Studio H Canada International Artist Residencies

Artist-led. Artist-centred. Research. Create. Experiment. Collaborate.

Studio H Canada invites writers, musicians, curators, multimedia and interdisciplinary artists from Canada and around the world for a four-week residency, February 7–March 6, 2027, on Canada’s Pacific west coast. We are in rural Metchosin, British Columbia, on the unceded territory of the SC’IȺNEW Nation. Gardens and forest surround the studio, in a seaside community of farms, lakes and mountains.

We have put years of care and investment into a place where artists can feel at home and give their work the time and attention it deserves. Private accommodation offers comfort and quiet; shared studio and living spaces allow for conversation and creative exchange.

Time for the work you want to do

You might be writing a book or a series of poems, composing music, exploring sound, researching an exhibition or a curatorial question, or working with moving image, photography, installation or performance. You can work within one discipline or across several. Your residency can include contemplation, research, making and creative exchange in whatever balance is useful to you. Or, create a whole new body of work. Just bring your creative intention and go from there.

We welcome artists across cultures, identities and backgrounds: 2SLGBTQIA+ artists; Black, racialized and culturally diverse artists; women and gender-diverse people; and disabled artists and artists with disabilities. First Nations, Métis, Inuit and other Indigenous artists are warmly invited to apply. Studio H aims to offer a culturally safe environment that respects Indigenous knowledge and creative practices and supports ceremony as part of creating here. Emerging and established artists are welcome, as are small collaborative groups by prior arrangement.

Time, space and creative exchange

This is our equation for a great residency: I = T(S) + E: Inspiration = Time × Space + Environment.

Time and space to write, compose, read, research or develop ideas, comfortable private accommodation and the surrounding landscape all contribute to the experience here. We typically host two artists at a time. That small scale allows us to get to know one another, discuss work and learn from different practices, with space for solitude as well. Creative exchange and collaboration develop through shared interests.

One writer reported that she made more progress on her writing project during her residency here than she had in a whole year!

Artist and founder Heidi Bergstrom, a Red River Métis citizen with Icelandic and Swedish settler ancestry, is an interdisciplinary artist involved in the regional arts community. Her mentoring grows out of conversations about your work and what would be useful to you. It can include discussing ideas, sharing a technique, working through a material or technical question, offering feedback, or considering how to share your work with an audience. You retain direction of your practice, with an experienced fellow artist available to think things through with you.

Places to work, and room to experiment

Authors have worked in both suites, often choosing the Studio Suite for their stay. The writer’s desk by the window in the View Suite’s common area can also be used by arrangement when the other artist is working in the studio and it suits both artists. In warmer or dry weather, the Great Hall in the forest offers another contemplative place to write. Writers sometimes choose to work in the studio too.

The shared studio is approximately 1,000 square feet, in a separate building overlooking the garden, forest and some sea views. Worktables, walls and other working surfaces can be arranged around the needs of the artists in residence, with care for shared space and each other’s work.

The studio also offers room to try a different artistic process that interests you. A musician joined Heidi’s experimental drawing workshops at Xchanges and continued that exploration at Studio H, improvising music from the drawings he had made. One artist used the Janome embroidery machine to create an image of her own heart. Another used it for embroideries in Morse code.

Bring your laptop, specialized recording equipment, books, instruments or other tools you like to work with, and ask us about anything else, such as additional monitors, printers, big-screen TVs and projectors. We can discuss suitable spaces, instrument practice, sound and recording requirements, and help source additional resources where possible. High-speed internet, art books and journals are available.

Explore Creating Here – Studio & Equipment for the studio description and sortable equipment list.

Connecting with the local arts community

Artists have also connected with the arts community beyond the studio. An electronic musician was invited on air at UVic’s campus and community radio station, CFUV, and also performed in Vancouver. Other artists have joined local groups or had performances.

For writing and readings, explore Planet Earth Poetry’s poetry open mic, Victoria Writers’ Society’s public meetings, and author events at Russell Books and Munro’s Books.

For music and sound, explore CFUV music submissions, Garden City Electronic Music Society’s programming, and The Fifty Fifty Arts Collective’s events and rehearsal resources.

For curatorial and interdisciplinary interests, Open Space and UVic Legacy Art Galleries offer exhibitions and public programmes. There is a thriving artist-run-centre community in Victoria: Victoria Arts Council, Arc.Hive Gallery, Deluge Contemporary Art Gallery, Xchanges Artists Gallery and Studios and more.

Check each organisation’s current calendar and participation arrangements. Readings, performance opportunities and other public offerings are discussed with the organisers and depend on availability.

Share your practice with the community

We especially welcome artists interested in sharing an aspect of their practice through a workshop or talk with the local community. That could be a writing process, an approach to listening or recording sound, composing together, exploring how an exhibition takes shape, or combining words, images and other materials. We would like to hear your idea and explore how it could work here.

If this interests you, please apply by November 1, 2026 and include a short workshop or talk idea. Early applications give us time to talk with you, explore local connections and prepare the practical arrangements before February. Taking part in a public activity is optional; you are equally welcome to apply for time focused on your own work.

Include a brief idea of what you would like to share, who it could be for, what participants would do, its approximate length and any materials, equipment or access needs. The idea does not need to be fully developed; we can explore it together. Please include your proposed artist fee for workshops. Depending on the venue, we will support artists to receive CARFAC rates for workshop presentations where possible.

Making yourself at home

Care has gone into the spaces where artists live as well as where they work. Both the Studio Suite and View Suite have a private bedroom and bathroom.

The Studio Suite also has a private lounge and breakfast facilities. A shared main kitchen in the View Suite provides space for full meal preparation, food storage and dishes. Gardens, barbecue, outdoor spaces, laundry and the hot tub are shared.

Suite allocation depends on availability. Bed linens, towels, cleaning supplies and laundry soap are provided. See the accommodation information for more about the suites and shared amenities.

Artists manage their own groceries, meals, laundry and everyday routines. Studio H provides arrival pickup from Victoria International Airport (YYJ) or the ferry terminal (Swartz Bay or Victoria harbour), arranged in advance. Plan separately for day-to-day transportation, materials and off-site activities.

Living Lightly on the Land guides how we care for the gardens, forest, shared spaces and resources we use. Artists become part of that everyday care during their stay. Your work can explore any subject; this is about our relationship with the place and with one another.

Arrival orientation introduces studio and property routines, safety, Living Lightly on the Land, Living Together, and Indigenous Protocols. We ask artists to come with intention, curiosity and care for the place and the people sharing it.

The rural property has a steep driveway, uneven ground and some stairs and is not suitable for wheelchair or walker access. Please review the Residency FAQ and discuss accessibility or other practical needs during the application conversation.

Join us in 2027

This Open Call is for February 7–March 6, 2027, the first residency period of the year. All residencies are four weeks long. Artists arrive on Sunday at noon and depart on the final Saturday by noon.

Nine four-week periods are offered during 2027, with a full one-week break between each. Periods begin from February to November, and the final period ends in December. Artists are invited to apply for any of these periods – see Plan Your Residency for the full-year calendar and availability.

There is no application fee. Visit the residency fees and accommodation information for the full costs, payment arrangements and what is included.

Applications for February close November 7, 2026. To propose a community workshop, talk or another public offering, please apply by November 1, 2026. Applications for other residency periods are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis.

In the 2027 online application form, select Multimedia and the February 7–March 6, 2027 residency period. Tell us about your practice, the work you would like time for and any materials, equipment or practical support you may need. Include website or portfolio links and a current CV. If your work is not available online, upload five images as requested in the form.

Selected applicants are invited to a Google Meet conversation to discuss ideas, ask questions and explore whether Studio H is right for them. Resident Guides are introduced at the interview, before an agreement is offered.

Apply for a February 2027 residency at Studio H Canada.

We look forward to receiving your application and hearing about your projects!