The National Gallery of Canada’s General Idea Fellowship encourages and supports advanced research in contemporary art. Research will relate to any aspect of contemporary art, including painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, printmaking, artist’s books and multiples, video, installation and other media, and emphasize the use and investigation of the collections of the National Gallery of Canada, including the Art Metropole Collection, the General Idea fonds, the AA Bronson collection, and related materials in the Gallery’s collections.
The fellowship is open to art historians, curators, critics, conservators, graduate students and independent and other professionals working in the visual arts or in museology and related disciplines in the humanities and social sciences, and is open to international applicants.
Fellowships of the National Gallery of Canada are tenable only at the National Gallery of Canada. Each award is limited to a maximum of $15,000, including expenses and/or a stipend. The term of each award is one calendar year beginning May 31, 2023. Exceptionally this year, the Fellowship can be carried out from September 2023 to September 2024.
Completed applications will include all of the following:
- A statement of the aims, methodology and anticipated results of the investigation, limited to a maximum of three pages headed by a summary of the proposal;
- A brief outline of the research materials and facilities required (e.g., bibliography of primary and secondary resources; access to National Gallery of Canada collections; access to the expertise and resources of other Ottawa area institutions; etc.);
- The proposed dates and timetable of the residency at the Gallery;
- An outline of projected costs, including expenses and stipend. Eligible expenses include relocation to Ottawa, subsistence during the residency, and project-related travel, supplies and services;
- A full curriculum vitae, including education, professional employment history, awards and honours, publications, exhibitions and work-in-progress;
- Information on other grants applied for or received, employment commitments and paid sabbatical arrangements, for the proposed period of residency;
- One letter of recommendation, sent under separate cover by the referee to the Gallery. The letter must address the candidate's achievements in general and the fellowship proposal in particular;
- Examples of finished work, textual, visual, or both.
The review committee, comprised of National Gallery of Canada staff and external jurors, will examine research proposals with the following considerations in mind:
- The significance, originality, goals, potential contributions and feasibility of the proposal;
- The need for and the benefit to be derived from enhanced access to the collections of the Gallery and other Ottawa institutions, and, the relevance to the research community of the planned work. Priority will be given to projects that intend to reach a public audience physically, in print or digitally.
Applications are invited from all qualified candidates, including Indigenous peoples, women, people of any sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, racialized people, and people with disabilities. The Gallery is committed to developing inclusive, barrier-free selection processes and work environment.
All applications, in English or French, for the National Gallery of Canada General Idea Fellowship should be sent via email in PDF format to:
Amy Rose
Acting Senior Manager, Library, Archives and Research Fellowship Program
National Gallery of Canada
arose@gallery.ca
The deadline for applications is August 20, 2023.
