Closing date: February 27, 2025
Presentation date: June 7, 2025 (Pique summer edition)
Curator/programmer fee: $2,000 CAD
Curatorial/programming budget: $3,500, + travel & accommodations budget for out-of-town artists (to be finalized); technical support for participating artists
Professional consultation budget: $1,000 CAD
About the Role: Debaser and the Ottawa Black Art Kollective (OBAK) have partnered to support a curatorial project by a local, Black arts curator/programmer. The single-day project will be presented at the summer edition (June 7, 2025) of Pique, a building-wide all-ages festival that takes place at the Arts Court complex in downtown Ottawa (Anishinaabe Algonquin territory).
Curators/programmers of any artistic medium will be considered. There are various facilities and spaces available at the Arts Court for visual art, media, live performance, and site-specific presentations. Some examples of programming may include:
Small-site exhibitions
Live performance programs (music, dance, theatre, drag, storytelling, etc.)
Film or media art screenings
Artist talks, panels, or workshops
Site-specific installations at the Arts Court (contact us at hello@debaser.ca to discuss site options if desired)
Participants will be offered ongoing mentorship and support throughout the process, working with Debaser and OBAK to develop and produce the project.
Debaser looks for guest curators of all artistic disciplines on an ongoing basis to contribute to the programming of Pique. Guest curators are paid a curatorial fee, manage their own programming budget, and receive production and administrative support from Debaser. While only one candidate will be selected for this program in 2025, applications will be kept on file and will be considered for ongoing curatorial openings.
Complete the form linked above by February 20th, 2025
About you:
Local (based in Ottawa-Gatineau, Algonquins of Pikwakanagan First Nation or Kitigan Zibi Anishinabeg First Nation) Black curator/programmer or curatorial/programming collective
Knowledge of and connectivity to artistic community
Experience with managing at least 2 artistic presentation projects
Ability to conceptualize and execute self-directed project
Initiative and strong communication skills
Problem solving and creative adaptability
Eagerness to learn and test out new ideas
Critical/creative writing experience will be considered an asset
About Pique: Launched in 2021, Pique is a forward-thinking, artist-driven quarterly event series featuring eclectic musical, visual and multimedia artists, produced by Debaser. Four times per year, Pique takes over the Arts Court building in downtown Ottawa for a pay-what-you-can and all-ages celebration of music, art, and more.
About Debaser: Since establishing in 2013, Debaser has become one of Ottawa’s leading independent and underground music and arts presenters, best known for its thoughtfully-curated, diverse programming, and care-oriented approach. Debaser is a nonprofit organization mandated to support and exhibit underrepresented creative artists.
About OBAK: The Ottawa Black Art Kollective (OBAK) is a collaborative group of artists and patrons committed to increasing the visibility of Black visual artists in the National Capital Region. Our goal is to provide ongoing mentoring, networking, exhibition, and professional development opportunities to our members.
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ACCESSIBILITY
We have provided the option to include any accessibility needs below. These could include but are not limited to Closed Captioning, ASL Interpretation, physical accessibility, and sensory accessibility.
We recognize that typing can be a barrier, so if you would like to arrange a meeting to discuss accessibility and/or your submission in further depth and in a way that is accessible to you we would be happy to accommodate. Please send a brief email to programming@debaser with a phone number and we will call you to discuss further.