Founded in 2012, the Middlebrook Prize for Young Canadian Curators is awarded annually to an emerging Canadian curator under 30 with the aim to foster social innovation and curatorial excellence in Canada. Hosted and administered by the Art Gallery of Guelph, the winner is selected by a jury of arts leaders and receives a $5,000 honorarium as well as mentorship in the development of an exhibition at the Art Gallery of Guelph.
Submissions for the 2023 Middlebrook Prize for Young Canadian Curators will open December 5, 2022 and close January 27, 2023. The winner will be announced in March 2023, and their exhibition will be presented September 14 – December 17, 2023 as part of the Art Gallery of Guelph’s 2023-2024 season. By supporting and mobilizing Canadian creative talent, the Middlebrook Prize aims to inspire positive social change through creativity in an era of ongoing and unprecedented economic, environmental, social, and cultural upheaval. Proposals should emphasize contemporary Canadian art with attention to ideas with public and social relevance.
Applications must include:
• Letter of introduction (one page): applicants should include contact information as well as articulate their curatorial values and philosophy and what the Middlebrook Prize means to them in the context of their career
• Exhibition proposal (maximum three pages): proposal must include curatorial statement, list of artists/artwork supported by a clear, compelling case for their inclusion, and description of potential outreach programming
• Exhibition budget up to $10,000 including: artist fees (per 2023 CARFAC fee schedule for Category II institutions), shipping via an accredited art transportation company, any special equipment requirements for the exhibition, a description of unique or unusual installation requirements, projected travel/accommodation expenses for artist(s)/curator
• One sample of critical writing: curatorial essay or published article/review, for example
• Curriculum vitae: current, maximum 3 pages
• Support images (10): with descriptions (artist name, title, date, medium, dimensions) including 5 images supporting exhibition proposal and 5 images documenting past curatorial work
• Floor plan: carefully consider the scale of the gallery and detail the proposed layout of works in the floor plan (download the floor plan)
Applications are to be submitted in a single PDF document.
Notes:
• The award winner must be under 30 years of age by December 31, 2023 and is required to demonstrate proof of age on signing of the exhibition contract
• The Prize is open to Canadian citizens, as well as non-Canadians currently living and working in Canada
• If the Prize is awarded to a non-Canadian curator, they must be resident in Canada for the full term of the Prize (March 1 through December 31, 2023)
We welcome and encourage submissions from applicants who are BIPOC, LGBTQ2S, women, and persons with disabilities.
IThe Middlebrook Prize for Young Canadian Curators is made possible through the support of the Centre Wellington Community Foundation Middlebrook Social Innovation Fund, the Guelph Community Foundation Musagetes Fund, as well as private donations. For more information about the prize as well as past winners and their projects, please visit middlebrookprize.ca.
About the Middlebrook Prize for Young Canadian Curators:
Founded in 2012, Middlebrook Prize is a national prize awarded annually to foster social innovation and curatorial excellence in Canada while encouraging social connectedness and a shared sense of community. Selected by jury of arts professionals, each winner is a curator under 30 who receives an honorarium as well as curatorial mentorship in the development of an exhibition at the Art Gallery of Guelph.
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