Purpose
The program supports Ontario-based professional artists/curators, ad hoc groups/collectives and arts organizations to tour performances, exhibitions, screenings and readings for public audiences within Ontario, nationally and internationally. The work(s) being toured must be created and performed by professional artists.
Priorities
Tours where the majority of engagements are those where the applicant is invited and paid a guaranteed presentation fee by the presenter (i.e. not self-presentation, see definition below).
Priorities outside the province include activities that enhance the profile of Ontario artists and take their work into new markets.
To apply
Complete and submit an application in Nova, OAC’s online grant application system. You will be able to do this approximately two months before the deadline.
Before applying, you must:
Your application includes:
- basic information about the project
- your answers to application questions
- project budget
- artistic examples: It is mandatory to include two artistic examples. Each of the following is considered one example:
- video (maximum 3 minutes)
- audio (maximum 3 minutes)
- images (maximum 5 images)
- manuscript (maximum 3 pages)
- support documents:
- tour itinerary (mandatory)
- one signed contract or two signed letters of invitation (mandatory)
Note: If you are unable to obtain a contract or letters of invitation because of COVID-19, this may be submitted at a later date. If a grant is awarded, it will be conditional upon receipt of these documents. - applicant history (mandatory)
- biographies of key artists participating on the tour (mandatory)
- letter from an expert (mandatory only for Category 3: Significant public arts festival/event)
- additional contracts / letters of invitation, website and/or examples of printed promotional material, such as brochures, flyers or posters (optional)
Complete instructions and requirements are in the application in Nova.
For information on how assessors rate applications see the Evaluation Rubric – Activity Projects.
For help creating a profile or submitting an application in Nova, see the Nova User Guide.
Program-specific definitions
Presenter: an organization/collective that selects tour-ready work for presentation and pays a presentation fee to the professional artist or arts group. A presenter provides the venue, supplies technical support, promotes the event, and presents the work in a professional manner to a public audience (or to a student audience in the case of school touring). A presenter may show artistic work as part of a series or festival.
School tour: a minimum of three engagements in different schools, or community venues to which students are transported, where the primary activity is the performance, exhibition or reading by a professional artist or arts organization. The schools must be for students in Junior Kindergarten to grade 12. Schools can be located in or outside of the professional artist’s or arts organization’s city, town or First Nation.
Significant public arts festival/event (Category 3): a high-profile festival or one-time only public event with a large audience and presenter reach, providing a platform for profile-building and market development. It should represent a unique and special opportunity for the applicant.
Self-presentation: presenting the applicant’s own work to a public audience without the support of a presenter. This typically involves renting a venue and relying largely on box office revenue.
Letter of invitation: an invitation from the presenter, presenting network or school board expressing interest/intent to book the applicant. The following information should be included: a guaranteed fee from the presenter (or a commitment to pay a guaranteed fee), the name of the work being presented, the venue and dates of the presentation. It can state that the activity is conditional on the applicant receiving other financial support for the tour.
Contract: a written agreement between the applicant / touring artist(s) and the presenter, presenting network or school board, and that is signed by both parties. The following information should be included: a guaranteed fee from the presenter, the name of the work being presented, the venue and dates of the presentation. It can state that the activity is conditional on the applicant receiving other financial support for the tour.
Letter from an expert (only required for Category 3: Significant public arts festival/event): a reference from a third-party recognized in the arts sector, familiar with the applicant and knowledgeable about the public arts festival/event. The letter should provide context on the significance of the event to the art form and its market development potential for the applicant.
Independent media arts tour: tours where at least 75% of the works programmed are by individual professional media artists/directors (e.g. film, video, audio) whose work was artist-controlled in the production and post-production phases (independently produced).