The City offers variety of artist residencies, gallery programs and opportunities designed to help artists advance their practices, develop skills and share their talents with local communities and the public.
Browse the opportunities below and learn how to showcase your work.
Cultural Hotspot is an annual arts program that celebrates Toronto’s outside-the-core communities. The program is seeking to commission three artists for artworks connected to Scarborough and the Kingston-Galloway/Orton Park (KGO) neighbourhood.
Visual artists, graphic artists and illustrators are invited to submit proposals to create an original artwork. Vinyl artwork will be displayed on glass panels of two escalators and stage backdrop for a public event taking place in June at Scarborough Town Centre. Final designs are due in May 2026.
Mid-career and established visual artists living in Scarborough can submit as individuals or as part of a group. Artists who live in or demonstrate a connection to the KGO neighbourhood and artists with experience in producing work on vinyl will be given priority. Artists must have the ability to provide the artwork as high-resolution digital files for large format printing.
Artists from equity-deserving communities (persons with disabilities, women, Indigenous, Black, persons of colour, 2SLGBTQIA+, undocumented workers, immigrants and refugees, persons with low income, youth) and/or vulnerable populations (seniors, residents in Neighbourhood Improvement Areas, persons with low literacy, persons who are homeless or under-housed, victims of violence) are encouraged to submit.
City of Toronto employees are not eligible to submit.
Escalator pieces are to be full colour, each sized at 61 x 819 cm (24 x 322.5 inches), not including base and top of escalator. Stage backdrop is sized at 305 x 234 cm (120 x 92 inches). Exact specifications will be provided to the selected artist. Imagery is to represent the KGO neighbourhood, including but not limited to landmarks, community leaders, representations of art, culture and community.
Eligible artists can submit their proposal by email to CulturalHotspot@toronto.ca with the following:
The deadline to submit is Tuesday, March 31 at 5 p.m.
All works submitted for consideration must conform to the City of Toronto Human Rights and Anti-Harassment/Discrimination Policy and be suitable for a general audience.
Selections will be based on merits of the artwork, technical feasibility and the artist’s connection to the KGO neighbourhood. City staff may use publicly available sources to verify artist information (i.e. websites, social media, etc.).
Emerging visual artists, graphic artists and illustrators, with less than five years of experience, are invited to submit proposals to create black-and-white original artwork, to be used to promote the 2026 Cultural Hotspot program in KGO.
Emerging visual artists are welcome to submit as individuals or as part of a group. Artists who live in or demonstrate a connection to the KGO neighbourhood will be given priority. Artists must have the ability to produce mock-ups and provide the artwork as digital files suitable for screen printing.
Artists from equity-deserving communities (persons with disabilities, women, Indigenous, Black, persons of colour, 2SLGBTQIA+, undocumented workers, immigrants and refugees, persons with low income, youth) and/or vulnerable populations (seniors, residents in Neighbourhood Improvement Areas, persons with low literacy, persons who are homeless or under-housed, victims of violence) are encouraged to submit.
City of Toronto employees are not eligible to submit.
Two artists will be commissioned to create one design each for:
Eligible artists can submit their proposal by email to CulturalHotspot@toronto.ca with the following:
The deadline to submit is Tuesday, March 31 at 5 p.m.
All works submitted for consideration must conform to the City of Toronto Human Rights and Anti-Harassment/Discrimination Policy and be suitable for a general audience.
Selections will be based on merits of the artwork and the artist’s connection to the KGO neighbourhood. City staff may use publicly available sources to verify artist information (i.e. websites, social media, etc.).
City of Toronto is seeking local movement artists, community groups and organizations looking for space to come together, collaborate and create at Toronto History Museums under the 2026 theme: Gather in Toronto.
Proposals and requests are accepted for three distinct streams: for movement artists, community heritage activations and space for community. Learn more.
Requests for space are received on an ongoing basis and reviewed monthly. Submission intake for idea proposals is currently closed and reopens in summer 2026.
Ascent Gallery is located on Level 1 of the Etobicoke Civic Centre’s Central Block. Dedicated to early career artists, the gallery welcomes individual artists and/or artist collectives, with a focus on artists who identify as IBPOC, disabled persons and 2SLGBTQIA+.
Early career artists as individuals or as part of a group. Artists who are Toronto-based and/or identify as equity-deserving.
Early career artists are defined as artists who are at least 18 years of age, have produced a small body of work and achieved some local recognition through limited grants, commissions, sales and public exhibition experience. This includes artists who have been practicing for two to five years and/or are post-secondary fine art students.
When submitting as a group, all members of the collective must be early career artists.
Artists who have exhibited at one of the City’s cultural centres or galleries – Assembly Hall, Cedar Ridge Creative Centre, Clark Centre for the Arts or the Etobicoke Civic Centre Art Gallery – are not eligible to be considered for an exhibition at another culture centre or gallery in the following year. Artists who have previously exhibited at Ascent Gallery are unable to reapply for future years.
Ascent gallery displays work in the halls of in the Etobicoke Civic Centre central block on the lower level. The hanging space is approximately 82 feet, allowing for 20 to 30 works, depending on the size. There are four shows annually, with most exhibitions running for 10 weeks each.
Solo artists and collectives of three or fewer members interested in applying to exhibit at Ascent Gallery must complete the online form below. The deadline is May 17 at 11:59 p.m.
All works submitted for consideration must conform to the City of Toronto Human Rights and Anti-Harassment/Discrimination Policy and be suitable for a general audience.
The Assembly Hall Gallery is committed to providing the community with high quality and varied shows each year, striving to present a balanced roster of exhibitions in all media and styles, from different age groups. Assembly Hall is wheelchair accessible.
Artists are welcome to submit either as individuals or as part of a group.
Artists who have exhibited at one of the City’s cultural centres or galleries – Assembly Hall, Cedar Ridge Creative Centre, Clark Centre for the Arts, Etobicoke Civic Centre Art Gallery or Ascent Gallery – are not eligible to be considered for an exhibition at another culture centre or gallery in the following year.
The gallery spans two floors and displays works in the halls, lobby and display cases in the Assembly Hall. The hanging space allows for 40 to 60 works, depending on the size and medium. A wide range of visual art mediums is accepted including but not limited to painting, photography, sculpture, mosaic, collage, printmaking and illustration. There are usually eight shows annually, with most exhibitions running for one month each.
Artists interested in applying to exhibit at the Assembly Hall Gallery must complete the online form below. The deadline is June 14 at 11:59 p.m.
Submit for Assembly Hall Gallery
All works submitted for consideration must conform to the City of Toronto Human Rights and Anti-Harassment/Discrimination Policy and be suitable for a general audience.
Cedar Ridge Creative Centre gallery issues calls for submission once annually from visual artists and crafts people working in a variety of media for its gallery program. Art exhibitions are scheduled for approximately one month at a time between January and November 2026. Submissions are assessed by invited professional artists and staff.
Artists are welcome to submit as individuals or as part of a group.
Artists who have exhibited at one of the City’s cultural centres or galleries – Assembly Hall, Cedar Ridge Creative Centre, Clark Centre for the Arts, Etobicoke Civic Centre Art Gallery or Ascent Gallery – are not eligible to be considered for an exhibition at another culture centre or gallery in the following year.
The gallery space features three large rooms with plenty of natural light on the main floor of a historic mansion. Cedar Ridge Creative Centre is wheelchair accessible.
Submissions are currently closed.
All works submitted for consideration must conform to the City of Toronto Human Rights and Anti-Harassment/Discrimination Policy and be suitable for a general audience.
Clark Centre for the Arts is an accessible facility that welcomes artists of all media , individual artists and/or artist collectives, as well as professional and emerging artists. The centre’s main gallery, Gallery 191, is available monthly between January and May and between July and December annually.
Artists are welcome to submit as individuals or as part of a group.
Artists who have exhibited at one of the City’s cultural centres or galleries – Assembly Hall, Cedar Ridge Creative Centre, Clark Centre for the Arts, Etobicoke Civic Centre Art Gallery or Ascent Gallery – are not eligible to be considered for an exhibition at another culture centre or gallery in the following year.
Gallery 191 spans three floors. Art works must be exhibited across the gallery for the full term of the month. Clark Centre for the Arts and Gallery 191 is wheelchair accessible.
Submissions are currently closed.
All works submitted for consideration must conform to the City of Toronto Human Rights and Anti-Harassment/Discrimination Policy and be suitable for a general audience.
Etobicoke Civic Centre Art Gallery opened in May 1976 and was designed as both a showcase for local artists and a cultural uplift to the newly renovated civic centre. While Etobicoke arts groups have always been a mainstay, the gallery has also brought the world of art to the community, with national and international shows. More than 500 shows have been displayed over the past 50 years.
Art groups of four or more artists.
Artists who have exhibited at one of the City’s cultural centres or galleries – Assembly Hall, Cedar Ridge Creative Centre, Clark Centre for the Arts, Etobicoke Civic Centre Art Gallery or Ascent Gallery – are not eligible to be considered for an exhibition at another culture centre or gallery in the following year.
The gallery displays works in the halls, foyers and display cases in the Etobicoke Civic Centre central block on the main (ground) floor.
The hanging space is approximately 230 feet, allowing for 45 to 75 works, depending on the size.
There are usually 10 shows annually, with most exhibitions running for one month each.
Artists interested in applying to exhibit at Etobicoke Civic Centre Art Gallery must complete the online form below. The deadline is May 17 at 11:59 p.m.
Submit for Etobicoke Civic Centre Art Gallery
All works submitted for consideration must conform to the City of Toronto Human Rights and Anti-Harassment/Discrimination Policy and be suitable for a general audience.
Process+Practice is a two-year dance residency at Assembly Hall that supports local dancers in the research, creation and presentation of new works while offering compelling artistic experiences that allow the local community to engage with the art of dance. Presented in partnership with TOES FOR DANCE, the program nurtures artistic development and community-building by holding time and space for dancers and choreographers to experiment, discuss and explore the art form.
Professional dance artists who are either based in Toronto or have some other meaningful and ongoing connection to the area.
Two artists or projects will be paired to create each cohort, reflecting the communities within and around Toronto.
Submissions are prioritized from artists working in non-dominant dance forms or practices and equity-seeking artists, especially those who identify as IBPOC, disabled/mad or a member of the 2SLGBTQ+ community..
Submissions are currently closed. The next call for submissions will be issued in 2027.
The Cedar Ridge Summer Residency program provides one emerging or mid-career visual artist with a unique workspace at the center for 14 weeks, from mid-June to late September at no cost, and an opportunity to present works developed during the residency at the Cedar Ridge Gallery.
Toronto-based artists working or living in Toronto. The residency program is dedicated to engaging and supporting Toronto-based artists from equity-deserving communities.
Artists interested in submitting for the Summer Residency must complete the online form below. The deadline is April 11 at 11:59 p.m.
The Clark Centre for the Arts Artist Residency program provides emerging and mid-career Toronto artists with opportunities to think, experiment, work and create in an artistic lakeside urban environment. Residencies conclude with a one-month exhibition in Gallery 191.
Toronto-based artists working or living in Toronto. The residency program is dedicated to engaging and supporting Toronto-based artists from equity-deserving communities.
Submissions are currently closed.
The City’s Cultural Centres and Galleries are dedicated to engaging and supporting Toronto-based artists, including those from equity-deserving communities. These sites are part of the Public Gallery Program, aligning with CARFAC (Canadian Artists’ Representation / Le Front des Artistes Canadiens)‘s updated guidelines and are designed to increase equitable access to the City’s cultural spaces and elevate support for artists, while advancing some of the key objectives of Culture Connects: An Action Plan for Culture in Toronto.
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