Three early career artists will be selected for a one week residency at Empire of Dirt during the week of August 8 to 15, 2026.
What’s the residency about?
This residency is for earlier career artists who want to take their final artwork from nearly complete to ready for installation, or who want to learn how to consider the final installation at the beginning of a project.
Learn techniques for installing your work and troubleshooting those details that really matter at the very end of the creation process.
Have you been to an exhibition where the way the work attaches to the wall is more visible and glaring than the work itself? Have you made a small sculpture and don’t really want to put it on a plinth, but don’t have other ideas?
This is a time research, exchange, and reflection in a rural space without the distractions of daily life, so bring ideas for a project you want to start or bring artwork that you need to finish.
What is offered:
$300 travel stipend
One week stay at EoD in your own live/work studio
Four half days of skill sharing workshops with Emily and Marnie
A quiet exchange with nature
About the FacilitatorsEmily Neufeld and Marnie Temple
Emily Neufeld’s practice investigates place and the layers of memory and psychic history that accumulate in our material world. She is committed to examining her own Mennonite and Scottish settler colonial histories in understanding her relationship to this place as Indigenous land. She received her BFA from ECUAD in 2013. Emily is the installation technician at Gordon Smith Gallery.
Marnie Temple’s practice explores her lived experiences in relation to the aftermath of the Transatlantic Slave Trade. She is a Black biracial person who grew up in the Prairies before settling in the Kootenays and co-operating EoD with her partner. She recently received her MFA from ECUAD in 2025. Her experience with building materials comes from her work at the residency and the creation of the buildings at EoD.
How to Apply
Please send the following to [email protected] by Friday, May 8, 2026.
1. A Statement of Interest (250 words max). Please describe your practice, state why this residency would be impactful for you, and what you hope to glean by visiting Empire of Dirt.
2. A short (50-100 word) biography describing your relevant background.
3. Portfolio (10 samples of work) compiled in one PDF file, and/or link to a website to show past work or projects.
NCECA’s purpose is to promote and improve the ceramic arts through education, research and creative practice. The following Fellowships are one of the means by which we accomplish this goal.
About: Bealart is a critical mass of Visual Art instructors and students at HB Beal Secondary School that enables extraordinary life-world experiences! At Bealart, we believe that skills, technique and style should be in service of well-formed thinking and we challenge our students to develop, research and present their own ideas. Our program teaches students to consider the consequences of their creativity; to be responsible to the environment and those around them for the artifacts they create.
Bealart provides critical, contemporary art making experiences, culminating in a portfolio of finished and experimental works that will distinguish our students from others and help them to succeed in post-secondary environments. We endeavour to direct students toward self-motivated, concept-driven artworks which showcase the skills and techniques learned using our unique facilities. Students are encouraged to be accountable for their work, the processes of its creation, as well as its meaning, through critique, self-reflective practice and peer to peer interactions. Bealart works closely with the community to showcase the talents of the students and foster positive relationships outside of the classroom while promoting the visual arts and a sense of responsibility to that community.
Bealart’s Annual Year End Show – This exhibition is a Bealart tradition and has existed for over 40 years.
Pre-Covid: At the end of each school year (often falling on Father’s Day Weekend) we run a 3 day Show and Sale. From Saturday at 12noon to Monday at 9pm. Our Bealart community – staff and students work together to set up, welcome the community and operate the exhibition. All of our studio/classroom’s are deconstructed and reconstructed, creating a total of 10 gallery spaces brimming with artwork. Walls are erected, plinths, walls and shelves are painted and the work is installed.
Prior to covid our show and sale would draw line ups from the community – a huge public event, facilitated by our staff and students with sales at the end of three days approaching $30 000. Our students receive 70% of the sale and 30% goes back into the Bealart program to continue to support students. (Monies used will pay for YES materials/supplies/promotion and are used to provide additional support for exhibition opportunities, and or supplement costs for field trips.)
Last year amidst all of the changes in the world – thank you Covid, we were able to continue this tradition and launch an online exhibition. This year we will be successful in further extending our online exhibition to include sales. (Unfortunately work cannot be shipped, but it can be picked up on site after sales close on Tuesday, June 22nd. Sales pick up will take place on Wednesday 23, Thursday 24, and Friday 25 from 10am -6pm at H.B. Beal located in London, Ontario)
This exhibition plays a crucial role in our curriculum as it nurtures our students in their understanding of professional practice, roles and responsibilities of the artist in an exhibition context including community/public relations. Students are responsible for pricing and curating their work(supported by research and discussion with their studio instructors) Grade 9,10,11’s curate in collaboration with teachers and specialist leaders. Specialists curate their own work and collaborate with their peers and instructors to ensure quality and connectivity within each gallery space.
The Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery is calling for submissions to the 2021 Winifred Shantz Award for Ceramics. In order to be considered, applications for the award must be received electronically by Friday, April 30, 2021.
This prestigious national award allows practicing emerging ceramic artists to undertake a period of independent research, or other activities that advance their artistic and professional practice. The winner of the Award will receive $10,000. The selection is made by a jury comprised of respected contemporary ceramic artists and other arts professionals.
The winner and up to five finalists will have their work featured in a group exhibition at the Canadian Clay & Glass Gallery from September 2021 to January 2022. The exhibiting finalists will receive an artist fee commensurate with the current CARFAC Fee Schedule. The Award will be presented at the opening reception, held at the Gallery in Waterloo on Sunday, September 26that 2:00pm. Transportation and accommodation will be provided to the winner, as required. In order to be eligible for the Award, applicants must be available to attend the reception on September 26th and be prepared to make a brief artist talk. All details related to the exhibition and reception are subject to change according to relevant COVID-19 restrictions including dates, attendance, location, and possible online formats. The winner and finalists will be notified in early June.
To apply to the Winifred Shantz Award for Ceramics, you must be a Canadian citizen or have Permanent Resident status, as defined by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. You must also meet our definition of an emerging professional artist, which is an artist who:
has maintained a professional practice for five to ten years as of the application deadline date. Professional practice typically begins upon completion of a college or bachelor’s degree in ceramics. If alternate circumstances apply, demonstrate how you identify as an emerging artist in the cover letter portion of the application;
has developed skills through training and/or practice in the field;
operates or has consistent access to a ceramic studio;
has a body of work that incorporates a public presence and peer recognition; and
seeks payment for their work and has an active and engaged practice
Nurielle Stern, winner of the 2019 Winifred Shantz Award for ceramics, was invited by Tony Marsh, Director of the Center for Contemporary Ceramics at California State University, Long Beach, to be a visiting artist at the Center in 2020. Of her experience, Nurielle stated:
The Winifred Shantz Award combined with a Canada Council Arts Abroad Grant afforded me the opportunity to travel for this residency in order to produce large-scale ceramic sculptural pieces. During this residency, I was able to access the school’s amazing facilities to create ambitious work beyond what would be possible in my Toronto studio. It was a unique opportunity to learn from and receive feedback from peers and to make international connections with other visiting artists and become familiar with some of the galleries and museums in L.A. The CSULB Center for Contemporary Ceramics is a high profile residency, and I’m incredibly honoured to have been chosen for this opportunity. My fellow artists in residence in winter 2020 included Simone Leigh, Heidi Lau, and Sharif Farrag, among others. Many thanks to Tony Marsh, the Shantz Family and The Keith and Winifred Shantz Fund for the Arts, the Canadian Clay and Glass Gallery, and the Canada Council for the Arts.
The Winifred Shantz Award for Ceramics is supported by The Keith and Winifred Shantz Fund for the Arts, held at Kitchener Waterloo Community Foundation. This prestigious $10,000 award allows practising early career ceramic artists to undertake a period of independent research, or other activities that advance their artistic and professional practice. The winner and up to five finalists are also included in a group exhibition at the Gallery.
Past recipients of the award truly represent the best of the emerging ceramic artists in Canada. Joon Hee Kim of Oakville, Ontario was the winner of the 2020 Winifred Shantz Award for Ceramics. Click here to learn more about winners of the award in past years.
About Winifred Shantz:
The late Winifred Shantz was a driving force for the arts in Waterloo Region for more than 40 years. A successful ceramist, entrepreneur and visionary philanthropist, she was committed to finding ways to enable artists to reach their full potential.
The McKnight Artist Fellowship for Ceramic Artists recognizes and supports outstanding mid-career ceramic artists living and working in Minnesota. Applicants should demonstrate a sustained level of accomplishment, commitment, and artistic excellence and may be working in any mode—functional, sculptural, relational, performative, etc.
Two $25,000 grants are awarded annually. Fellowship support may be used for: experimenting with new techniques and materials; purchasing materials and equipment; collaborating with other artists; and pursuing education, exhibition, or travel opportunities. McKnight Fellowship recipients will be featured in a workshop and an exhibition with a corresponding catalogue at the end of their grant year.
Applications are due Friday, May 21, 2021, by 5 pm CT.
>McKnight Artist Residency for Ceramic Artists
The McKnight Artist Residency for Ceramic Artists program provides exceptional mid-career ceramic artists with an opportunity to be in residence for three months at Northern Clay Center. Up to three, 3-month residencies are awarded each year.
Each resident artist will receive a $6,000 award, studio space provided at no cost, and a glaze and firing allowance. Artists also present a public lecture, and are featured in a catalogue and group exhibition at Northern Clay Center.
Applications are due Friday, May 21, 2021, by 5 pm CT.
>Warren MacKenzie Advancement Award
The WMAA provides an opportunity for students, apprentices, and recent graduates to continue their ceramic research and education for a period of up to twelve consecutive months within the grant year, further expanding their professional development.
One or two cash awards, up to $3,000 each, are made annually for travel, education, or research.
During the grant year, the recipients can research a new technique or process, study with a mentor or in an apprenticeship setting, travel to other ceramic art centers or institutions for classes and workshops, collaborate with artists of another media, and travel. Proposals to fund large capital equipment purchases will not be accepted.
Projects must take place between May 1, 2021, and April 30, 2022. Recipients contribute project updates to NCC’s social media and are required to give a public presentation at their school or other institution. See updates from past recipients at northernclaycenter.blogspot.com.
Applications are due Friday, April 9, 2021, by 5 pm CT.”
>Emerging Artist Residency
The Emerging Artist Residency (EAR) program encompasses two unique Fellowships, designed to provide up to three ceramic artists with an opportunity to be in residence for one year at Northern Clay Center, where they can develop their own work, as well as exchange ideas and knowledge with other ceramic artists. The residency culminates in an exhibition in NCC’s galleries the January following the residency.
Applications are due Friday, April 9, 2021, by 5 pm CT.
>Minnesota New Institute for Ceramic Education
Now entering its seventh year, MN NICE is a rigorous program developed in collaboration with Program Head Ursula Hargens. MN NICE provides personalized professional development for artists who are serious about taking the next step in their ceramic evolution. The program is designed to respond to the changing needs of emerging makers with high-level training and mentorship in ceramic materials, history and theory, and professional practice. Through innovative instruction and individual mentorship, artists build skills, knowledge, and insight.
Lilyana Doyle
Devin Kim
