Individuals & Collectives Winter 2026 results: Stream 1 and 2

Artists and their work are the foundation of our arts community. Working as individuals or collectives, artists pursue work that develops their practice, advances creative thought, contributes to an art form and provides our community with a reflection of itself. 

The Edmonton Arts Council’s (EAC) Individuals & Collectives grant has three distinct streams, each with its own evaluation criteria and assessment process. 

Individuals & Collectives Winter 2026 results: Stream 1

Individuals & Collectives Stream 1 supports an Individual artist to work on creation, experimentation, or research activities. Grant amounts are fixed at $5,000 to support subsistence and any additional costs to the individual while they take the time to pursue artistic work. 

For the winter 2026 program cycle, 37 applications were recommended for Stream 1, for a total investment of $185,000.

Alex R.M. Thompson will forge new connections with industrial manufacturers in and around Edmonton and build the foundations for experimental printmaking artworks. 

Alison Hughes will embark on the second draft of a novel with interlinked short stories based in a cancer hospital, portraying the distortions of self through literary techniques such as magical realism, caricature, and grotesquerie. 

Amanda Samuelson will write a new play, Mount Obelus Sanctuary for Creatives: a large-scale, interdisciplinary, and intergenerational piece set at a writers’ retreat in the Alberta Rocky Mountains. 

Amy Leigh will conduct material research and experimentation in papermaking and natural dyes, specifically exploring how the two processes can intersect. 

Aretha Tillotson will research and compose for larger ensembles such as big bands and small chamber orchestra. 

Arsan Buffin will write a comedy play that explores dating as an Indigenous male and how every relationship is either a blessing or a lesson. 

Art of Ajet (Olusayo Ajetunmobi) will devote several months to developing a new process for creative expression, using indigo and ink as mediums to create textile-based artworks inspired by Adire, Yoruba culture and Nigerian feminist histories. 

Behrang Nikaeen will take the initial steps of networking, band formation, test rehearsals and recordings — to prepare for the formation of a band with blind musicians who have been excluded from the local scene. 

Erika Germain will work on creating sculptural wood furniture to be used in participatory projects, experimenting with new methods of construction and carving techniques. 

Gregory Mulyk will experiment and work on the conceptual development of the music and audio system for his new ​“modular” soundtrack album, offering listeners an interactive web-based experience where they sculpt and explore their own soundscapes. 

haley brown will develop polished narrative illustration spreads to explore finding an art style, medium, and workflow that is sustainable for her disabled body, and to build a strong picture-book portfolio. 

Hannah Gelderman will use hand-cut collage to create film positives for a series of 15 bright and bold silkscreen prints with social movement slogans and imagery and print them at SNAP. 

Ideaowl (Eugene Chen) will prototype a playable videogame exhibit/​projection where level components and characters are hand coloured by participants and applied on-screen via scanning. 

Jacqueline Ohm will embark on a one-month exploratory project investigating narrative possibilities on Edmonton public transit through field recording, visual framing studies, and story development to determine the strongest concept for a future short film. 

Jason Chinn will work on the creation and development of the first draft of a new play about a group of Edmonton women fed up with the state of the world who ignite a movement across Canada. 

Jennifer Walker will embark on writing The Closet Library, which explores a 12-year-old girl’s response to the removal of books from her school, culminating in a student-led movement affirming the value of youth voices and intellectual freedom. 

Jeongmin Ahn will complete a series of hyperrealist oil-on-canvas paintings of trash receptacles from Edmonton’s parks throughout the four seasons. 

Jessica Carmichael will visit St. Michael’s, Barbados to research her fraternal history through elders, cultural immersion and archival research for the first draft of her second young adult novel. 

Keith Callihoo will paint three acrylic-on-birch panels, weaving Kanien’keha:ka (Mohawk) beading designs into the paintings, using archival family photos as reference material. 

Kerri-Lynn Reeves will create Material Inheritance, a series of four quilted artworks inspired by the quilting practices of her western European settle ancestors. 

Laine Ellis will research the history, symbolism, and contemporary practices of Moko Jumbie and record in a research portfolio to guide future photographic and video documentation. 

Lauren Kalinowsk will embark on the post-research phase of memoir writing: translating and integrating Ukrainian, German, and Polish archival materials gathered in Austria and Ukraine into a multigenerational literary nonfiction manuscript. 

Leif Oleson-Cormack will develop a conversation-driven interactive narrative exploring persuasion, performance, and power through a series of branching phone calls, combining elements of playwriting, interactive media, and puzzle-design. 

Macarena Osorio will reinterpret Western aesthetics into soft, safe designs for infants through researching and prototyping. The work examines how heritage craft can evolve while preserving cultural meaning through innovation. 

Margaret L Cardinal will begin research and story collecting on her Awasisihkan: Indigenous Dolls and Little People Project to inform Indigenous doll making techniques with natural materials gathered from the land that are representative of Cree culture, stories and traditions. 

Miurgen will embark on outdoor oil painting experimentation as part of studying traditional impressionist painting style. 

Nicholas Hertz will deconstruct large-scale prints to create immersive, three-dimensional sculptures. 

Peter Midgley will write Hang in There, a personal account of hazing culture at boarding schools. 

Phoebe Acheampong is developing a children’s picture book about sibling transition and emotional identity, continuing a character-centered series grounded in subtle representation and expressive visual storytelling for early childhood audiences. 

Shawn Tse will take a video-documented bike trip with his children: tracing memory, change, and his family’s growing connection to Edmonton’s Chinatown. 

Sheena Rossiter will work on a scripted short film exploring Edmonton’s late ​‘90s and early 2000s rave scene; blending personal diaries and community research to illuminate youth identity, underground culture, and the fight to dance. 

Shyanne Duquette will develop a new script that will be presented in 2027 at Weesageechak Begins to Dance, in Toronto as part of the Animikiig Creators Unit. 

Stephanie Jonsson will illustrate a playful child’s view of currency by slip-casting two hundred ceramic crystal gems in various colours that measure two feet in diameter. 

Tae Kim will undertake an intensive research and composition phase reimagining traditional Korean folk melodies through modern jazz, culminating in the creation of cross-cultural repertoire for the Tae Kim Project’s debut album. 

Warren Cowell will collaborate on a two-dimensional animation with local artists to expand his storytelling through the development of the cartoon character of Jack the Moose. 

Zach Polis will write a full second draft of The Zookeeper, with a focus on creating a cohesive, emotionally precise manuscript ready for professional submission to agents and publishers.

Individuals & Collectives Winter 2026 results: Stream 2

Individuals & Collectives Stream 2 supports receiving mentorship, attending a residency, or other forms of professional development for artists and arts and cultural workers. Projects may be individual or collective, and grants are available up to $10,000 based on projected expenses, including artist subsistence.

For the winter 2026 program cycle, 15 applications were recommended for Stream 2, for a total investment of $102,787.

Avery Neufeld will attend the Fight Directors Canada’s National Stage Combat Conference to earn Basic Actor/​Combatant Certification, training in unarmed, single sword, and quarterstaff techniques, enhancing safety, performance skills, and professional versatility.

Benjamin Oswald will participate in the 2026 International Academy of Ceramics Congress and an intensive master-led technical residency in Jingdezhen, China, to master advanced porcelain and ceramic techniques for a new sculptural series.

Carly Klassen will receive mentorship from industry professionals to guide her long-term goal of creating a multi-disciplinary program bridging many facets of the film and music industries to encourage collaboration across sectors.

Chelsea Payne Evason assisted in research, design, and creation for the world première production of Rebel Rhythm in Victoria, BC.

Deborah Kissi will attend a four-week traditional Ghanaian dance mentorship residency hosted by the School of Performing Arts at the University of Ghana.

Jessica Marsh will advance her leadership as a music executive through national and international conferences; strengthening her expertise in artist development and understanding of how municipalities build music-friendly policies.

Katie Yoner will attend Banff Centre’s Independent Studio Residency. There, Batrabbit Collective will begin development on the theatrical production, Rat Academy 3, and document their creative methodology.

Lauren Brady assisted Michael Kennard’s Canadian Clowning workshop in May 2026 and received mentorship in developing a Pochinko clown teaching process.

Lauren Tamke will advance her stage combat performance/​choreography skills by attending the Advanced Actor Combatant Certification with Fight Directors Canada’s National Workshop Summer 2026.

Lindsey Sharman will attend the Experimental Scent Summit in Mexico City to support her ongoing olfactory art research and connect with researchers in this field.

Louisa Hammond, a ceramic and textile artist, will attend the Alpujarra Artist Residency program in Spain to complete her self-directed research on natural dyes.

Shawn Pinchbeck to attend a two-week audio art residency at the Laidi Palace in Latvia, to use their 26.2 ambisonic dome of speakers.

The FloWarrior will travel to Japan to be mentored by a world-renowned performance artist and innovator, while deepening his connection to his cultural heritage and artistic lineage as a Japanese Canadian.

Twisty Tiffany will expand her skills in advanced balloon dressmaking with Kristal Yee in Surrey, BC and virtually, including contour shaping, colour patterns, advanced weaving techniques, dress fitting and repairs.

Wiktoria Jurkiewicz will attend the Vienna Opera Academy to perform Fiordiligi, gaining immersive operatic stage experience and a European training perspective, and take private oboe lessons while there.

Read about the winter 2026 Individuals & Collectives Stream 3 recipients here.

Interested in applying for an Individuals & Collectives grant? The Fall 2026 intake will open for applications one month before the September 2, 2026 deadline.