RBC Emerging Artists

RBC Arts Rising

Amplifying artist’s profiles to jump start their careers, in an industry hit hard during the pandemic.

RBC Emerging Artists launches Arts Rising, a new platform that will promote and celebrate emerging visual artists in partnership with local galleries. The program will shine a spotlight on emerging talent and provide additional resources to help artists move from emerging to established within their local and the national art community.

RBC recognizes the struggle many emerging artists endure to gain the recognition and audiences they need to grow and sustain their practice. During the pandemic, many artists experienced a dramatic strain on their livelihoods and a decrease in the available opportunities to showcase their work. The arts were one of the hardest hit industries with over $16 million lost artist and production salaries/fees. Through this program, artists will get the opportunity for training, networking, and exposure and have the galleries acquire works from them.

Toronto International Film Festival^® (opens to external site) is dedicated to presenting the best of international and Canadian cinema and creating transformational experiences for film lovers and creators of all ages and backgrounds. TIFF offers screenings, lectures, discussions, festivals, workshops, events, professional development and opportunities to meet, hear and learn from filmmakers from Canada and around the world.

In partnership with TIFF, we also launched the RBC Women’s Creator Initiative (opens to external site), a mentorship program aimed at increasing participation, skills, and networking opportunities for women working in the film industry. This initiative addresses the industry’s critical need for more diverse representation in front of and behind the camera.

Programmes supported by the RBC Women’s Creator Initiative provides opportunities for emerging artists to bridge the gap through coaching from industry experts, workshops including press, publicity and post-festival navigation, and access to industry events and masterclasses.

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The Canadian Stage (opens to external site) RBC Emerging Artist Program offers a variety of free training and artistic development opportunities for emerging artists and arts professionals, including:

• Barrier-free access for all emerging theatre artists to specially programmed talks, workshops, networking events and opportunities
• Director Development: A year-long residency, allowing two emerging directors to hone their skills, developing a project with access to Canadian Stage expertise, space and resources;
• Company-in-Residence: A year-long residency, allowing a new company producing theatrical work to develop a project using Canadian Stage expertise, space and resources; and
• Artistic Internships: Giving emerging artists increased exposure to the administrative and producing aspects of theatre

The RBC Apprentice Program at the National Ballet (opens to external site) is the company’s primary means of developing young dancers. The program provides development and mentorship opportunities while helping prepare and transition the dancers from school to professional careers.

The ten dancers selected each year are the most promising candidates who refine their technique, gain performance experience and grow into professional dancers filling the ranks of respected dance companies worldwide.

The RBC Apprentice Program at the Writers’ Trust of Canada(opens to external site) was founded by five notable Canadian authors — Margaret Atwood, Pierre Berton, Graeme Gibson, Margaret Laurence, and David Young — to encourage a flourishing writing community in Canada. The RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers, established in memory of poet and short fiction writer Bronwen Wallace, recognizes promising writers.

Through the award, finalists meet and engage with each other, as well as with experienced writers and publishing industry leaders. As a result, many informal mentorships are developed between finalists, past jurors and other alumni. To enrich the experience of emerging writers, the finalists also receive written feedback from the jurors to better their writing and/or guide their career development.