Upon completion of the residency, Artists in Residence will be offered a paid exhibition opportunity of artwork selected by the SPAO Gallery Manager. Additional opportunities may include a public talk and the production of a catalogue or photo book.

Artists are provided access to SPAO’s photo studio, media lab as well as our fully equipped darkroom and alternative processes lab. Residents are also invited to participate in select classes, programming, and guest lectures.

Ottawa is home to numerous national museums, rich photography collections, and research resources, including: the National Gallery of Canada, Library and Archives Canada, Ingenium, and the Canada Council Art Bank.

The residency fee is $5,500.

In addition to the residency fee, participants are responsible for all costs associated with their stay such as living expenses, materials, and supplies, including but not limited to photographic chemistry, printing, paper, and any specific facilities fees.

Accommodations are not provided by SPAO.

Candidates should have completed formal training in the field of photography, visual arts, or equivalent. SPAO welcomes all visual backgrounds, motivations, and styles. A selection committee consisting of arts professionals will evaluate the applications. The committee will base its selection on the artistic quality of the applicant’s work, the potential impact of the residency on the applicant’s career, and the contribution to the Ottawa and Canadian arts communities.

All applicants are eligible for the Jason Michaels Memorial Bursary.

Applicants who are Canadian or permanent residents in financial need and identify as one or more of the following priority groups: youth (35 years or younger), Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, and Inuit), 2SLGBTQIA+, person with a disability, or person of colour may apply for the TD Career Launch Initiative.

For more information about these bursaries, please email admin@spao.ca.

Each spring, SPAO awards one graduate of the SPAO full-time program the $1,500 CAD Sphinx Bursary to be applied to an upcoming residency. All full-time program graduates from SPAO are eligible. We highly recommend that applications for this scholarship are submitted by August 1. Current and former SPAO students are exclusively eligible to apply for the Sphinx Bursary. 

Past participants in the residency have successfully received funding from granting bodies to help facilitate their residency.

1. Fill out the Artist-in-Residence application form.

2. Send remaining documents to gallery@spao.ca via wetransfer.com:

• Artist Statement (PDF)

• CV/resume (PDF)

• 10 digital samples of work saved as. JPG, 72dpi, sized to 1200 pixels on the longest edge. Files should not be larger than 2MB.

• Images should be accompanied by an image list (PDF); provide the image number, title, and medium. Use this document to clarify image details. IMAGE SAVING FORMAT EXAMPLE: 01_untitled_inkjet_print.jpgIMAGE DETAILS EXAMPLE: "This is a portrait from my series Faces. I would like the final image size to be life-size, but I haven't decided how I would like to print this work yet."

SPAO’s residents are an international group of artists hailing working on a variety of different themes, topics, and processes. Previous residents have come from Russia, Australia, Alaska, and of course right here in Ottawa. Residents often take advantage of the large darkroom and processing lab to explore historic and traditional photographic processes alongside contemporary digital techniques.

We see take pride in our resident’s success. Successes from the residency has included grant and project funding, project awards, further exhibition opportunities, mastering of new techniques, and much, much more.

The completed residency will culminate in a yearly group exhibition in The SPAO Centre Gallery. The exhibition can include a public artist talk or the production of a catalogue or photo book. 

Residents can request to audit some classes in SPAO’s Photographic Arts and Production Diploma Program to brush up on their knowledge and join in on critical discussions. Residents may also be invited to participate in SPAO’s instructional courses and programs. Participation may take the form of a guest lecture, contribution to photography critiques, or consultation with students, as is appropriate to the resident's interests and objectives.

Residents can receive a 50% discount on SPAO’s Part-Time Classes if there is space available. Residents have also been approached to teach a part-time class based on their specialty in their photo-based practice

SPAO actively promotes its residents via our social media, newsletter, or in any way possible throughout their time at SPAO. SPAO requests that each participant donate a single artwork to our archive at the completion of their residency.

Often, residents are introduced to the wider photographic and arts community in Ottawa leading to networking opportunities and further collaborations.

SPAO's Residency Coordinator as well as the Director of Education are the keys to upholding SPAO’s creative and collaborative principles and extending our creative philosophy to our artists in residency. SPAO's Director of Education will lead a weekly group lab session for artists, and the Residency Coordinator will meet with artists individually on a weekly basis. These sessions will provide support, and technical assistance, and facilitate networking opportunities with SPAO faculty, visiting artists, curators, etc. Further mentorship assistance will be available to support residents in refining professional skills such as grant writing, artist statements, exhibition planning, and artist talks.

View list of mentorship knowledge resources.

Professional Memberships:
Residency participants will receive a one-year membership to the National Gallery of Canada, which houses the new Canadian Institute of Photography.

Research Resources:
A wide range of Ottawa-based institutions offer rich photography collections and research resources, including the National Gallery of Canada, the Canadian Institute of Photography, Library and Archives Canada, the City of Ottawa Archives and Art Collection, and the Canada Council’s Art Bank.