Toni Onley Artists’ Project
I Made It Through the Wilderness
The Artists’ Projects are intensive studio experiences (often between 8 and 14 days) where participating artists are given time and space to work on individual projects, with access to established artists acting as mentors through the process.
Do you have an Artists’ project you’d like to see happen? Message Elyssia Sasaki at elyssia@imarts.com
A Visual Arts Intensive Studio Experience
History
The first TOAP was held in 2000 with distinguished Canadian artist Norman Yates (1923-2014), and has grown to become an impactful visual artist development program for those who have taken part in it. From July 1st - 9th, participating artists work in the IMA studios under the mentorship of senior artists. It is an intensive studio experience, valuable for those looking for less structured time for set activities and more space to develop their own work.
Past mentors of TOAP include Norman Yates, Tony Urquhart, Sherrard Grauer, Robert Murray, Michael Morris, Chris Cran, Michelle Forsyth, Peter von Tiesenhausen, David T. Alexander, John Hall, Harold Klunder, John Freeman, Lyndal Osborne, Libby Hague, Sarah Anne Johnson, Wayne White, Mimi Pond, Mark Neufeld, Leigh Bridges, Joseph M. Sanchez, Ciara Phillips, Jeffrey Spalding, Anong Migwans Beam, Shary Boyle, Lisa Milroy, Jen Mann, Diana Thorneycroft, Rita McKeough, Ed Pien and Johannes Zits.
“There’re a few things make this residency stand out….
…This project is well organized with opening introduction presentation, artist talks and workshops, internal critique and final open studio. I only wish I had more time in Wells. Maybe it’s the excuse to go back there again.”
- Wen Li, 2023 TOAP Participant
To Apply
General applications for the Toni Onley Artists’ Project (July 5 - 14) are now open! Head here to apply.
The Cost
The program cost for 2024 is $605.00 + GST. This fee does not include accommodations, transportation or evening meals. Scholarships and Bursaries to assist with the cost of tuition are available.
Please reach out to toap@imarts.com if you have any questions
Who makes this program Possible?
Island Mountain Arts is pleased to recognize the support from the BC Arts Council, along with the Toni Onley Estate, Joseph Plaskett, the Toni Bernie Cattani Fund for the Arts, the Sylvia Graham Estate, and the Sonia Cornwall Estate.
A number of scholarships and bursaries are available, including the Sonia Cornwall Scholarship for a Cariboo artist, the Joseph Plaskett Scholarship for a Canadian artist and the Sylvia Graham Memorial Scholarship. Click here for details.
Thanks for your interest in the TOAP mentorship program! We hope to be able to share a bit of our Summer with you!
A TOAP participant works on a large artwork on the floor of the IMA Studios.
A former TOAP cohort, posing for a sunny, summer photo outside the Wells Barkerville School
Photo by Ciara Phillips
The next iteration of “I made it through the wilderness…” will be taking place May 13-24 2024 at Island Mountain Arts in Wells BC. The first iteration of this residency, organized by artist Lisa Cristinzo, brought 17 artists from across Canada together at Artscape Gibraltar Point in Toronto to consider what it means to be a landscape painter in the midst of the climate crisis. Surrounded by the waters of Lake Ontario and under a hazy sky from wildfire smoke from Northern Quebec, participants spent 2 weeks making art, grieving for the planet, making connections to place and to each other.
This next iteration brings artists into the small historic mining community of Wells BC. Check out the event for more details.