PRESENTATION
The Fonderie Darling is a visual arts center housed in an outstanding industrial building located in the west end of Old Montreal. Founded in 2002 and administrated by the non-profit organization Quartier Éphémère, the center has the mission to support the research, the creation, the production and the dissemination of contemporary art, with a specific focus on emerging artists and curators. In this way, the artists, local as well as international, are at the center of the Fonderie Darling's programming and activities.
Crucial to the dynamics of a creation center, the international exchanges bring forth a mix of cultures, stimulate creativity, and create sustainable links between artists and art professionals. At the Fonderie Darling, these exchanges take place in two ways: the regular programming of exhibitions by foreign artists and curators in its galleries; the development of international residency programs in the studios complex.
In recognition of the important role international artists and curators play in the ecology of a city's artistic community, the Fonderie Darling welcomes up to four residents at a time to take advantage of its individual live-in studios, and take part in Montreal's artistic community.
STUDIO RESIDENCY
Fonderie Darling offers thirteen creation studios, including nine inspiring workspaces for Montreal artists and four high-quality live-in studios for international artists and curators. These harmonious and luminous spaces are distributed on the three floors of the Fonderie Dar. The building was converted mindfully to preserve the original character of the building, its brick walls and its visible beams.
All the live-in studios include:
• bright and functional workspaces of about 60m2 (650sqft), accessible at all times
• a mezzanine living space and a small kitchen located inside the studio
• access to a high-speed wireless internet connection
• access to communal areas: bathroom, shower room, large kitchen, dining room, and rooftop terrace
PRODUCTION STUDIOS
Entirely renovated in 2017 thanks to the support of the City of Montreal, the production studios are available to professional artists so that they can explore new techniques and open up their practices to other media. The production studios offer an extensively equipped multidisciplinary production facility, divided in five stations for wood, metal, paint, CNC cutting and ceramics.
This offer, the only one of its kind in Montreal, is complemented by innovative training courses based on the exchange and pooling of technical skills. By encouraging the sharing of expertise, the Darling Foundry hopes to strengthen collaborations within the Montreal arts community.
SUPPORT & PROMOTION PROGRAM
The governing principle of residency programs at the Fonderie Darling is to provide artists and curators with the resources of time and space allowing them to focus on research and experimentation. These resources are materialized by covering all costs pertaining to travel, accommodation, administration, subsistence fees, as well as a budget for production expenses. They also take the form of a personalized support and promotion program.
The work of resident artists and curators is promoted by individual webpages on the Fonderie Darling's website, with original curatorial content written in French and in English. Information and news about residents are regularly shared by way of a monthly newsletter (over 8k subscribers), and social media postings (14k followers on Facebook and 6k followers on Instagram).
Professional meetings are regularly organized with local and international arts professionals, according to the interests of the residents. Weekly lists of curated recommendations are also provided with information on openings, current exhibitions, conferences, lectures and events of interest. While they are encouraged to appropriate the various indoor and outdoor spaces available to them, residents are offered a variety of opportunities to meet with a diverse audience: open studios events, studio visits, guided tours, educational activities, creative workshops, among others.
Relationships developed between residents within the Darling Foundry are often the beginning of future collaborations and projects, whether in Montreal or across the globe. At the end of their stay, artists leave the Darling Foundry with a wealth of contacts, experiences, ideas and references, to nurture their future work.
SELECTION PROCESS
The Fonderie Darling has built its reputation upon the quality of its programs and its artistic rigor. Artists and curators in residence are selected by professional juried committees, who discuss and review the relevance and integrity of all submitted applications.
Criteria for assessment are based on the artistic quality of the submitted work and the potential impact of the residency on the applicant's career. The Fonderie Darling promotes gender equality and cultural diversity in all its programs.
RATES
Most of the international residency programs at the Fonderie Darling are funded through institutional partnerships (with the exception of the Open Access International Residency). Residency budgets are established according to the following rates (in Canadian dollars):
• Studio-residency: $1,800 CAD/month (space of approx. 60m2) or $1000 CAD/month (studio-room of approx. 30m2)
• Access to production studios (optional): $100 CAD/month
• Promotion and support: $800 CAD/month
• Suggested living expenses: $400-500 CAD/week
• Suggested production grant: $500 to $1,500 CAD
• Suggested roundtrip airfare: $1,000 to $2,000 CAD
• Administration: 10% of the overall budget (minimum of $1,000 CAD)
• Jury organized by the Fonderie Darling (optional): $ 1,000 CAD
CURRENT AND FORMER PARTNERS
Public funding institutions
Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec
Conseil des Arts de Montréal
Canada Council for the Arts
Fonds Culturel National Luxembourg (Luxembourg)
Ministère des Relations internationales du Québec
Fonds franco-québécois pour la coopération décentralisée
Ministère de la Culture et de la Communication (France)
Sous-direction des Affaires Européennes et Internationales (France)
Consulat Général de France à Montréal
Mairie de Paris (France)
Ville de Marseille (France)
Région PACA Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur (France)
Institut Français (France)
Arts NSW (Sydney, Australia)
Art institutions and organizations
What About Art? (Mumbai, India)
South Asian Visual Arts Center SAVAC (Toronto, Canada)
La Panacée - MOCO Montpellier Contemporain (Montpellier, France)
Couvent des Récollets (Paris, France)
Centre Culturel Canadien (Paris, France)
Futura (Prague, Czech Republic)
Astérides (Marseille, France)
Hangar (Barcelona, Spain)
Artspace (Sydney, Australia)
Foundations & private sponsors
Fondation des Artistes FNAGP (Paris, France)
Tom & Dana Velan (Montreal, Canada)
Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation (New Delhi, India)
Tata Steel Foundation (Montreal, Canada)
Chadha Family Foundation (Montreal, Canada)
Fondation d'entreprise Ricard (Paris, France)
Christoph Merian Foundation/ IAAB Foundation (Basel, Switzerland)
Follow Art With Us FAWU (Paris, France)
Ramon Llull Foundation (Barcelona, Spain)