Artist Studio Award program

• Studios are awarded at below-market rental rates, with monthly rents ranging from $165 to $470 depending on the studio type and size.
• Artists are responsible for associated occupancy costs, including utilities, phone, insurance, moving expenses, basic maintenance, and small repairs.
• A security deposit is required upon signing the lease agreement.

• The applicant must be a professional artist with an active and established artistic practice for at least five years.
• The applicant must currently reside in Vancouver for a minimum of two years prior to the application deadline, OR be a community member of one of the Host First Nations: Musqueam, Squamish, or Tsleil-Waututh.
• The applicant must be Indigenous and/or a person of colour (racialized).
• The applicant must demonstrate financial need, with an average household annual income not exceeding $55,500 (gross, over the last three years).
• The applicant must be recognized by peers as an artist, possess specialized training (not necessarily academic), seek compensation for their work, and have a history of public presentation or production.

Who is eligible?

• Individual professional artists working in any artistic discipline

Who is not eligible

• Businesses and companies; this program is dedicated exclusively to individual artists, not organizations or corporations.
• Artists engaged in high-impact activities such as welding, glassblowing, or amplified music, as these are not permitted in the provided studios.

Eligible expenses

• Below-market rent for artist studio spaces (live-work or work-only units).
• Occupancy costs including utilities, phone, insurance (liability and contents), moving expenses and charges.
• Basic maintenance and small repairs related to studio occupancy.

Eligible geographic areas

• City of Vancouver
• xʷməθkʷəy̓ əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nations community members

• Quality of the applicant’s artistic and cultural practice.
• Demonstrated social location, including identity as an IBPOC (Indigenous, Black, People of Colour) artist, and relationship to the unceded territories of the Host Nations.
• Demonstration of financial need as per program requirements.
• Support and recognition from the applicant’s peers and communities.
• Explanation of how access to studio space will support the development of the applicant’s artistic and/or cultural practice and career, with a clear, well-researched, and achievable timeline.

• The program is part of Vancouver’s long-term culture plans, specifically initiatives to advance reconciliation, decolonization, cultural equity, and accessibility in the arts sector.
• All studios in the current cycle are occupied, and the next intake for new applications is not expected before 2026.
• There are ongoing plans to develop additional artist studio spaces, with updates provided through the city’s VanCulture newsletter.
• A glossary of terms relating to the program is available through the City of Vancouver's website for further clarity on definitions used.