Cross Residency Program: Research in Arts, Architecture and the Environment at the Arsenal Pavilion (Paris)

The Grantham Foundation for the Arts and the Environment, the Pavillon de l’Arsenal, and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) have partnered to award a grant of CA$8,000 to a Quebec artist whose visual arts or architectural research practice engages with environmental issues. The award includes an eight-week research and experimentation residency at the Pavillon de l’Arsenal in Paris.

Call for projects

This call for applications is administered by the CALQ. Applications must be submitted to it directly via the following portal: Pavillon de l’Arsenal residency. The Grantham Foundation cannot receive or forward applications for this program.

This residency is aimed at artists wishing to conduct their research within an international context, at the intersection of art, architecture, and environmental issues. It offers a unique setting for deepening a project, fostering critical reflection, and building connections with professionals, institutions, and key figures in the fields of art, architecture, and territorial studies.

In the context of ongoing transformations in living environments, this residency invites applicants to explore the relationships between artistic creation, architecture, the environment, and territories, whether they be in urban, peripheral, peri-urban, or rural contexts. Proposed projects must take into account current ecological shifts and may address issues such as habitation, built forms, resources, materials, patterns of use, common spaces, and landscapes, or the ways in which living environments are conceived, represented, and transformed in the era of climate change.

The selected artist will receive professional support from the Pavillon de l’Arsenal team and be given access to its network across the artistic, architectural, institutional, and professional sectors. Depending on the nature of the project, meetings, site visits, discussions, or networking activities may be organized to support the selected artist’s research and integration into the Parisian context. In addition, they will receive a grant of CAD$8,000 to cover costs associated with the residency (such as international travel, personal insurance, and living expenses, as well as expenses related to research, experimentation, or project realization). The Pavillon de l’Arsenal may also contribute to production, prototyping, or presentation costs up to a maximum of €5,000, subject to project requirements and the terms agreed upon with the selected artist.

Reciprocally, a French artist will also be hosted for four weeks at the Fondation Grantham, followed by four weeks at the Maison Marcel-Saint-Pierre in Laval, for a total residency period of two months.

Eligibility

This international residency focuses on the fields of visual arts and architectural research. It is open to Quebec artists with at least two years of professional practice.

Candidates must propose a research or experimentation approach related to the fields of art, architecture, and the environment.

Particular attention will be paid to projects that demonstrate an ability to engage with the Parisian context and with the resources, networks, and areas of expertise of the Pavillon de l’Arsenal while fostering broader reflection on living environments, whether they be urban, peri-urban, or rural.

Duration and dates of stay

The residency program spans eight consecutive weeks, and will take place in April and May 2027.

Location of the residence

The Pavillon de l’Arsenal, the institution hosting this residency, is Paris’ center for architecture and urban planning. It presents exhibitions, produces publications, and organizes lectures, tours, workshops, and outreach activities to render the issues surrounding the transformation of the city and its territories more accessible to the public.

Its positioning makes it a key location for understanding the evolution of Paris, its urban forms, architectural projects, uses, and future prospects. Through its programming, the Pavillon de l’Arsenal fosters a dialogue between architectural practices, urban research, ecological issues, social transformations, and visions of the city and living environments.

The selected artist in residence will be accommodated at the Centre des Récollets in Paris.