Artist in Residence in Government
Enacting sustainable, meaningful change in communities is a complex and ongoing challenge. That’s why Arts Ottawa and the City of Ottawa have launched the Artist-in-Residence in Government (AIRG) program. This initiative connects artists with municipal government staff and the community to tackle unique civic challenges and reimagine traditional approaches. By embedding an artist within a city department, their creative perspectives and lived experiences help co-create transformative models of community engagement—addressing pressing local issues in innovative ways that push beyond the status quo.
Photo: Olivia Onuk
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Arts Ottawa is engaged in strategic conversations with public and private partners in relation to emerging cultural infrastructure development opportunities across the city.
This work focuses on ensuring sector-informed input is considered in broader planning processes by advocating for clear, consistent data collection and evaluation measures to be embedded throughout.
The goal is to build a practical evidence base that helps the sector better understand the logistics and feasibility of opening and sustaining arts-led spaces, including what is realistically achievable for smaller organizations and what conditions support long-term sustainability in independently run arts spaces.
This stream of work supports a longer-term horizon goal of positioning the arts sector to be ready to engage with, respond to, and help shape major civic cultural infrastructure as these opportunities emerge across the city.
Research, Advocacy & Planning
The State of the Arts Map is an evolving research tool designed to strengthen Ottawa’s arts ecosystem by making its assets, resources, and opportunities more visible and connected. The map will identify and document creative infrastructure across the city, like studio spaces, learning environments, and community hubs, while capturing key information about their features, uses, and the resources that flow through them.
By providing a clearer picture of what already exists and where gaps remain, the project helps break down silos, foster collaboration, and improve access to spaces and resources. The result is a more connected, informed, and resilient arts community, better equipped to support growth, advocacy, and long-term sector development.
A collaboration with Memetic Media and Carleton Immersive Media Studio (CIMS) Lab.
State of the Arts Map
Learning Cohort
Launching in fall 2026, this Learning Cohort supports people who are working toward creating physical arts and culture spaces. Through mentorship, resources, and peer learning, participants will receive practical support as they take the next steps toward bringing their vision to life.
In exchange, participants will contribute to a shared learning process by documenting key aspects of their journey, helping capture what it actually takes to create and sustain an arts and culture space. Through guided reporting, the cohort will track challenges, costs, timelines, relationships, and decision-making processes involved in developing a space. This information will create valuable knowledge for the sector, helping identify barriers, gaps, and opportunities while strengthening support for future arts and culture space projects.
The 300 Sparks Street Pop-Up is made possible through the generous support of Crown Property Management Inc, who recognize the placemaking and engaging power of artists. This summer activation, led by Cre8, provides artists with a platform to showcase their work as well as bringing more creative life to our downtown.
This pop-up will also serve as a live feasibility study. By observing how the space is used, including foot traffic, visitor engagement, and operational realities, the project will help build a clearer understanding of what it takes to activate and sustain arts and culture spaces in downtown settings. This dual purpose allows the initiative to both animate the street in the present and generate valuable insight to inform future placemaking and space activations.
Sparks Street Storefront
A storefront activation on Bank Street will transform vacant commercial space into a public-facing arts venue. Aligned with the ACE District vision the project will increase the visibility of arts and culture while bringing new energy to the street.
The initiative benefits landlords by activating vacant spaces, creates opportunities for future tenants, and helps revitalize the downtown core by bringing community engagement and restoring energy, creativity, and foot traffic to one of the city’s main streets.
Vacant Storefront activation
Arts Ottawa’s Learning Labs are a key part of our commitment to building capacity across the local arts sector. Through professional development opportunities, knowledge sharing, and collaborative learning, the program supports artists and arts organizations in strengthening skills, expanding networks, and responding to evolving community needs.
By investing in continuous learning, the Learning Labs help build a more resilient, connected, and sustainable arts ecosystem, enhancing the capacity of individual artists, organizations, and Arts Ottawa alike.
Learing Labs
Happening now in Shared Ground:
MEET THE ARTISTS
OLIVA ONUK Integrated Neighbourhood Services 2024-2025
More about Olivia
Olivia Onuk is dedicating herself to tackling community issues through her involvement with Arts Ottawa and the City of Ottawa’s Artist in Residence in Government Program. Within this role, she is working closely with the Host Department to shape policy decisions for the city. Through collaborative efforts with city staff and active participation in municipal consultations and public hearings, Olivia strives to address the pressing concerns of our community. Her expertise in organizing community art installations and performance events, along with her skill for developing programs and leading workshops for people of all ages, especially those in vulnerable communities, enables her to foster meaningful connections and create spaces for self-expression and healing. These experiences strengthen her resolve to bridge service gaps and promote equity. Olivia’s contributions to the Artist in Residence in Government program emphasize the importance of innovative and creative approaches in tackling civic challenges within our community.
JORDAN DANGER Solid Waste Services 2024-2025
More about Jordan
Jordan Danger is an Ottawa-based professional artist working in multiple media, with two decades of experience and a history of award-winning work. As a queer, genderqueer artist with an invisible disability, she approaches art from a lifetime of challenging the 'norm'. Her professional life has taken her in many directions, including a decade spent in social services prior to another decade spent in marketing, where she was awarded a Forty Under 40 award for her work in the field. These career paths have complimented her artistic practice, enriching her understanding of human behaviour and psychology in a way that informs her art. Now working full time in the arts, Jordan is represented at several galleries and local artists' guilds.
NEWS
Jordan and Olivia in conversation
Our first Artists in Residence in Government met and reflected on their time in the program.
What has Olivia been up to? Our inaugural Artist in Residence, Olivia, is helping build a strong collective future in Ottawa. READ MORE
Interview with Olivia We had the chance to connect with Olivia during the closing exhibition, reflecting on the conclusion of her residency in the AIRG program WATCH ONLINE
Interview with Jordan We Jordan Danger meets with Rebecca Zandbergen on Ottawa Morning to talk about their 'garbage' work. LISTEN HERE
AIRSPACE: Understanding the landfill crisis Explore Jordan Dangers art series inspired by a year as an Artist in Residence with Solid Waste.
OUR PARTNERS
NEIGHBOURHOOD ARTS OTTAWA 2018 to 2021
From 2018 to 2021, Neighbourhood Arts brought free community-based arts workshops and projects to residents across Ottawa. Funded by the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the Ottawa Community Foundation, the program supported local artists and organizations in making the arts more accessible and inclusive. Projects ranged from dance and theatre to visual arts and collaborative installations, led by artists such as Eagle & Condor Collective, Kseniya Tsoy, MASC, Moov Ottawa Dance, Christine Mockett, Eleanor Crowder, and Jennifer Anne Kelly.
The spirit of Neighbourhood Arts continues today through our Artist in Residence in Government (AIRG) program. Building on the idea of embedding creativity where it’s most needed, AIRG places artists directly within government departments to bring fresh perspectives, foster collaboration, and help address civic challenges through the arts. This evolution reflects a natural path from engaging communities at the grassroots level to shaping the systems and structures that serve them.