Grant and Funding Programs Offered by Reford Gardens

Reford Gardens (Les Jardins de Métis) is a National Historic Site of Canada and an accredited museum institution located in Grand-Métis, Quebec. Beyond operating its historic horticultural collections and public gardens, the organization plays an active role in supporting contemporary creation in landscape architecture, design and the visual arts. Through the International Garden Festival and related programs, it regularly commissions, hosts and helps finance innovative garden installations and artistic projects.

The International Garden Festival is described as the largest contemporary garden festival in North America, presenting around thirty projects created by some seventy landscape architects and designers from diverse backgrounds. Each edition is built around a curatorial theme and the festival issues formal calls for candidatures to select designers whose projects will be produced and exhibited on site. Selected teams receive institutional support to realize their installations, which can include production budgets, technical assistance and professional visibility.

The news section highlights another structured support mechanism: the RBC Residences at Maison d’Ariane. Public announcements describe calls for applications and the unveiling of recipients of these residencies, confirming that Reford Gardens administers an artist-residency program. These residencies provide time, space and typically financial support for artists and creators to develop projects linked to the gardens, the surrounding landscape and the broader cultural mission of the institution.

Reford Gardens primarily supports creators in the fields of landscape architecture, garden design, environmental art and related disciplines, while also collaborating with curators, researchers and academic partners. The institution welcomes numerous artists each year, integrates artworks into its outdoor spaces and exhibition venues, and offers public activities—concerts, talks, workshops and literary events—that showcase funded projects. Its programs contribute to the visibility of emerging and established practitioners in Quebec, Canada and internationally.

The gardens were created between 1926 and 1958 by pioneering horticulturist Elsie Reford, who transformed a spruce forest and former fishing camp into an exceptional garden. Since opening to the public in the early 1960s, the organization has evolved into a non-profit cultural site overseen by a board of directors. It benefits from the support of government partners and corporate sponsors, and invites individual donors and members to contribute to the preservation of the historic gardens and the development of its artistic and educational programming.