form of an artist talk, a public workshop, a screening, or another form of public event.

TO APPLY, PLEASE SUBMIT THE FOLLOWING IN ONE PDF BY March 20th, 2022, 11:59pm EDT: 
 

• Expression of Interest: Artists must simply describe why they are interested in the residency and speak to how their body of work and past experience would make them a strong candidate to participate (maximum 500 words)*;
• CV (no more than 3 pages);
• Artist website OR 5-10 samples of your work including still images and/or links to media artwork.

Send questions & applications to: morgan@cfmdc.org, please use the subject line “CFMDC ACA Artist Call” in your email.
 

We welcome applications from emerging or established Canadian and International artists with professional training or a history of public presentation of their work in a professional context (i.e., galleries, film/media festivals, etc.). We strongly encourage Black, Indigenous, POC, and 2SLGBTQIA+ artists to apply. The artist residency is designed to give freedom and flexibility to the artist and their relationship to the collection materials. It includes research and contact with collections and programming staff, access to facilities, as well as $5,000 CAD financial support for the artist, materials and subsistence.

ABOUT THE HOST: Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre (CFMDC) is a not-for-profit, non-commercial media arts distributor. We specialize in independent, artist-made work on film and video, including works from historically underrepresented communities. CFMDC advocates for a holistic understanding of production, distribution and exhibition that prioritizes artist rights, accessibility and the creation of new audiences through education and critical thinking. We have one of the most important collections of artist-made moving image on film in Canada that includes 16mm, 35mm and (s)8mm films.

CFMDC's mandate is as follows: 
 

Artists should be paid for their work.

• Art drives change, challenges conventions, and transforms lives.
• Advocate for critical space outside the mainstream for artists' works. 
• Advocate for voices rooted in community that disrupt dominant discourse. 
• Explore opportunities to build community, encourage dialogue and reach new audiences. 

This project is a SSHRC Partnership project involving over 14 community archives and artist-run centres, as well as four universities (York, Queen’s, Concordia, and Ryerson). 

Archive/Counter-Archive is dedicated to researching and remediating audiovisual archives created by women, Indigenous Peoples, the LGBTQ2+ community, and immigrant communities. Political, resistant, and community-based, counter-archives disrupt conventional narratives and enrich our histories. www.counterarchive.ca