The KAC Newsletter | July Issue 2

Artist Prosperity Survey Extended! CKAF Project Grant Applications Continue, Mayor's Arts Awards Nominations, Upcoming Exhibit by Lola Posy, and Job, Opportunity, & Grant Deadlines!

July 15, 2025

KAC NEWS & UPDATES

Illustrations & design by Caroline Kwok

We Need your Voice – Artist Prosperity Survey Deadline Extended!

The Kingston Arts Council’s is gathering crucial information about the real economic conditions and creative practices of artists living and working in Katarokwi/Kingston and the surrounding region in the Artist Prosperity Survey. This survey is your chance to make sure your experiences and challenges are counted, but time is running out!

Whether you’re a visual artist, musician, or performing artist, emerging, mid-career, or established, your input is vital. The survey is anonymous, takes only 15–20 minutes, and the deadline to share your perspective has been extended!

A high response rate is essential. Without strong participation, the data won’t reflect the reality of our arts sector, and we can’t advocate for the support artists need and deserve. The insights gathered will shape a report that will strengthen funding applications, inform policy, and help build a more sustainable, thriving arts economy for all of us.

Please share this with fellow artists! Your voice matters, and so does theirs.

Photo by Jordan Medulan courtesy of Blue Canoe

City of Kingston Arts Fund Applications Open Until 31 July 2025

There’s still time to apply! Applications for the 2025 City of Kingston Arts Fund (CKAF) Project Grants are open until Thursday, 31 July 2025. This funding program is administered by the KAC on behalf of the City of Kingston and provides grants to local arts organizations, collectives, and individual artists to enrich how Kingston residents experience and engage with the arts. 

Through this streamlined Project Grants program, individuals, collectives, and organizations can apply for grants of up to $10,000 to support projects which demonstrate engagement with local artists, benefit the broader Kingston community, and support the CKAF program objectives. CKAF 2025 Project Grant Guidelines and Application Forms are available for download on the KAC website.

Support

The Kingston Arts Council offers individualized support in navigating the granting process. Individuals, collectives, and organizations seeking to apply for a CKAF 2025 Project Grant are invited to contact KAC staff with inquiries or book a consultation meeting.

To submit an inquiry or request a meeting, please contact KAC staff at [email protected] or 613-546-2787.

Accessibility & Accommodations

The KAC is committed to equity and inclusion. We welcome applications from all eligible applicants and encourage anyone with accessibility needs to contact the KAC as early in the application process as possible by email at [email protected].

Information Session

Missed your chance to join the CKAF Project Grants Information Session? Don’t worry! The KAC has recorded the information session and provided the slide materials for your reference! The Information Session included a detailed review of guidelines, application forms, and assessment criteria. ASL interpretation was provided.

Photo by Jordan Medulan, courtesy of Ground UP Dance Festival

Deadline

Applications for CKAF 2025 Project Grants are due Thursday, 31 July 2025 by 11:59 PM ET.

Mayor’s Arts Awards Nominations Open!

Help us recognize and celebrate the talented artists, collectives, and community champions who contribute to the vibrant arts sector in Kingston.

The Mayor’s Arts Awards is an annual recognition program that celebrates artistic achievement as well as extraordinary support for and contributions to the arts. By increasing the profile for the arts in Kingston, the Mayor’s Arts Awards affirms the value of the arts as a source of creativity, innovation and pride and nurtures the sustained development of the cultural sector to the benefit of all Kingston residents. 

Deadline for nominations: Friday, 18 July 2025 at 5:00 PM

Creator Awards 

Three Creator Awards are given each year to honour artistic merit and/or innovative ideas that foster arts in the city, contribute to artistic development and express the cultural vitality of Kingston. Artists and arts collectives may be nominated for these awards, including new-to-Kingston artists who have made an impact on the local arts community in a short amount of time. 

Arts Champion Award 

One Arts Champion Award is given each year to celebrate an arts leader who makes an extraordinary contribution to the arts sector and empowers its sustained growth and development. Eligible recipients include arts workers, volunteers, organizations, advocates, sponsors and philanthropists. 

POCKET GALLERY

Upcoming Exhibition:
So What Do You Eat? by Lola Posy

Date: 21 July - 8 August
Location: Kingston Arts Council — Unit 115, 370 King St W, Kingston

So What Do You Eat? is an exploration of food, disability, and the radical act of learning to love eating again. Through crochet wall hangings and soft sculptures, Lola Posy invites viewers into the complex realities of living as a vegetarian with contamination OCD and a digestive disease; conditions that turn something as universal as eating into a source of anxiety, frustration, and careful negotiation.

Each piece depicts a food that Posy is able to eat, transforming a limited diet into a tender celebration of nourishment, resilience, and the quiet joy of finding safety and pleasure in what is possible. So What Do You Eat? asks us to consider how disability shapes our most basic needs, and how craft can become both survival and comfort.

EVENTS

The Melt Studio
Date: 18 July - 17 August 2025 | 7:00 PM

“Pairings” draws inspiration from the gallery’s unique location in the beautiful wine country region of Prince Edward County, Ontario. Each of the participating artists in this exhibition has been thoughtfully “paired” with one another. The artists initially provided one existing piece, which was offered up as inspiration to another artist. The artworks featured in the show are all a collaborative result of this inspiration.
Prior to the show’s opening, a wine from Prince Edward County will be paired with each art “pairing”, resulting in a synesthetic experience for the viewer that ties back to the county’s wine-rich ecosystem.

Blue Canoe Theatrical Productions
Date: 31 July - 09 August 2025

“Merrily We Roll Along begins in the present and moves backwards, tracing the lives of wealthy, jaded composer, Franklin Shepard, and his two estranged friends through each milestone of their personal and professional lives (good and bad). The show ends with a touch of rueful irony, as the three best friends at the start of their careers face a bright future: young, talented and enthusiastic about the worlds waiting to be conquered.” – MTI

There are always plenty of arts events happening in Kingston and the surrounding area. Check out our Arts Events Calendar to view our full list of upcoming events!

JOBS

Perform at the Intercultural Arts Festival 2025! (The City of Kingston)
Remuneration: Artist fees will be paid - TBD
Deadline: 22 July 2025 - Deadline Extended

Music Foundations Teaching Artist (Sistema Kingston)
Remuneration: $30-$35/hour
Deadline: Until Filled

XR Producer (Single Thread Theatre)
Remuneration: $13,000 – $14,000
Deadline: Until Filled

Workshop Leaders – Short Term Contract Positions (H'art Centre)
Deadline: Until Filled

Choir Teaching Artist (Sistema Kingston)
Remuneration: $30-$35/hour
Deadline: Until Filled

OPPORTUNITIES

Call for Submissions:
Season 20 Production Pitches (Blue Canoe)
Deadline: 31 July 2025

Call for Submissions:
Pond's Edge Exhibition and Fundraiser (Turtles Kingston)
Deadline:1 August 2025

Call for Proposals:
Performances, presentations, workshops, games, and more (PXR)
Deadline: 15 September 2025

Call for Submissions:
Film Submissions (2026 Kingston Canadian Film Festival)
Deadline: 1 December 2025

Call for Jurors:
Call for CKAF Jurors (Kingston Arts Council)
Deadline: Until Filled

Call for Submissions:
2ND ANNUAL KINGSTON ART TOUR (Kingston Art Tour)
Deadline: Until Filled

GRANTS

Below is a snapshot of upcoming grant deadlines. To view our more comprehensive and fully navigable database of grant opportunities at the local, provincial, and national level, please visit the KAC Grants Board !

Theatre Projects (Ontario Arts Council)
Deadline: 6 August 2025 | 1:00 PM

Seed Grant (Ontario Trillium Fund)
Deadline: 20 August 2025 | 5:00 PM

Literary Creation Projects (Ontario Arts Council)
Deadline: 10 September 2025 | 1:00 PM

Music Creation Projects (Ontario Arts Council)
Deadline: 11 September 2025 | 1:00 PM

SUPPORT THE KAC

Love the arts? So do we!

When you support the Kingston Arts Council, you’re helping empower an arts sector that drives innovation, fuels the local economy, and enriches the lives of everyone in Katarokwi/Kingston.

Your donation – whether one-time, monthly, or annual – enables us to deliver impactful programs and services that support the artists and creatives shaping our cultural industry.

As a registered charity, we’ll provide a charitable tax receipt for your contribution. Join us in building a thriving, sustainable arts sector.

THE KINGSTON ARTS COUNCIL IS PROUDLY FUNDED BY