Alchemy Artists Residency Summer 2026: Waupoos Island

ALCHEMY: an artist-led international residency where food, art, and community come together.

ALCHEMY ARTIST RESIDENCY, founded in 2015, is an artist-led residency dedicated to site-inspired artmaking and community engagement.Alchemy invites artists to connect, collaborate, and reflect in two unique Canadian settings: the Toronto Islands and Prince Edward County. Guided by four pillars—food, art, garden, and table—we document and share art making, meals, and conversation. At Alchemy, artists deepen their practices, exchange ideas, and engage with the people, communities and landscapes that host us.

A community setting for inquiry and discovery

Alchemy Summer 2026— Waupoos Island is an artist-led residency grounded in extended studio time, private reflection, shared meals, and collective living.

Taking place August 7–14, 2026, on an island one kilometre off the western coast of Prince Edward County, Ontario,, visiting artists live, work, and collaborate in a setting where cooking, eating, conversation, and studio practice shape daily life. Alchemy welcomes applications from local and visiting artists from Canada and beyond who are curious about exploring process and materiality in both artistic and culinary practices and interested in living and working within a temporary community on 15 acre Island in Lake Ontario.

Shared meals, artist talks, studio visits, and site-specific exploration all contribute to an inspiring experience in a magical setting. Through community engagement and a commitment to collaborative process, we collect, tell, and document multiple stories within a unique communal environment.Through community engagement and commitment to a collaborative process, we collect, tell, and document multiple stories showcasing what compels people to continue to create, grow, farm, and live in two unique communities. 

Shared meals, readings and discussions probe the creative intersection of food & art in a community setting & help us better understand the magic & inspiration created by making & sharing art & food.

This residency is for those practicing visual arts, textile, fibre arts, sculpture, photography, craft, food,  performance art, writing music, and video 

Coordinators:   Claire M Tallarico, is a visual artist and chef whose social practice explores how the everyday activities of art & food making &  sharing makes a difference to participants and communities.  Tonia DiRisio is a visual artist and art and arts administrator. Her work has developed through ongoing investigations of the growing, making, preserving, celebrating, and sharing food.