OAC Grants


Early this year I was given one of the OAC grants for emerging artists. This OAC grant is a $2000 grant that gives funding to purchase art supplies and to participate in educational skill development. 


I started applying for OAC grants this past fall and I was excited to have received one. OAC stands for Ontario Arts Council. The OAC grants are a lengthy process to set up an account and submit your application online but they are worth it. 


By receiving OAC grants or other grants, artists can receive funding to make projects possible. $2000 is a lot of money and I am grateful to have received this grant as this project would not be financially possible without it. 


There are many different OAC grants available. You can learn more by clicking here!


It’s important to note that OAC grants are only for residents in Ontario. However, depending on where you live, the province or state, try Googling grants with your location to find other grants to apply to. 


handmade map paper part of oac grants

OAC Grants- the OAC Grant Proposal

I will be using the money from the OAC grant to purchase paper making supplies including different types of pulp, mould and deckles and other paper making supplies. I will also be registering for some paper making and letterpress classes to be able to enhance my skills as a paper maker. Lastly, I will use some of the money to rent out a paper making studio place near where I live. I have until 2023 to complete this project. I started purchasing supplies and signing up for workshops this summer of 2022. 




I plan on making sheets of map paper using recycled maps and using the letter press to write some of my poems on the paper. I also want to make more large sheets of the map paper to be able to do large installations of my work Patched. You can read more about the Patched project here! 

Jackie Partridge Patched Project

Jackie Partridge, Patched Project


If you are interested in applying to OAC grants you can click here to check their deadlines. 

I appreciate the financial support of OAC grants for funding my art practice! 


To find out more about the project check out my instagram @jackiepartridge_    and search the #patchedproject





Related Articles: 

10 Lessons I Learned in Art School

How to Get an Artist Grant

OAC Website 

OAC Grant Deadlines 

Patched Project



All About the Women’s Studio Workshop in NY

In March 2018, I attended the Women's Studio Workshop Residency in NY. (The small town of Rosendale to be exact).  I stayed for 5 weeks at the Women’s Studio Workshop. I got to experience part of the winter and part of the spring at the Women’s Studio Workshop. The Women’s Studio Workshop in NY was founded in 1974. I was in the paper making studio at the Women’s Studio Workshop in NY.

Coming from a small town, I really enjoyed the small community of Rosendale. I felt very safe and welcomed while at the residency, in town or on the Rail Trail nearby.  Read more to figure out if attending the Women’s Studio Workshop in NY as your next artist residency is right for you!

About Women’s Studio Workshop in NY

Women’s Studio Workshop in NY was founded in 1974 by Ann Kalmbach, Tatana Kellner, Anita Wetzel, and Barbara Leoff Burge. Their goals were to develop a studio workspace for artists to create new work and collaborate. Programs were centered on the artistic process. The first studios were in a two-story single-family home. Etching was in the living room, paper making was in the attic, and screen printing was in the basement.

This passage is from their website - To read more- click here


The Rail Trail at the Women’s Studio Workshop

I was working in the paper making studio while I was there. I really enjoyed hiking in the area, especially on the Rail Trail. While on the Rail Trail I did numerous Patched installations using my handmade map paper. The Rail Trail is very close to the residency and is a great source of inspiration to artists there including myself! 

Patched is an ongoing installation since 2017 by artist Jackie Partridge that uses handmade map paper pulp on trees where the bark has naturally peeled away.

Patched is an ongoing installation since 2017 by artist Jackie Partridge that uses handmade map paper pulp on trees where the bark has naturally peeled away.

At the Women’s Studio Workshop residency when I was there I made a lot of paper working with maps and blue jeans. I took advantage of the hollander beater and worked on my piece Sediment. You can learn more about the project here! 


I got to try the vacuum table for the first time which was very exciting for my practice. I worked on creating large sheets of map paper on the vacuum table which I used in my Patched video. See the installation of this large sheet of handmade map paper below:

Highlights of the Women’s Studio Workshop in NY

I loved the Women’s Studio Workshop because the staff are very helpful and kind whether it is showing you how to use equipment or giving you a ride into to town to get groceries. I liked how every lunch we had a potluck so we could really get to know one another.

What I Love About Artist Residencies

I am always highly focused and productive while on an artist residency. It is nice to be in a new place and see how that relationship directly impacts my work. Since my work is directly related to the land and environment there is always new inspiration, ideas, and projects when I am in a new place. This is always exciting for me! Residencies give you time, space and materials to explore and practice with. New ideas always form when I am away from home!

What I Did at the Women’s Studio Workshop in NY

  • I had an opportunity to present my art in an artist talk while I was there to people at the residency and locals in the Rosendale area

  • I submitted a piece of art I made as part of their alumni collection

  • I met other artists and learned new techniques like the vacuum table

  • I explored the local scene and enjoyed the Rail Trail 

Patched installation made on the Rail Trail at the Women’s Studio Workshop in NY

Patched installation made on the Rail Trail at the Women’s Studio Workshop in NY

Accommodations at the Women’s Studio Workshop

I stayed with another person and we shared a bathroom and kitchen but had separate bedrooms. Bedding was included. Kitchen utensils and equipment were included. The price for the residency is highly affordable and their are options for grants from the residency or to apply for funding externally. 

I would definitely go back to this artist residency again! 


How You Can Go to the Women’s Studio Workshop in NY

Check out their calendar on dates of when you can apply to their upcoming programs and classes! https://wsworkshop.org/opportunity-calendar/


I would highly recommend this residency to all the artists out there!

Related Articles

 Read about my artist profile on their webpage

Read my interview about my residency here!

Learn about the Patched Project Here!

Purchase my Patched Book -here!

Learn about the Women’s Studio Workshop Here!

Here is another great website to help you find the right artist residency for you! https://resartis.org/covid-19-updates/

Read about my artist residency at the Vermont Studio Center!

Connect with me on social media by clicking on one of the icons below!

Patched Ebook


Patched Ebook is a digital version of Jackie Partridge Patched Book. Patched was published in 2018 with the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund. It is a book of 38 pages- a collection of images colour printed of trees around Waterloo Region that have been altered by adding map paper pulp in areas where the bark has naturally peeled away.

In addition to the photographs in my book- there are a series of nature appreciation poems. I began completing this ongoing series of photography during my Master of Fine Arts at Concordia University while I was in the Fibres and Material Practices Program. I was living in Montreal and visited a nearby park often as it reminded me of home. Being in nature and walking in the woods was very meditative and calming for me. I began to really notice the trees and how the bark naturally peeled away exposing them. Since I was interested in paper making I started to add map paper pulp of recycled maps of places I have been onto the trees where the bark was naturally gone and saw this as a poetic form of mending or an offering back to the tree. 


 At the back of the book I have included information about my art process. To see more about this Patched series - click here!



Patched installation using handmade map paper by Jackie Partridge

Patched installation using handmade map paper by Jackie Partridge

I sell my published hard cover book for $50. And I sell my ebook for $9.99. The Ebook is a digital PDF version of my hardcover book.

Head to this link to see my hardcover book!

Take a Look at my Ebook here!

Check out my Instagram by clicking the icon below and search the #patchedproject to see photos from this series!