The Library of Parliament, as the steward of the Parliamentary Visual Artist Laureate Program, is responsible for overseeing the application process, and providing administrative guidance and support to the Artist Laureate.
How the Artist Laureate is selected
The Speaker of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Commons jointly select the Artist Laureate from a shortlist of three candidates. The shortlist is prepared confidentially by a selection committee made up of the Parliamentary Librarian (who chairs the committee), the Director of the National Gallery of Canada, the Commissioner of Official Languages, the Chairperson of the Canada Council for the Arts and the President of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts.
Eligibility criteria
The individual selected as Artist Laureate must be an established artist who has made important and lasting contributions to visual arts in Canada and has a proven record of publicly showing or exhibiting their work. They must work in at least one of the following artistic disciplines as defined in the Parliament of Canada Act:
drawing;
painting;
sculpture;
printmaking;
design;
crafts;
photography;
videography;
filmmaking; or
digital creations.
In addition, they must:
be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident of Canada;
be able to communicate in English or French;
have a substantial record of demonstrating artistic excellence;
have made significant contributions to the visual arts community;
be available, on occasion, to travel within Canada to promote the visual arts; and
be available, on occasion, to participate in parliamentary events in Ottawa.
To ensure equitable representation of Canada’s two official languages, the position will alternate between artists whose main official language is English and those whose main official language is French.
The Library of Parliament invites applications from individuals of all backgrounds and life experiences, no matter where they live in the country. We encourage applications from Indigenous persons, racialized persons, 2SLGBTQIA+ persons and persons with disabilities.
We are committed to creating an inclusive and barrier-free application process. For candidates who have an accommodation request or require material in an accessible format, please contact us at ParlArtist-ArtisteParl@parl.gc.ca at least two weeks before the deadline for applications.
Application deadline
To be considered, applications must be submitted by 16 November 2025:
Note: Incomplete submissions and unsolicited attachments will not be considered. Only the materials specifically requested in these application instructions should be submitted. Any additional materials beyond those requested will not be reviewed by the selection committee.
Application package
To be considered for the role of Artist Laureate, candidates must submit a complete application package, consisting of:
The candidate must submit up to three letters of peer endorsement. The letters should:
be written by artists or professional members of an arts organization who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Canada;
be written in English or French;
be a maximum of 500 words;
describe the letter writer’s relationship to the candidate; and
explain why the letter writer believes the candidate is suitable for the role of Artist Laureate, highlighting relevant experience, impact and artistic merit.
Letters of endorsement must be in .pdf, .doc, .docx or .txt formats, with a maximum file size of 5 MB. The file name must be: Author surname_endorsement
B. Curriculum vitae
Candidates must submit a curriculum vitae (CV) with the following information:
education and/or relevant training;
current professional activities and professional experience related to the candidate’s artistic practice;
solo and group exhibitions or public presentations;
significant achievements;
honours, grants or awards received;
publications, catalogues or articles featuring the candidate; and
memberships in professional arts organizations.
The CV must be in .pdf, .doc, .docx or .txt formats with a maximum file size of 5 MB. The file name must be: Candidate surname_CV.
C. Artist statement and vision and plan for the role
Part I – artist statement: the candidate must provide an overview of their artistic practice, including their motivations, the central themes explored in their work and the significance of their overall body of work (maximum of 500 words).
Part II –vision and plan for the role: the candidate must outline their vision and high-level plan for how they would promote the visual arts within the context of the Artist Laureate role (maximum of 500 words).
The document must be in .pdf, .doc, .docx or .txt formats with a maximum file size of 5 MB. The file name must be: Candidate surname_Artist Statement and Plan.
D. Examples of the candidate’s artwork
Candidates must submit a selection of images and/or videos of their artwork in one of the following combinations:
up to 20 images (no video); OR
up to 15 images and 5 minutes of video footage; OR
up to 15 minutes of video (no still images).
The files must be named in this format: 01filename, in sequential order, with the file numbers corresponding to the numbers listed in the tables on the Supporting documentation form. File names cannot use punctuation, spaces, special characters or more than 45 characters.
The Library of Parliament does not accept compressed files (e.g., .zip, .rar, .7z), web page files (.htm, .html), executable files (.exe, .com), or submissions via file-sharing services such as Google Drive, WeTransfer or Dropbox.
Digital image files: Still images must be in JPEG format and RGB colour mode. The maximum file size per image is 5 MB.
Video files: Video material must be submitted via a link to a URL on Vimeo, SoundCloud or YouTube. Links should lead straight to the content and must not require additional navigation or file downloads. URLs must be accessible throughout the assessment process.
If desired, an optional document (maximum 500 words) providing additional information about the examples of artwork selected for this application may also be submitted. The document must be in .pdf, .doc, .docx or .txt formats with a maximum file size of 5 MB.
E. Optional third-party materials about the candidate
Candidates may submit up to three catalogue excerpts, critical reviews or published articles about themselves or their work. Each document must be in English or French and must not be longer than four pages. This is optional. If included, these documents must be listed in the Supporting documentation form.
F. Supporting documentation form
The Supporting documentation form must be used by the candidate to identify all the supporting documentation that is being submitted with their application.
How to apply
Candidates who want to apply:
review the information about the role, eligible artistic disciplines and candidate eligibility criteria to make sure they qualify;
review the Application package section explaining what documents they need to prepare to apply online;
prepare all required documentation following the instructions in the Application package section; and
Apply online.
Tip: Candidates must ensure all their documentation is ready before applying online, as they must complete the application process in one step, including the submission of all documents.
We are committed to providing a barrier-free application process. If you have an accommodation request or require material in an alternate format, please contact us at ParlArtist-ArtisteParl@parl.gc.ca.
