A square infographic with a retro 1980s aesthetic. The background is a dark, grainy gradient of purple, navy blue and brown. Centred is a large retro sunset graphic featuring thick horizontal lines with a yellow-to-orange gradient. Over the circle, "HEAT WAVES" is written in a bold brushstroke font with white lettering, and magenta and light blue shadow accents. Below reads "CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS" and "APPLY BY JUNE 8TH" in bold white text on a magenta background.

A square infographic with a retro 1980s aesthetic. The background is a dark, grainy gradient of purple, navy blue and brown. Centred is a large retro sunset graphic featuring thick horizontal lines with a yellow-to-orange gradient. Over the circle, "HEAT WAVES" is written in a bold brushstroke font with white lettering, and magenta and light blue shadow accents. Below reads "CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS" and "APPLY BY JUNE 8TH" in bold white text on a magenta background.

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Heat Waves 2026

1 – 31 Jul 2026
1 – 31 Jul 2026
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Eyelevel is accepting submissions for our annual summer local emerging artist residency program, HEAT WAVES. The residency will span from July 1st to 31st, with the four selected artists working in the shared studio room at 2482 Maynard Street, operated by Wonder'neath and The Blue Building Gallery. This program is designed for local, early-emerging artists with limited or no professional experience in the arts, who face systemic barriers to accessing professional opportunities. Folks unfamiliar with Eyelevel are encouraged to read our mandate before applying

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Heat Waves Is A Great Fit For Artists Who:

  • Have had limited or no paid professional opportunities in the visual arts (such as exhibitions, residencies and performances where professional/CARFAC fees have been paid). 
  • Are new to Eyelevel and artist-run centres in general. Please note that HEAT WAVES does not accept returning artists (those who have had residencies, exhibitions, etc, with Eyelevel where professional fees have been paid). Eyelevel has other residency programs where returning artists are welcome. 
  • Reside in Kjipuktuk and the surrounding areas, or have a stake in our local arts community.
  • Have been under/misrepresented in contemporary art. A non-exhaustive list of possible examples could be: artists who self-identify under the larger “disability” umbrella, those experiencing temporary or intergenerational poverty, newcomers to Canada, artists who have recently moved to Halifax, artists without formal training, racialized artists, artists who are parents, 2SLGBTQIA+ artists, etc. 

Heat Waves Provides Residents With: 

  • Free 24-hour access to a large studio for July, shared between three other artists (the studio is wheelchair accessible, and this is a mask-required residency). 
  • $400 budget for materials. 
  • 1-year membership to Eyelevel, which begins at the start of your residency.  
  • Optional participation in a group artist talk at the end of the residency, including a Presentation fee of $545, following CARFAC’s 2026 Fee Schedule.
  • Optional studio visit with Eyelevel’s Artistic Co-Directors or a member of our Board. 
  •  Other access supports, such as childcare stipends, transportation funds, equipment rentals, etc., can be arranged with Eyelevel budget permitting. 

HEAT WAVES is a low-pressure, research-oriented residency. Residents are not expected to finish a project or have exhibition-ready work by the end of the residency, but an idea or starting point is helpful. We welcome experimentation, play, community building, professional development, research, reading, and more. 

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How To Apply: 

All applications due by June 8th at 11:59 PM ADT 

All applications to HEAT WAVES must respond to the questions below and include at least one item of support material. 

Responses to the application questions can be submitted via:

  • Our online form: https://forms.gle/2NSTWpFWmgp5BbDq8
    (printed copies available at Eyelevel’s office for hand-written applications).
  • Written in the body of an email, a Word document (no .pages files, please!) or PDF and emailed to info@eyelevel.art. 
  • Pre-recorded answers in audio or video format sent to info@eyelevel.art (5 minutes max).
  • You can schedule a 10-minute Zoom or phone interview online with Sally Wolchyn-Raab. Your interview must take place before June 8th. 

Whatever Method You Decide, Please Answer The Following Questions: 

Basic ID information: 

  1. Email address  
  2. Name (one you go by) 
  3. Phone number 
  4. Pronouns 
  5. Preferred communication method (email, phone call, text) 

Program Fit:

  1. Do you define yourself as an early-emerging artist? Would you say that you’ve had minimal professional opportunities? (Y/N)
  2. Are you new to Eyelevel as an artist? (as in you haven’t done a major project with us, been an artist in residence, exhibited with us, etc., we do not count volunteering with Eyelevel or participating in unpaid community projects) (Y/N)
  3. Do you reside in or around Kjipuktuk, or are you a frequent visitor or invested in being a part of our local arts community in some way? (Y/N)
  4. Will you be able to participate (either in person or remotely) for the whole month? (Y/N)
  5. Are you able and willing to follow Eyelevel’s COVID-19 safety protocols? (Y/N)
  6. If you would like to provide any context for your answers to the questions above, please feel free to do so.

Application Questions:

  1. Tell us about yourself. What kind of artwork do you make?
  2. How would you like to spend your time during this residency? If you are using a studio, what do you want to make, and what materials do you need? 
  3. What can Eyelevel and/or your fellow residents do to support you during this residency? (For example, will you be looking for community involvement, feedback on your work, anything you want Eyelevel to help facilitate or promote?)
  4. Are you interested in participating in the group artist talk?
  5. Is there anything else that you would like to mention? 
  6. Do you have any concerns about working in Wonder’neath’s studios in a shared context? Would you like us to accommodate any health needs or sensitivities? 

Support Material:
All applications must include at least one item of support material, which can be:

  • A link to your website or social media platform
  • Image files (5 images max)
  • Word or PDF files containing images and/or writing (5 pages max)
  • Audio and Video examples of your work or documentation (10 minutes max)

Support material can be sent to us by:

  • Including links in the Google form to your website/social media
  • Uploading files directly into the Google Form
  • Attaching files to an email to info@eyelevel.art for attachments up to 25GB in total
  • Sending links to file-sharing services like Dropbox, Google Drive and WeTransfer to info@eyelevel.art for larger files
  • Sending YouTube, Vimeo and Soundcloud links to info@eyelevel.art 

If you are sending us any support material via email or sharing folders with us, please ensure that your name is in the body of the email and the filename of all attachments (example: FirstName-LastName01.jpg). 

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Access and Safety: 

This program will take place at 2482 Maynard Street (see below for building access instructions). Before the residency begins, HEAT WAVES residents will attend an orientation. At this orientation, we will set community ground rules for sharing space, get to know one another, tour the facility, and discuss access needs. Eyelevel offers an optional Access Rider document that artists can complete in as much detail as they like to convey their specific access needs and plans to Eyelevel. We make a concerted effort to meet access needs to the best of our ability, or at the very least, communicate our limitations as clearly, transparently, and early as possible. 

2482 Maynard Street is wheelchair-accessible. The building has visitor parking directly in front and a bike rack. There are push-button door openers at the main entrances, and a button-operated lift to the second floor. The building has wide hallways, and all doorways are a minimum of 36" wide. Two non-gendered washrooms (one with a changing table) are located on the first floor, and two non-gendered washrooms without changing tables are on the second floor. All washrooms have sharps containers. A quiet room is also located on the first floor, with low and adjustable lighting. 2482 Maynard Street is a low-scent, all-ages, low-stimuli building. The building features ample natural light and is illuminated with dimmable fluorescent overhead lights throughout most areas. The second floor is not open to the public except for special events and is accessed via a keypad.

HEAT WAVES takes place in “the room,” an open short-term studio/workshop space operated by Wonder’neath Art Society and The Blue Building Gallery on the second floor. The room is next to a large “dirty” sink for brushes, and is equipped with large folding tables, chairs, desk lamps and temporary partitions between workspaces. The room itself cannot be locked, but access to the entire floor is restricted to building tenants. The room has two windows, fluorescent overhead lights and cement floors. The space is a studio, designed to be clean but not precious with stains and markings on the floors, walls and tables. 

2482 Maynard does not require masking, but Eyelevel does. This means that all staff, volunteers, visitors, and artists involved with Eyelevel will wear masks on-site and at all Eyelevel events, except when we eat in the shared kitchenette upstairs, which is equipped with a high-powered HEPA filter. Other tenants of 2482 Maynard do not often wear masks, so we mitigate disease transmission by providing HEPA filters, Corsi-Rosenthal boxes, regular rapid testing, sanitizing high-touch spaces, and requiring respirator-type masks (N95/KN95/KF94) for protection. HEAT WAVES artists will be asked to follow these guidelines, and Eyelevel will provide them with masks. 

Eyelevel’s general access information and our Access Commitment can be found here...

A living access document on 2483 Maynard by Wonder’neath can be found here...

Feel free to email any questions to sally@eyelevel.art. You can also text or call 902-425-6412 Tuesday through Friday, 10 am-5 pm.

We can’t wait to hear from you!