Montreal: City as Archive Artist Lab-October 2026 is a five-day, in-person intensive at Atelier Galerie 2112 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, accompanied by two preparatory virtual meetings on Zoom and a post-Lab virtual reconvening. Organized by Kolaj Institute and led by Ric Kasini Kadour, director of Kolaj Institute and editor of Kolaj Magazine, the Lab is designed for collage artists interested in developing place-based artwork and contemporary art projects.

Through presentations, site visits, walks, discussion, research, and studio work, participants will investigate the idea of place as archive. Artists will consider how Montreal’s buildings, streets, public spaces, signage, material culture, communities, and histories can inform collage. The Lab also addresses appropriation, copyright, fair use, research, play, context, exhibiting, publishing, and the ways artwork circulates through the art ecosystem. Artists will explore multiple Montreal neighborhoods and reflect on the history of the Centre-Sud district through the Écomusée du fier monde.

At the end of the week, participants will present their artwork and proposals for a larger body of work or project. Artwork made during and after the Lab will be considered for a 2027 exhibition at Kolaj Institute Gallery in New Orleans and future Place as Archive publications. Participants will also become members of Kolaj Institute’s Place as Archive Project.

The in-person Lab runs Tuesday, 6 October to Sunday, 11 October 2026. Dates for the preparatory virtual meetings are to be determined. The early application deadline is Sunday, 30 August 2026; the final deadline is Sunday, 13 September 2026. The fee is $1050 CAD (approximately $750 USD) per artist. A limited number of grants is available to offset the Lab fee; travel, accommodations, and meals remain the artist’s responsibility. Artists over age 21, at any career stage, may apply from anywhere in the world at https://forms.gle/BeGbS9Wz3ykXz6mU7.