After a short hiatus, Silverfish is ready to get back down to Business.
In a moment marked by the ongoing professionalization of the artist and external pressure to prove the economic viability for the arts writ large, we are seeking anti-profiteers, scammers, failed girl/boy/they-bosses, hustlers, office sirens, and individuals of unpaid intern experience to think with us about what it means to be a parasite inside the body of capitalism.
We are soliciting applications from emerging Toronto-based artists and writers to participate in the fourth edition of Silverfish’s Artist and Writer Program. This year’s program is all about Business.
When we think about Business, we think about the drab monotony of labour that invests in the oppressive conditions of racial capitalism. We think about the rising cost of living, profit-over-people politics, the relationship between value and labour, and labour conditions that disproportionately marginalize BIPOC, 2SLGBTQ+, and other equity-deserving communities.
We are seeking artists and writers whose work engages diverse interpretations of this theme, including but not limited to the aesthetics of Business (business casual, suit-and-tie, office hoes and CEOs), the language of Business (marketing copy, advertising lingo, doublespeak, HR talk, legalese), Business that’s not legitimized as Business (domestic labour, sex work), and actions that disrupt Business (strikes, boycotts, underground economies, alternative systems of value and exchange).
We invite qualified applicants to join us in corporate drag.
About Silverfish’s Artist and Writer Program
Silverfish’s Artist and Writer Program pairs emerging Toronto-based artists and writers to produce new work through interdisciplinary collaboration. Selected participants will develop their practices through reading groups, critiques, peer editing, lateral skill-sharing, and collective making. Participants will have the opportunity to host public workshops in their chosen medium, present their work in an exhibition in early 2027, and be published in the fourth edition of Silverfish’s print publication.
Workshops will take place in-person in Toronto on Tuesdays from 6:00-8:00pm, from mid-September to mid-November, 2026. The workshops require a weekly 2hr commitment over the course of 10 weeks (with two weeks off). Participants can expect a 3-5 hour workload outside of group workshops for independent and paired studio time. Participants will be paid a $1000 contribution fee for the creation and presentation of new work, and will have access to a modest materials budget.
Eligibility
To qualify for this program you must be:
- An emerging* artist and/or writer based in the Greater Toronto Area
- Excited to expand your practice by incorporating new skills outside of your main discipline
- Interested in exploring (or continuing to explore) the theme of Business through your writing or artwork
- Interested in facilitating a workshop on a topic of your choice
- Available to attend all program workshop sessions (Tuesdays from 6:00-8:00pm, from mid-September to mid-November)
* Silverfish defines an emerging artist as an artist in the early years of their professional career, who has not yet held a solo exhibition at an established gallery, museum, or artist-run centre. Silverfish defines an emerging writer as a writer in the early years of their professional career, with no more than three professionally published texts, and no full-length publication either published or under contract. We consider these definitions to be flexible. If you are unsure of whether you fit program eligibility criteria, we encourage you to reach out at silverfishdigital@gmail.com.
Silverfish will prioritize applications from youth practitioners (artists and writers under 30), as well as applicants who identify as 2SLGBTQ+, BIPOC, or part of other equity-deserving groups. We encourage applicants to self-identify in their applications.
How to Apply
Applicants should send the following to silverfishdigital@gmail.com by Friday July 3, 2026:
- Letter of interest (500 words max) indicating whether you are applying as a writer or artist. Please tell us a bit about your practice, your interest in the program, and initial ideas you’d like to explore through the lens of Business. Note that applications do not need to include a fully-formed project proposal, as final works will arise from collaboration with other program participants. We are looking to hear how you will explore Business in your work, and what skills and perspectives you will bring to your collaborative project.
- CV (2 pages max)
- If applying as an artist: a portfolio of up to 10 images or 2 videos (max 10 minutes total of video)
- If applying as a writer: a writing sample of no more than 5 pages or 1000 words
All applicants will be notified of results by early August.
If you have any questions or need any assistance in the application progress please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Workshop Facilitators
Program workshops will be led by Silverfish Editors Dallas Fellini and Cason Sharpe.
Cason Sharpe is a writer currently based in Toronto. His writing, a mix of fiction, criticism, and non-fiction, focuses on camp and queerness in the urban environment. His writing has appeared in Canadian Art, C Magazine, Public Parking, In The Mood Magazine, BRICK, and Toronto Review, among others. His first collection of stories, Our Lady of Perpetual Realness, was published by Metatron Press in 2017. Named a Queer Writer to Watch by THIS Magazine, Cason has presented work at the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Museum of Contemporary Art, FADO Performance Inc., the Vancouver Art Book Fair, the Prairie Art Book Fair, and the Hamilton Film Festival.
Dallas Fellini is a curator, writer, and artist living and working on Treaty 13 territory (Toronto). Their research is situated at the intersection of trans studies and archival studies. Dallas has curated and co-curated exhibitions and screenings for Art Metropole, the Art Museum at the University of Toronto, the Art Gallery of Guelph, Libby Leshgold Gallery, Gallery 44, InterAccess, and Vtape, amongst others. Their writing and criticism has been published in publications including The Brooklyn Rail, Canadian Art, C Magazine, Art Documentation, The Journal of Curatorial Studies, and Cornelia Magazine. Dallas is the recipient of the 2024 Middlebrook Prize for Young Canadian Curators. They are currently Director of Programs at Art Metropole.
About Silverfish
Silverfish is a collective based in Toronto, focused on cultivating sustained dialogue between contemporary artists and writers. Our publication and workshop program prioritize interdisciplinary collaboration, experimentation, and process, working within a framework of relational, non-institutional pedagogy. Silverfish is a proponent of organic, scattered, and occasional publishing. On an annual-ish basis, we organize a workshop program rooted in peer-based skill sharing in which emerging artists and writers collaborate to reflect on pressing themes and critical discourses within contemporary art and culture. The workshop program culminates in the publication of our print and digital periodical, which features experimental and expansive approaches to artistic practice and art writing. We are committed to providing a unique platform and paid opportunities for emerging artists and writers, and prioritize creating opportunities for those within 2SLGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities.
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