BG–11.027 - November 7, 2011
The Canadian Forces Artists Program allows Canadian artists the opportunity to record Canada's soldiers in Canada and around the world. It follows the long-standing tradition of Canadian war artists and is designed to portray today's Canadian military experience through art while providing artists with a taste of military life. These artists, all volunteers, are helping usher in a new era of Canadian military art.
The Canadian Forces Artists Program was officially announced and established in June 2001, by then-Chief of Defence Staff, General Maurice Baril. It is operated out of the Directorate of History & Heritage at the Department of National Defence. An initial cadre of three artists was the first to enter the program in 2001. Since then, 42 civilian professional artists have taken part in the program, deploying to locations as diverse as Afghanistan, the Netherlands, Sudan, Egypt and bases throughout Canada, including the Canadian Arctic.
New Competition closing November 30, 2011
A new competition is currently being held for the selection of a new group of Canadian artists who wish to participate in the program. Selected artists will be able to participate in a military-related exercise for a period of approximately seven to ten days. This opportunity is designed to springboard their creativity, create works of art depicting military life and to provide memorable military experiences.
There is no payment for artists, who in turn are not required to provide works to the program. However, artists may be asked to lend some works for promotional art tours or other uses.
Deadline for applications is November 30, 2011.
More information can be found at the Canadian Forces Artist Program website: http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/dhh-dhp/gal/ap-pa/index-eng.asp
Way ahead for the Canadian Forces Artists Program
The art exhibit at the Cartier Square Drill Hall provides an opportunity for Canadian Forces personnel, Department of National Defence employees and the media to see the creations by artists from the Canadian Forces Artist Program, which represent the accomplishments of our men and women in uniform. It is also a means to communicate the current and upcoming activities of the Canadian Forces Artists Program. These activities include outlining the experiences of the five artists from the 2008-09 cycle, provide a glimpse of the group of twelve artists whose deployments are currently underway, and outline the new competition for future artists.
Selected works of the Canadian Forces Artists Program can also been seen in the “Brush With War” tour, co-produced by the Department of National Defence, and the Canadian War Museum. The tour’s next stop is at The Military Museums in Calgary, from June to September 2012.
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