Children’s Illustrator in Residence 2026
Calgary Public Library
Application deadline: Thursday, June 11, 2026
Overview
The Calgary Public Library invites applications for the paid position of Children’s Illustrator in Residence at the Central Library in downtown Calgary for the fall of 2026. This three-month, 100-hour residency recognizes the contribution of children’s artists to literature and to Calgary and Alberta’s culture and seeks to introduce Library patrons, especially children and educators, to artists and art forms they may not otherwise experience, while providing opportunities to meet artists, observe the artistic process, and participate in art-making.
Description of the Position
The Library seeks emerging or mid-career children’s illustrators with an art practice in any medium and an affinity for people. This residency program is based in a glass-walled studio in a public space, which means, while the artist’s practice and privacy is to be respected whether in the studio or in the public space of the library, we do expect the artist to be comfortable and open to engaging with patrons. The artist is expected to display their work and process, as a way of animating the studio for visitors to look in and see when the artist is not present.
The children’s artist/ Illustrator residency runs for three months, September – December annually. The artist will be required to, in collaboration with the Library:
- Present, at minimum, two public workshops.
- Present one or two in person or virtual school programs in tandem with the school support librarian and/or the library school coordinator.
- Hold open studio hours at Central Library for a minimum 7.5 hours per week.
- Present a final residency exhibition in December – to be displayed in the Children’s area at Central Library.
- Fulfill 100 hours during the course of the Residency, which includes studio hours, hours preparing for and presenting programming, hours spent preparing final exhibit and time to work on their own projects.
Pending funding, there may also be a further opportunity to:
- Be commissioned to design the annual Library Goes to Kindergarten promotional item, which is provided to children entering Kindergarten the following school year. There is additional remuneration for this contract outside of the residency contract.
The 252 square foot Artist in Residence studio on the 4th floor of the Central Library is available to the artist during opening hours to work on their described residency project as well as their programming and workshop planning.
Application Requirements (please include all of the following)
Applicants will be evaluated based on inclusion of the following:
- Artistic Practice narrative (500 words or fewer): An explanation of the work or process you wish to investigate during the residency and a description of the form/s the work might take in the context of a final exhibition.
- Public Engagement Plan: A detailed description of possible public programming, collaborations with the public and/or other methods of engaging the public, especially children or educators.
- Values Alignment: A description of how your artistic practice is particularly suited to the Calgary Public Library’s values of inclusion, curiosity and collaboration.
- Artist statement/bio (250 words or fewer).
- Resume or CV (PDF) with demonstrated experience in public engagement and examples of professional achievements.
- Portfolio: Website/Online Portfolio or included folder showcasing original examples of work.
- Up to 5 JPG images (no larger than 2MB each)
- List of work in PDF form with title, medium, and dimensions
In addition, please feel free to include:
- List of possible technical needs during the residency (e.g., projector and screen).
Remuneration
The Artist in Residence honorarium is $50 per hour to a maximum of 100 hours per residency for a total of $5,000. This amount includes offsite preparation time, onsite program delivery time and any public project expenses incurred by the applicant, except for materials specific to community engagement events.
Please Submit Applications by mail to Residencies: Programs and Partnerships, Central Library, 800 3 St. SE, BOH 1M, Calgary, AB T2G 2E7, or via email residencies@calgarylibrary.ca.
