The CALQ and Université du Québec à Rimouski join forces to bring together artistic creation and scientific research Français
QUÉBEC CITY, Oct. 14, 2025 /CNW/ - The CALQ (Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec) and Université du Québec à Rimouski (UQAR) are pleased to announce the rollout of this partnership agreement to connect artists in film, public art and classical music with teams of scientists studying ocean-related climate change.
Three artists will be invited to create works based on a research project related to UQAR's Transforming Climate Action (TAC) program. The three artworks will be presented by Paraloeil (cinema), EXMURO (public art) and the Orchestre Symphonique de l'Estuaire (classical music), depending on the discipline.
This call for projects is the first phase of a three-year agreement between the CALQ and UQAR's TAC program to connect artistic disciplines, presentation partners and research projects. The pilot project for this first year will make it possible to explore the best conditions and practices at the intersection of art and science.
"This collaboration with UQAR, a first for the CALQ with a Québec university, will offer artists the unique opportunity to work from materials, knowledge and scientific tools that are rarely available to them, and to profoundly enrich the research and exploration stage before creation. I'm delighted by this partnership, which demonstrates our desire to initiate a conversation between art and science, and to allow the public to understand the critical challenges of climate change through the prism of artistic creation."
- Véronique Fontaine, President and Executive Director, CALQ
"UQAR is a pioneer in arts and sciences. This major agreement, which we have been working on for over a year, creates real opportunities between the university and the arts community for the first time. By accepting this extraordinary invitation, scientists are opening the door to a novel approach."
- Andréane Bastien, Executive Director of the Transforming Climate Action program
About the call for projects
Each of the three works selected through this call for projects will be linked to a specific research theme proposed by UQAR's TAC program. The projects submitted must reflect this link.
- Memories of a shipwreck: Creation of a short film from a research project on the Walker fleet.
- A river starved for air: Creation of a symphonic work from research about hypoxia on the St. Lawrence.
- Cultivating the sea: Creation of a public artwork inspired by ocean aquaculture as an agent of change.
For each project selected, a maximum amount of $50,000 will be granted to support the research-creation-production cycle for the work and compensation for the artist. This financial support is provided jointly by UQAR and the CALQ, which is contributing additional funds from its general grant program for artists for the projects.
Presenting partners will present the work and offer special support during research and creation. The collaboration between the artist and the research team to fuel the artistic process may extend for up to 18 months. We suggest that the work first be presented within 24 months of the grant being awarded.
The CALQ invites artists in visual arts, arts and crafts, classical music and film and video to submit their proposals by January 13, 2026.
Artists who submit a proposal are encouraged to take an inclusive approach, considering people from minority groups, such as members of cultural communities, Indigenous peoples and people with disabilities, in developing their project.
Information session
A virtual information session, in a panel format, is planned for November 12, 2025, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. Members of scientific teams will answer questions about their research activities and their vision of the intersection between art and science.
Registration is required via this link, and artists can submit their questions in advance.
Themes by discipline
Public art
Diversifying maritime economic activities is a promising approach to increasing the resilience of coastal communities. This UQAR project explores the co-cultivation of seaweed and oysters on a small-scale operation as an innovative, sustainable model of production to address climate change, which involves a collaboration between science, community engagement and Indigenous knowledge.
Film (short film)
In 1711, the Walker fleet, made up of 77 warships, sailed up the St. Lawrence to capture the colony of Québec, but a shipwreck off the Côte-Nord put an end to England's ambitions of conquering New France. An interdisciplinary research team (history, archeology, oceanography and literature) is using historical and environmental data from ship logs to understand events and how climate has evolved up to the present day.
Classical music (symphonic work)
The decreasing oxygen levels (deoxygenation) in the deep waters of the St. Lawrence are silently transforming this iconic ecosystem. At UQAR, researchers are working to better understand the mechanisms behind this phenomenon to reduce the uncertainties associated with climate change by better understanding the role of the oceans.
About the Transforming Climate Action: An Ocean-based Approach program (TAC program)
A historic grant of $154 million was awarded to four Canadian partner universities (Dalhousie University in Halifax, Université du Québec à Rimouski, Memorial University in Newfoundland and Université Laval) through the Canada First Research Excellence Fund. From 2023 to 2030, this consortium will carry out the ambitious research program Transforming Climate Action on the role of the ocean in climate change and on mitigation and adaptation measures for climate change related to the ocean. The program is designed to develop transformative solutions and demonstrate their effectiveness. The intersection between arts and sciences through cross-disciplinary research and creation are one of the approaches.
This call for projects is made possible in part through the financial support of the Canada First Research Excellence Fund.
About Université du Québec à Rimouski
UQAR is part of the Université du Québec network and has long been connected to the realities of the communities it serves. Over 7,200 students are currently enrolled in a wide range of programs at all levels of study. The university is known for its accessible, high-quality education and strong student support. In addition to its campuses in Lévis and Rimouski and its satellite campuses in Baie-Comeau and the Gaspésie–Îles-de-la-Madeleine, UQAR maintains a presence in Saint-Georges, Thetford, the KRTB (Kamouraska, Rivière-du-Loup, Témiscouata, and Les Basques) region and Matane. UQAR is recognized for its research influence, particularly in its three areas of excellence: marine science, regional development and northern studies, as well as in many disciplines in natural sciences and engineering, social sciences and humanities, and health.
About the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec
The Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) invests in the imagination and celebrates the successes of those who create memorable works, shape Québec's cultural identity, and make it shine.
With a view to equitable, sustainable artistic development, the CALQ supports creation, experimentation, and production in the arts and literature in all regions of Québec and promotes dissemination in Québec, Canada, and abroad.
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SOURCE Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec
Source: Lysandre Jobin, Communications Manager, Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec, [email protected]; Stéphanie Lessard-Bérubé, Arts-Sciences Curator (interim), Transforming Climate Action, [email protected]
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