NWIA is Selected as Recommenders for Ontario Arts Council’s Indigenous Visual Artists’ Materials Program!
Native Women in the Arts (NWIA) is thrilled to join other Indigenous organizations across the province as a new recommender for the Ontario Art Council’s (OAC) Indigenous Visual Artists’ Materials (IVAM) program. IVAM supports Ontario-based First Nations, Inuit and Métis artists working in the visual arts, crafts or traditional/customary Indigenous art forms by providing Grants of $500 or $1000 help cover the cost of buying art materials and supplies. As a recommender NWIA will receive and assess IVAM applications from artists and make recommendations to the OAC for funding. Recommended applications are then forwarded to OAC for payment directly to the artists.
NWIA will review applications on an ongoing basis starting in September until January 31st, 2025, or until our allocated budget for the IVAM program is spent (whichever is first).
ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS
The Ontario Arts Council supports Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, and Métis) creativity and celebrates the vitality of diverse cultural and artistic expression. This program is for Indigenous applicants only. In the application you will be required to state your Indigenous nation and community and clearly speak to your lived experience. Indigenous OAC staff members administer the program, and all applications are assessed by Indigenous organizations.
In keeping with a mandate to advance Indigenous cultural and artistic expression by Indigenous women and other Indigenous gender marginalized folks, recommenders NWIA will prioritize supporting First Nation, Métis and Inuit Women as well as other gender marginalized people though this program. NWIA respects trans women as women and uses the term gender marginalized to be inclusive of transfeminine people who may not identify as women, trans men and transmasculine people, Two Spirit, non-binary and gender queer people.
ELIGIBLE ART FORMS
Art forms include, but are not limited to: basketry (birch bark, black ash, willow, etc.), beading, birch bark work, carving, drawing, drums, rattles and instruments, glass, hide tanning and fur processing, installation, jewelry, leather work, metal work, mixed media, moccasin making, painting, photography, pottery, printmaking, quillwork, sculpture, textile art (embroidery, quilts, weaving, etc.),regalia, traditional tattooing, tufting, woodworking (snowshoe making, tamarack goose making, etc.)
Please refer to the Indigenous Visual Artists’ Materials web page for details on eligible applicants and expenses. https://www.arts.on.ca/grants/indigenous-visual-artists-materials
APPLICATION PROCESS
1. Artists look at the Ontario Arts Council – Indigenous Visual Artists’ Materials webpage and choose a suitable recommender to apply to from the list of Ontario Arts Council – Recommenders for Indigenous Visual Artists’ Materials
2. Artists fill out an application form through the OAC’s online application platform Nova and submit it to the recommender of their choice.
3. Recommenders review and assess applications
4. Recommenders submit assessments to OAC (NWIA will asses applications as they come in and submit our recommendations to OAC within 30 days of receiving the application from artist.)
5. OAC notifies artists of their results through Nova.
6. Awarded artists enter their SIN number and acknowledge their notification letter in Nova.
7. OAC mails grant cheques to artists.
Applications for funding through the IVAM program must be submitted by artists through OAC’s online grant application system Nova. Before applying artists must create an online profile in Nova.
Your application will include:
1. Your answers to application questions
2. The name of the recommender you are applying to (for example NWIA)
3. Artistic examples – images or video documentation of your own (8 images maximum)
4. Artist resumé (optional but recommended)
Complete instructions and details on the required elements of an IVAM applicatio can be found within the application itself in Nova.
OAC can arrange offline submissions for persons with limited internet access, and oral applications for Indigenous persons if requested. For additional information, read the Alternative Services and Application Processes page or contact the IVAM program administrator Maggie Lucas mlucas@arts.on.ca 437-538-3626 Toll-free in Ontario: 1-800-387-0058
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Artists who have a conflict of interest with a particular recommender organization may not apply to that recommender. An artist is in a conflict of interest if they are: an employee or board member of the recommender organization, a member of a committee or jury reviewing IVAM applications for the recommender, or an immediate family members of those described above.
DEADLINE
The 2024-2025 Ontario Arts Council’s Indigenous Visual Artists’ Materials program (IVAM) is now open and closes January 31, 2025, at 1:00 p.m. ET. NWIA will review applications on an ongoing bases until January 31st, 2025, or until our allocated budget for the IVAM program is spent (whichever is first).
NWIA CONTACT
Contact Artistic Director of Native Women in the Arts- Quach George at events@nwia.ca if you have any questions about NWIA as a recommender, or regarding eligibility and eligible art forms for the IVAM program.