Registration of artists

• Presentation
• Program Objectives
• Eligibility
• Conditions for carrying out activities
• Professional fees and expenses
• Artist consent and statement concerning copyright
• Selection of applications
• Ineligible activities

Presentation

The Répertoire de ressources culture-éducation is associated with the Culture in schools program. Jointly administered by Ministère de la Culture et des Communications (MCC) and Ministère de l’Éducation, du Loisir et du Sport (MELS), the program encourages teachers, artists, writers, and cultural organizations to create cultural activities that are in line with education reforms and help give schools a broader world view. The program also supports regional projects, especially those related to implementing school board cultural policies.

The artists selected in a call of applications will be listed in Répertoire de ressources culture-éducation. This bilingual directory contains information on hundreds of artists, writers, and cultural organizations able to offer artistic and cultural activities to students in public and private preschools, primary schools, and secondary schools across Québec. The directory, available on the MCC website, is an indispensable resource for teachers and school governing boards, as well as artists and cultural organizations.

Program Objectives

The Culture in Schools Program aims to:

• Allow young people to meet professional artists in the classroom, discover their own creativity, and participate in the creative process through hands-on activities

• Ensure that the cultural dimension is integrated into classroom and school activities in accordance with the Québec Education Program

• Offer students a range of experiences that will have a positive impact on their learning and allow them to develop open-mindedness, curiosity, critical judgment, and aesthetic appreciation

• Help students develop an interest in visiting cultural venues

• Promote concerted action among schools and cultural organizations, while taking regional realities into account

• Promote careers in arts and culture.

Eligibility

Professional artists who work in any one of the following disciplines are eligible for the program:

• Performing arts
• Visual arts
• Cinema and video
• Media and multimedia
• Craft and design

Similarly, within each artistic discipline, professionals from a number of fields may take part in the program: composers, choreographers, performers, directors, set designers, etc. Technical trades or those that do not deal with creation are not eligible.

Moreover, each applicant must

• Be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident under Section 2 (1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and have resided in Québec for the past year

• Have completed their formal training or the equivalent, have practiced their art professionally for at least two years, and have had works presented in a professional context in Québec or elsewhere in the last five years[1]

Amateur contests, local festivals, and fairs as well as performances given in places where artists are not chosen by professionals recognized in their field are not considered to be artistic presentations in a professional context.

In addition, any cultural or artistic activities or works that violate the law or regulations or that conflict with government policies, especially with respect to violence, sexism, pornography, or discrimination, will not be considered.

Conditions for carrying out activities

• The teacher, or the person responsible for a school’s cultural activities, communicates directly with an artist listed in the Répertoire to plan the workshop; discusses its content, duration, and how it will play out; and establishes its costs (transportation, accommodations, and special equipment, as necessary). The teacher also makes sure that the artist’s approach is in line with his or her own teaching objectives.

• Once the project has been approved and financial assistance has been confirmed, the school signs a letter of agreement with the artist. This letter, prepared in duplicate (one copy for the artist and the other for the school), is very important as it lays out the terms of the verbal agreement reached between the artist and the school.

• The teacher prepares the students for the workshop and offers assistance when the activities are taking place.
• In order to allow for long-term projects or the participation of resident artists, there is no limit on the amount of time artists may spend at each school. The artist can meet with the same group several times to carry out a project. However, under no circumstances does the artist take the place of the art teacher or any other teacher while activities are in progress.

• Activities with artists require the active participation of students. These activities are not to be performances (including performance workshops that do require the creative participation of students), conferences, courses, or demonstrations.

• The workday entails three 1-hour periods per day if the artist meets with three different groups, or two 2-hour periods if the artist meets with two groups.

• Workshops must be given to only one group at a time. The number of students per group is limited to 35.

Professional fees and expenses

• Artist professional fees are set at $325 per person per day of activities. These fees are non-negotiable. This amount covers administration and activity preparation costs (preparation time, preparatory materials, telephone, photocopies, etc.).

• Transportation costs are reimbursed at $0.43 per kilometer traveled using a personal automobile. These costs are only eligible on return trips covering a minimum distance of 25 kilometers between the school and the main office or residence of the artist or writer. For return trips totalling less than 25 kilometers, an amount of $9.90 may be claimed with proof of travel (notification, travel invoice, etc.). Actual public transit or car rental costs may also be reimbursed.

• The following meal expenses will be reimbursed to the artist for a trip of less than 12 hours without overnight stay: breakfast ($10.40), lunch ($14.30), dinner ($21.55).

• A per diem allowance of $146.25 to cover travel expenses (lodging and meals) may be granted to an artist who makes a trip of over 24 hours with an overnight stay.

• The school or school board provides the basic supplies for the activities. Costs for special supplies (equipment rental, non-reusable supplies, purchase of CDs or DVDs, etc.) needed to carry out activities may be submitted for reimbursement, up to $100 per day of activities. Special supplies must be specified in the designated area on the artist registration form.

• If the artist is required to collect GST and QST, taxes must be calculated on the total eligible expenses.

• The school or school board is responsible for paying the artist’s professional fees and other billed expenses, including taxes. Full payment of these expenses will be made to the artist either on the day the workshops are held or within 30 days of this date.

Artist consent and statement concerning copyright

As registration in the Répertoire de ressources culture-éducation is a prerequisite for taking part in the Culture in the School program, artists must agree to allow their surname and given name, contact information, information on their professional background and goals, and the proposed activities, as well as a photograph of the artists or their work to appear in the directory. For this purpose, the registration form contains a clause whereby the artists grant MCC or its representatives a license to reproduce, publish, and convey by telecommunication or otherwise, as needed, photographs of themselves or of their work and the texts describing their activities, free of charge. In addition, artists must state that they hold the copyright for these documents to be used for the purposes of the program.

Selection of applications

Note: The following details are provided for information only. It is not currently possible to apply. The call for applications ended November 18, 2011.

Applicants and their proposed activities will be evaluated by an external selection committee made up of recognized professionals from the cultural and educational fields chosen jointly by MCC and MELS.

Artists must apply using the designated application form, making sure to outline their professional background and artistic and educational goals. They must briefly describe the activities that they intend to carry out in the classroom. Applicants must include a résumé with their application as well as the appropriate supporting materials (up to 10 works, such as photographs, audio or video clips, illustrations, etc.) to allow the selection committee to review their work and evaluate their application. All works must be submitted on CD or DVD (5 copies). Originals, such as posters or publications, will not be accepted.

The evaluation of each applicant will take into account the following:

• His or her artistic approach
• The proposed activities’ compliance with the objectives of the Culture in the Schools program
• The quality of the supporting materials submitted (audio or video excerpts, illustrations, etc.) so that the committee can review his or her work
• The artistic and cultural relevance of the activities
• The consistency between the artist's personal approach and the activities proposed for students
• The level of active student participation in the activities
• The age-appropriateness of the activities proposed for students

It should be noted that applications submitted by a group of artists (groups of two or three) are analyzed as a single application, and all members of the group must satisfy the eligibility requirements and evaluation criteria. Unless otherwise indicated by the selection committee, all members of a group selected for the Répertoire will be required to go to the school as needed to carry out an activity.

The selection committee will make comments and recommendations to Ministère de la Culture et des Communications on each application submitted. The selection committee’s decisions cannot be appealed. However, artists whose applications are not selected may obtain information regarding their evaluation.

Ineligible activities

• Activities that do not involve sufficient student participation (artist talks, presentations, or demonstrations)

• Performances or workshops that do not involve creative participation by students

• Activities aimed solely at introducing a technique or theoretical knowledge

• Activities that are usually provided by a specialized teacher

• Identical activities presented to both the writers selection committee and to the artists selection committee

• Any cultural or artistic activities or works that violate the law or regulations or that conflict with government policies, especially with respect to violence, sexism, pornography, or discrimination.

For more information

For more information, you must contact one of the regional department serving your place of residence.