The Throbbing Rose Collective invites applications for the second edition of Queer Up North, a two week artist residency bringing together 2SLGBTQIA plus artists to work, connect, and exchange in a northern, land based context.

The 2026 residency will take place August 1 to 15, 2026 at Andorra Lodge, a remote lakeside property in Temagami, Ontario. Building on the inaugural residency, Queer Up North continues to consider questions of queer ecology, rural experience, and the relationship between bodies, land, and belonging.

This year’s residency also engages the theme of Queer Fables. Artists are invited to consider storytelling as a method of world building, where memory, fiction, and lived experience intersect. Within the framework of queer ecology, fable can operate as a way of reconfiguring dominant narratives of nature, shifting away from fixed hierarchies toward more entangled and relational understandings of life. Mythologies, whether inherited, speculative, or newly constructed, become tools for thinking through how queer lives are shaped by, and in turn reshape, the landscapes they inhabit.

Queer Up North offers a focused period of production, reflection, and exchange. Artists are invited to develop new work, test ideas, and engage with others in a shared environment that supports experimentation alongside lived experience.

Residency Context

Andorra Lodge is situated within a forested landscape shaped by water, rock, and long standing histories of use and stewardship. The residency acknowledges the ongoing presence and knowledge of the Teme Augama Anishnabai, whose relationships to this territory continue.

The site offers a mix of shared and independent working spaces, with communal living arrangements. The setting is intentionally modest and slightly removed, supporting sustained attention, informal dialogue, and a slower pace of working.

Program Includes

• Studio time and access to indoor and outdoor workspaces

• Shared accommodations

• Daily dinner provided

• Artist talks, critiques, and informal discussions

• Site visits and excursions in the surrounding landscape

• Opportunities for collaboration and peer exchange

The residency prioritizes artists who are open to collective experience, adaptable working conditions, and the dynamics of working in a semi remote environment.

After the Residency

Participants may be invited to take part in future exhibitions and public programming connected to Queer Up North, including group exhibitions, screenings, talks, and publications developed by the Throbbing Rose Collective and its partners.

Who Should Apply

Applications are open to emerging, mid career, and established artists working in any medium. We welcome practices that engage with:

• queer and trans ecologies

• storytelling, myth making, and speculative narratives

• rural and northern experience

• material experimentation

• social and relational practices

• embodied or land based approaches

• Artists should be prepared to work independently while contributing to a shared residency environment.

Fees and Logistics

Residency fee is $1,000 CAD

A limited number of fee adjustments are available. We recognize that financial access is uneven, and we do not want cost to be a barrier to participation. Applicants are invited to indicate if they require support, particularly those at early stages of their practice or experiencing financial constraints.

Daily dinner is provided. Artists are responsible for their own breakfast and lunch

Artists are responsible for transportation to Temagami. Pickup from North Bay may be arranged

Artists must bring their own materials and equipment

How to Apply

Please submit the following as a single PDF:

• Artist statement one page

• CV or bio

• 5 to 10 images or links to recent work

• Website or social media optional
  
  Please contact us before applying if you have any questions.

Send applications to info@throbbingrose.ca

Deadline: June 1, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST

Land Acknowledgement:

The Families of the Temagami First Nation have occupied the lands and waters in the Temagami area as stewards for thousands of years. The Temagami First Nation is the Body Politic of the 800 Teme-Augama Anishnabai, who are presently recognized as Indians under the Indian Act of Canada. The Bear Island Indian Reserve community, which includes 250 permanent residents and the government institutions of the Temagami First Nation, preserves the integrity of Teme-Augama Anishnabai as the stewards of n’Daki Menan. (https://www.trlupnorth.com/territory_acknowledge.html#:~:text=The%20Families%20of%20the%20Temagami,the%20Indian%20Act%20of%20Canada.)

Links:

The Throbbing Rose Collective: https://www.throbbingrose.ca/

Andorra Accessible Cottages: https://www.andorralodge.net/