FAQ for Artists2021-08-31T07:26:13-04:00

Photo: Louise Campbell

FAQ for Artists

I am an artist – am I eligible?2024-08-15T12:10:16-04:00

1. Eligible Artists identify as members of the English-speaking Communities of Quebec:

– they represent the diversity of the ESCs’ demographics and cultural communities. Their practices include a wide variety of specialties to engage students and lifelong learners of all ages.

2. Experience facilitating in education settings is required for working in Schools*:

Having listened to educators about what is essential to this program’s success, to qualify for the ArtistsInspire School Grants Program, Artists must already have experience as facilitators of hands-on creative experiences with students and teachers in elementary and/or secondary schools. They have demonstrated their skills/experience through prior work with ELAN’s ACE InitiativeArtsSmartsMASCMikwChiyâm, the Quebec Writers’ Federation’s Writers in the Communities Program and/or from equivalent programs in the rest of Canada or internationally.  Many artists are also listed in Quebec’s Culture in the Schools Repertoire and are eligible for additional funding available from that program’s workshops or residencies.

*Please note that while we will continue to profile Artists who are only comfortable facilitating in-person experiences, being able to facilitate virtual workshops is an asset. Have a look at our Virtual ArtEd Facilitation Guide.

3. Recruiting Regional Artists

ELAN’s ArtEd program seeks to offer authentic Arts and Culture experiences aimed at developing young people’s creativity while fostering an understanding of the diversity that exists within Quebec’s English-speaking communities. Regional Artists (living out side the greater Montreal area), are welcome to connect with us at any time. Please email the project manager at artedcoach@quebec-elan.org if you would like to know more.

Recruitment of all other new Artists normally takes place during our Spring Artist Recruitment Campaign. The campaign will be posted on the ELAN ArtEd Social Media Pages and will be sent out in our mailing list as well as in the ELAN Newsletter. Stay up to date by joining those mailing lists.

Passionate about facilitating Lifelong Learning experiences with Adults and/or Seniors? 

As of June 2020, we added an option in the Artist profiles to note experience facilitating lifelong learning experiences for Adults and/or Seniors. Many community and regional non-profit organizations connect with Artists via contact information found on their profiles to facilitate Arts & Culture experiences for all ages using funding from other sources. We are delighted to expand our list, creating the most comprehensive and diverse possible list of Artists who are eligible to facilitate educational experiences in the country.

How do artists apply?2024-08-15T12:12:50-04:00

ELAN’s ArtEd program seeks to offer authentic Arts and Culture experiences aimed at developing young people’s creativity while fostering an understanding of the diversity that exists within Quebec’s English-speaking communities. Regional Artists (living outside the greater Montreal area), are welcome to connect with us at any time. Please email the project manager at elanarted@quebec-elan.org if you would like to know more.

The recruitment period for new Artists is now over. Recruitment of new Artists takes place during the Spring. The message will be posted on the ELAN ArtEd Social Media Pages and will be sent out in the ELAN ArtEd mailing list as well as in the ELAN Newsletter. Stay up to date by joining the mailing lists.

Is there a deadline for artists to be accepted for the current school year?2024-08-15T12:14:57-04:00

ELAN’s ArtEd program seeks to offer authentic Arts and Culture experiences aimed at developing young people’s creativity while fostering an understanding of the diversity that exists within Quebec’s English-speaking communities. Regional Artists (living out side the greater Montreal area), are welcome to connect with us at any time. Please email the project manager at elanarted@quebec-elan.org if you would like to know more.

Recruitment of all other new Artists is taking place in August-September 2024. The message will be posted on the ELAN ArtEd Social Media Pages and will be sent out in the ELAN ArtEd mailing list as well as in the ELAN Newsletter. Stay up to date by joining those mailing lists.

When I submit my completed artist profile, why does the site freeze?2021-06-30T12:03:45-04:00

If the submission takes a long time to process or does not process at all, a likely cause is that your images are too large. This form contains many images so you may be submitting too much data to process all at once. Here are some solutions.

  1. Click the back button to return to your form.
  2. Reduce the file sizes of your images. You can use a free image resizer website to re-save your images at a width of 900 pixels. Then resubmit the form with the smaller images.
  3. Plan to submit your form with one image at a time.
Can Artists claim travel expenses?2024-08-30T11:38:46-04:00

Only travel over 100km one-way from an artist’s residency is eligible. Whenever possible, schools are required to work with eligible local Artists. When local Artists are not available in the disciplines and/or specialties requested by schools, Artists may be eligible for travel expenses. Our travel budget is limited. As such, when a school has selected an Artist, they will need to fill out a Travel Form to be approved by the ArtEd team. In the case that an artist brings in other artists for a One Day Event (e.g. a band), it is the responsibility of the ArtistsInspire artist to negotiate fees, subcontracts and payment with these artists. Only the ArtistsInspire artist who led the school workshops is eligible for travel expenses if the travel is over 100km one-way from their place of residence.

When considering travel, the ArtEd team will look at the impact the project will have on the school and community and whether there are other more local Artists that could facilitate a similar experience. We may ask the school to contribute to the travel expenses, if possible, using other funds (e.g. combining an ArtistsInspire grant with Culture in the Schools funding is a great way to extend a project and cover costs). In some cases, we may need to use some of the funds from the ArtistsInspire grant in order to offset costs, which may affect the number of workshops the Artist will be facilitating. We may also ask that a school rearrange their schedule so as to be to accommodate consecutive workshops in order to save on travel expenses (e.g. accommodation and food).

In regions where a visiting Artist/Arts organization is required to travel further than 100 km one way from their place of residence, ELAN may request that schools select an Artist/Arts Organization available to work with multiple schools in a School Board and/or geographic region when possible. See details in the guideline for eligible artists’ fees and expenses.

How do One Day Events work?2024-08-18T20:33:58-04:00

All ArtistsInspire Artists can offer a One Day Event as an add on to a School Grant. One Day Events are not available without a School Grant. The artist presenting the One Day Event must be the same as the artist facilitating the workshops for the School Grant. Artist collaborations and groups (such as bands) featuring this artist are possible and strongly encouraged. Details must be discussed and agreed upon by the artist and the school prior to the school filling out the application form.

All events should include an artistic performance or installation of some sort, as well as an Artist Talk where Artists will have the chance to answer questions from students about their practice and career path. The duration of a One Day Event depends on the school’s interests and what the Artist offers. For performances, the One Day Event should feature a minimum of 2 X 45-minute performances with 15-minute Artist talks. As with the AIG workshops, these One Day Events are expected to have educational outcomes.
We would like the One Day Event add-on to allow as many students as possible to benefit from the expertise of an Artist visiting your school. Interactive events in which students participate in the creative process are encouraged.

Here are some examples of potential One Day Events:

  • Solo or group musical concert
  • Dance performance
  • Theatrical play
  • Live visual art creation
  • Comic jam
  • Mural painting
  • Story reading
  • Film screening by the filmmaker

Please note that schools are expected to provide space, an electrical outlet if necessary, and adequate teacher supervision during the course of the event. Artists should prepare to bring all necessary equipment for a successful experience. In the event of a film screening, schools may be asked to supply an interactive whiteboard with projector and speakers, but this must be discussed by the Artist and the school ahead of time.

Once accepted as an eligible artist, how will the program work? How will artists be selected by schools?2022-08-10T17:10:50-04:00

ELAN is reaching out to each school board with schools eligible for the grant to determine how we can best support their schools in connecting with artists.

Schools will be able to view artists’ profiles on the website as well as our Elementary and High School Workshop Catalogues. The ELAN ArtEd team will be available to schools to help them in their connection process – if they request our assistance, we will recommend multiple artists who match with the schools interests by discipline and/or theme.

Eligible artists may contact schools that they already have a relationship with to encourage the school to apply. We are requesting that artists not contact new schools directly – we simply cannot have schools/principals being inundated with contact from individual artists.

Please watch the Artist Orientation Video for more information.

Why does my video not show in my profile?2021-06-30T12:06:09-04:00

The artist profile is set up to display videos either from YouTube or from Vimeo.  To get the url for your video

  1. go to the view page of your video
  2. copy the website address from the URL bar
  3. paste it into the artist profile form.

here is an example of what the URL looks like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-CauQXNRig

Which schools are eligible for funding?2020-08-06T14:36:21-04:00

The funder provided us with a list of eligible public elementary and secondary schools in the province including the nine schools boards that are members of the Quebec English School Board Association and the three special status school boards – Cree, Kativik and Littoral. The ELAN Art Ed Team is working with contacts at each board to promote the program and offer support in connecting their schools with artists. The way schools apply will vary based on geographic realities. Schools who can work with local artists (able to travel daily to the school – no accommodation required) will use our online form. Schools who need to bring artists in from longer distances will work with the ELAN Art Ed Team to arrange for artists to work with multiple schools.

How will artists be paid?2022-08-10T17:12:35-04:00

LEARN will be disseminating the funds to cover artists’ fees and expenses for approved Artists Inspired grants. When schools have been approved for their grants, the school and artist will be contacted and the compensation will be organized directly with the artist when the agreed-upon activities are complete.

As independent professionals, artists are expected to submit an invoice for fees (an example will be provided). Approved expenses per guidelines to be provided to artists and schools (material, travel) will be submitted to LEARN using an Expense Claim Form.

Please watch the Artist Orientation Video for more information.

The grants available offer schools $1500 for a hands-on experience plus an optional add on of a One Day Event for a total value of $3000: how many hours are required and what can artists charge?2024-08-30T11:42:37-04:00
  • School Grant Artists’ fees – the minimum fee for an individual artist’s in-person time is $150/hour. We expect Artists to work with a minimum of 2 classes, and each class should receive a minium of 2 separate workshop sessions lasting about one hour each. This is to allow students to be inspired and develop their creativity in the artistic discipline. In all, an Artist is expected to facilitate 6 to 10 hours of live workshop sessions, over a minimum of 2 days.
  • One Day Event Artist fees – the additional $1500 allocated for a One Day Event is to cover ALL expenses for the One Day Event, including additional artists and any expenses related to these artists. In the event that an artist brings in other artists for a One Day Event (e.g. a band), it is the responsibility of the ArtistsInspire artist to negotiate fees, subcontracts and payment with these artists. If the artist wishes to bring another person(s) for the One Day Event then they are responsible for the extra expenses. The format and duration of a One Day Event depends on the school requesting it and what the Artist is offering, and should feature a minimum of 2 X 45-minute performances with 15-minute Artist talks.
  • In all, an Artist is expected to facilitate 6 to 10 hours of live workshop sessions, over at least 2 different days, or, with an optional add on of a One Day Event, for a minimum of 3 days in school.
  • While some materials cost is expected, as much as possible, artists need to consider what is already available through the schools and their community. Artists may purchase and invoice for materials that the school does not have available to facilitate the creative experience, using up to $300 including taxes from the $1500 School Grant, and up to another $300 including taxes for the One Day Event add-on.
  • To ensure schools in all regions have access to diverse arts experiences, travel costs over 100km one-way from the artist’s residence will be covered in addition to the grant when a qualified local artist is not available in the discipline/specialty. In the event that a group is involved in a One Day Event, only the artist who led the school workshops is eligible for travel expenses. Travel must be pre-approved and involve multiple schools within a school board in remote areas. There is no daily allowance for public transportation.
  • Grants can be leveraged by connecting with other arts and culture funding opportunities, combining for example with Culture’s in the Schools’ Host an Artist or Writer Program.
  • See the guideline for eligible artists’ fees and expenses (PDF).
  • See the Artist Orientation Video.
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