Since 2021, CIRCA art actuel will award $5,000 annually to a woman, a committed artist whose sculpture or installation work, in line with CIRCA’s mission, has stood out for the public and the art community as a whole over the past three years.

A freethinker, teacher and feminist, passionate about the arts and a friend to artists, Pauline Desautels wanted to highlight and encourage women who are creating visual art, particularly in the field of sculpture and installation.

The prize is awarded every spring.

The call for applications will be made in December and a selection committee made up of at least two CIRCA art actuel artist members and an invited guest from the art community will evaluate the projects.

The Mission

CIRCA art actuel is an artist-run centre that supports experimentation and innovation. Its mission is to present the work of contemporary artists, from all generations, who place the sculptural object at the heart of their approach. The Centre supports projects that are in the spirit of a traditional sculpture practice and those that result in hybrid sculptural and installation forms, arising from contact with other mediums such as drawing, print, photography, digital and painting. All this shows a strong engagement in supporting the development of sculpture and installation practices, in a spirit of openness and renewal.

Eligibility Criteria

– A woman who is an artist of any generation;
– A permanent residence in Quebec;
– The project presented must relate to the mandate of CIRCA art actuel;
– The artist must propose a project that has been presented in the last three years, in a recognized exhibition place or in the public space.