The City of Toronto invites artists to submit for month-long exhibitions at its cultural centre galleries, including Cedar Ridge Gallery and Clark Centre Gallery (Gallery 191). Selected individuals and groups show visual art and craft in various media across 2026 and 2027. Free to apply.
$120,000 CAD total budget; $1,500 CAD honorarium for each of 5-7 shortlisted artists
The City of Surrey seeks a professional artist or artist team to create a permanent freestanding artwork or series of artworks for Woodward Hill Neighbourhood Park at 144 Street and 62 Avenue in South Newton, Surrey, BC. The commission aims to establish a distinctive identity for the park through moments of wonder, discovery, play, and reflection at its main entry plaza and terraced nodes. Artists must demonstrate creative expertise and technical ability to manage a project from concept to installation, including coordination with contractors and municipal staff. The total project budget is $120,000 CAD, inclusive of all costs. Shortlisted artists (5-7) will each receive a $1,500 CAD honorarium to develop concept proposals. The project is open to local, national, and international professional artists and artist teams.
Artist fee of CAD $120,000 for the commission.
The City of Surrey seeks a professional artist to create a free-standing artwork or series for the new Woodward Hill Neighbourhood Park, a 4.7 acre green space in South Newton. The work will anchor the park's main entry pathway and terraced gathering nodes, creating moments of wonder, discovery, play and reflection. Total artist fee is CAD $120,000.
Studio space, promotion, $500 in art supplies, an honorarium, and a one-month solo exhibition in Gallery 191.
The Clark Centre for the Arts, a City of Toronto cultural centre at Guild Park and Gardens, invites Toronto-based emerging and mid-career artists to its 2027 residency. Artists think, experiment and create in a lakeside setting, concluding with a one-month exhibition in Gallery 191. The program prioritises artists from equity-deserving communities.
Total project budget of CAD $275,000 (exclusive of applicable taxes).
Calgary Arts Development seeks an artist or artist team to join the City of Calgary's Walden Fire Station and Library project and create permanent public artwork for the combined facility. One artist or team will be selected with a total project budget of CAD $275,000. Open to local and national professional artists working in various media.
Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art in Winnipeg invites artists, writers, thinkers and cultural workers from all backgrounds to apply for its 2026 Fall Institute, a professional program with no application or participation fee. Participants cover their own travel and accommodation in Winnipeg.
$5,000.00 CAD including HST maximum, covering artist fees, materials, installation, and removal.
The City of Pickering invites local artists to submit proposals for window paintings under the theme Many Ways to Winter, reflecting diverse winter experiences, traditions, and perspectives. One artist or team will be commissioned through jury evaluation for a maximum of $5,000 CAD including HST, covering all fees, materials, installation, and removal.
CAD$6,000 award (paid in two installments) + access to McGill's historical and contemporary collections
The Michele Larose - Osler Library Artist-in-Residence Programme at McGill University in Montreal supports visual artists who use McGill collections to create work addressing contemporary or historical subjects in medicine and the health sciences. The award is valued at CAD$6,000, paid in two installments, and is granted annually to one or more candidates holding a studio art or related degree and/or a record of professional exhibition. The programme draws primarily on the Osler Library of the History of Medicine, with artists also able to access McGill's other libraries, the Maude Abbott Medical Museum and departmental and hospital resources. Applications are submitted as a single PDF by the deadline.
Rent-free exhibition space for a two-week show; part-time gallery attendant; promotional support; no commission on sales
The Collective City Gallery Project supports independent artists, artist collectives and curators based in the Greater Toronto Area by offering rent-free access to contemporary exhibition spaces. Successful applicants receive a two-week show with a part-time sitting attendant and promotional support, and the organisation takes no commission on sales. Eight shows are scheduled throughout 2027 at rotating Toronto venues including Dupont Rail Gallery, Awkamon Gallery, 2-303 Lansdowne and Red Head Gallery. The programme seeks artists with a serious professional commitment to visual artmaking and some exhibiting experience, whose studio output is not represented by a commercial gallery or institution. The submission fee is CAD 30, payable by e-transfer or cheque.
Jurors' Prize $1,500; Emerging Artist Award $1,000; Photography Prize $500; Norma Duggan Award $300
Tradition Transformed 2026 is a juried exhibition by the Orillia Museum of Art & History (OMAH) responding to the question of what the Canadian landscape means today. Artists across Canada are invited to submit works in drawing, painting, sculpture, photography, media arts and mixed media. Selected works are shown September 26, 2026 through January 16, 2027, with a reception on September 26. Awards include the Jurors' Prize ($1,500), the Kevin J. Batchelor Emerging Artist Award ($1,000), the Philip Jackman Photography Prize ($500) and the Norma Duggan Award ($300). Jury results are announced August 28, 2026.
$25,000 CAD per site, two sites, $50,000 CAD total commission.
The Municipality of North Perth, with STEPS Public Art, invites Canadian professional artists and teams to submit qualifications for two permanent outdoor sculptures celebrating local identity, agricultural heritage, and community connection. Each site carries a $25,000 CAD budget, and up to three shortlisted artists receive a $1,000 CAD honorarium to develop proposals. Installation is targeted for fall 2027.
Up to 15,000 CAD project grant (plus up to 5,000 CAD accessibility grant where applicable)
The Toronto Arts Council's Visual/Media Arts Projects: Presentation program funds professional non-profit Toronto organizations, collectives, curators or programmers to deliver one-time or time-limited projects involving the exhibition or distribution of contemporary visual or media arts in Toronto. The maximum grant is 15,000 CAD, with projects from the August 4 deadline required to commence after November 1, 2026. Proposed projects must have a secured Toronto venue (or be produced in Toronto and shared online) and a focused audience development plan. Projects involving Deaf artists and artists with disabilities may apply for an additional accessibility grant of up to 5,000 CAD.
Canada's art ecosystem is anchored by strong public funding: artist-run centres, public galleries, and municipal art commissions alongside grants at the federal, provincial, and city level. Artist fees for exhibitions are a established norm here, which makes Canadian calls unusually artist-friendly.
This page gathers Canadian opportunities open right now, each verified by hand with deadline, fee, eligibility, and award listed, linking directly to the host organization's page. Arthead itself is based in Toronto.