HAMILTON ARTS COUNCIL · HAC
Hamilton Arts Council serves, convenes and advocates for artists and arts organizations across the Greater Hamilton Area.
HAC is a registered charity, founded in 1969. It serves Hamilton and the communities of Ancaster, Dundas, Flamborough, Glanbrook, Stoney Creek and Waterdown, and works with Six Nations of the Grand River.
CONNECTING ARTISTS
CREATING OPPORTUNITY
INSPIRING CHANGE
THE ROLE
What HAC does
HAC's work has three purposes. It extends the professional capacity of artists and arts organizations. It opens access to creative programming, removing the economic, administrative, social and physical barriers that keep people out. And it puts the case for arts and culture as civic and economic infrastructure in front of decision-makers at every level of government.Much of that work happens in partnership. It shows when an artist is paid for a festival appearance, when a policy submission reshapes a funding program, when a first-time applicant receives a grant. HAC's selection processes are open and transparent, so every opportunity is a way into the arts rather than a reward for the already-connected.
PROGRAMS
The work that carries the mandate
FESTIVALS AND AWARDS
Hamilton Arts Week ↗
A city-wide multidisciplinary festival, established in 2015, that puts money directly into artists' hands: selected artists and groups receive micro-grants to stage their own events alongside the festival's Signature Events. Low-barrier and open to everyone.
NEXT EDITION JULY 2027
Hamilton Literary Awards ↗
Annual awards for books by Hamilton writers, established more than thirty years ago and presented in partnership with Hamilton Public Library and gritLIT, Hamilton's Readers and Writers Festival.
City of Hamilton Arts Awards ↗
Hamilton's civic arts awards. HAC runs nominations, adjudication and the ceremony on behalf of the City's Tourism and Culture division.
ARTIST DEVELOPMENT
hArt Music ↗
Career development for musicians, prioritizing Black, Indigenous and racialized artists: mentorship, workshops and paid presentation opportunities. Running since 2021.
hArt Dance & Film ↗
Mentorship and portfolio development for dance and film artists, prioritizing Black, Indigenous and racialized artists, culminating in a cinema screening. Established in 2022.
NEXT EDITION 2027
Placements and career development
Subsidized and student placements that give early-career workers supervised experience inside an arts organization. Recent partnerships include YWCA Hamilton, Mohawk College, York University and the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board.
To inquire about a placement partnership, get in touch.
PLATFORMS AND BROADCAST
The Arty Crowd ↗
The region's digital arts hub: artist and organization profiles, events, opportunities, arts jobs, and Arty Spaces for finding studio, rehearsal and presentation space. Free for artists.
The Arty Crowd Out Loud ↗
An award-winning monthly television series with Cable 14, running since 2023, featuring artist interviews and venue profiles.
NEW SERIES JANUARY 2027
Building Cultural Legacies ↗
A digital archive and storytelling platform documenting the history of visual art in Hamilton from 1950 to 2000.
CONSULTATION AND SELECTION
Artist calls and selection
The Council designs and runs open, transparent calls for other organizations — developing the selection criteria, guiding applicants through the process, and briefing and supporting the panels that make the decisions.
To commission a call or a selection process, get in touch.
ADVOCACY
Where the sector's position gets carried
HAC advocates for the arts as essential to inclusive, connected communities, and as part of the city's civic and economic infrastructure.
Hamilton Arts and Culture Collective (HACC)
A standing table of arts and culture organizations from across the region, chaired by HAC's Executive Director. Its hybrid meetings serve as the communication link between City staff, the Hamilton Music Advisory Team and the wider cultural sector. Since November 2025 its agenda has carried a standing City liaison item.
Alliance of Arts Councils of Ontario (AACO)
HAC is a founding member of AACO and holds a seat on its executive board, giving Hamilton provincial representation and direct access to policy-makers and funders. The Council hosted the network's 2026 symposium.
At City Hall
Delegations to City Council, most recently on the City's 2027–2037 Public Art Management Plan; sustained input into the City Enrichment Fund and the Downtown Revitalization Strategy; and a standing seat on the Hamilton Music Advisory Team.
MUNICIPAL ELECTION · OCTOBER 26, 2026
Putting arts and culture on the agenda
Every registered candidate for mayor and council was invited to answer the same four questions: on arts and culture's place in the city's economy and community life, the City Enrichment Fund, keeping affordable cultural space, and how they would work with artists and organizations. The survey was produced by Hamilton Arts Council, the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra and HAMILTON CITY Magazine, which published the answers on September 28.
THE ORGANIZATION
How the Council is governed and funded
HAC's 2025–2030 strategic plan sets out to make the Council Hamilton's leading arts service and advocacy organization, and a trusted partner to the arts community and the City. It is directed by a volunteer board and run by a small staff. Just over three dollars in every five now come from grants, down from four in five a year earlier, as earned revenue and sponsorship have grown.
How the Council is funded
62.7%GRANTS22.5%EARNED REVENUE13.1%SPONSORSHIPS0.4%MEMBERSHIPS1.4%ENDOWMENT, DONATIONS AND OTHER
Audited financial statements, year ended March 31, 2026. Shares are rounded. About four dollars in every five of the grant share came from federal, provincial and municipal government, and the rest from foundations.
The Council is led by Executive Director David Hudson. Day-to-day work is carried by a small staff, supported by student and subsidized placements, and the organization is governed by a volunteer board. HAC is committed to a board and staff that reflect Hamilton's diversity and lived experience.
GET INVOLVED
Working with us
IF YOU MAKE WORK HERERegister on The Arty Crowd and your profile, events and opportunities appear where people already look. It's free, you keep control of your listing, and it's where we post calls, jobs and Arts Week funding.IF YOU PRESENT OR PRODUCEWe work with venues, festivals, libraries and community organizations on programming, promotion and Arts Week. Tell us what you're planning and we'll tell you where we can help.
IF YOU NEED TO FIND ARTISTSCompanies come to us when they need to run an open call. We develop the selection criteria, brief and support the panel, and guide applicants through the process — so the call reaches past the usual networks and decisions hold up to scrutiny.IF YOU FUND OR GIVEMoney given to the Council reaches artists as fees, development resources, commissions and awards. We'll tell you exactly where it went.
Land acknowledgement
We are situated upon the traditional territories of the Erie, Neutral, Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee and Mississaugas. We further acknowledge that this land is covered by the Between the Lakes Purchase, 1792, between the Crown and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.
Today, the City of Hamilton is home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island (North America) and we recognize that we must do more to learn about the rich history of this land so that we can better understand our roles as residents, neighbours, partners and caretakers.