Call for Applications: Plug In ICA Fall Institute 2026

Overview

Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art is accepting applications for the 2026 Fall Institute, "Citing the World: Points of Interreference," led by 2026 Guggenheim fellowship recipient Raymond Boisjoly. The Fall Institute is a free, international artist research program established in 2009 for professional artists and cultural workers in all disciplines and media. Participants will expand upon their own interests and projects through a collaborative peer-to-peer environment including group activities, guest lectures, and workshops.

Program Theme

The program explores interreference by staging encounters between distinct bodies of knowledge that generate new forms of understanding. Rather than asking what an artwork stands for, the program asks how it connects, translates, transforms, and reconfigures existing forms of knowledge. Participants will consider art as a method of citing the world, examining how knowledge travels between contexts and how new conceptual possibilities emerge through unforeseen encounters.

Key Dates

• Application Deadline: July 31, 2026 at 5pm CT
• Program Dates: September 14–26, 2026
• Applicants notified of results: Early August

Eligibility & Participation

Open to professional artists and cultural workers in all disciplines and media. The program is international and accepts applications worldwide. Spots are limited; only successful applicants will be contacted.

Fees & Support

There is no fee to participate in the Fall Institute. However, participants are responsible for their own travel and accommodations while in Winnipeg.

About the Faculty

Raymond Boisjoly is an artist and Haida citizen whose work is derived from training in photography and engages diverse forms of production including writing and craft-based approaches. He uses various machines and equipment to capture technological processes interwoven with subject matter centered on cultural propriety, humor, and poetic-prophetic texts. Boisjoly has been included in numerous exhibitions nationally and internationally. In 2026, he was awarded a fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation and is an Associate Professor at the School for the Contemporary Arts at SFU.

Location & Contact

• Plug In ICA, 460 Portage Avenue, Unit 1, Winnipeg, MB R3C 0E8, Canada
• Phone: 1.204.942.1043
• Email: [email protected]
• Website: plugin.org
• Fully accessible venue

Support & Acknowledgements

The 2026 Fall Institute is made possible through a generous contribution from Heritage Canada's Canada Arts Training Fund. Plug In ICA is sustained by support from the Canada Council, the Manitoba Arts Council, Winnipeg Arts Council, and community donors.