Public Art

CALL FOR ARTISTS

Outdoor Mural Commission

The Town of Collingwood invites artists and artist collectives to submit their application for the design and execution of a site-specific, outdoor mural for a prominent location in downtown Collingwood, Ontario. The artwork should create excitement and interest in the community, enhance the space, and reflect a contemporary aesthetic of a vibrant and dynamic Collingwood.

The artist’s willingness to learn about the community and dialogue with the committee and community is important. The artwork must be completed remotely using aluminum composite panels and use durable, low maintenance materials suitable for the location.

This call follows a two-stage selection process. The first stage invites artists to submit their credentials, examples of current and past art achievements and their approach to the project.   Design concepts are not required at this time.

The application deadline is February 11, 2020, at 4:00 p.m.

Budget

The maximum budget the artist has to work with is $20,000. This includes but is not limited to: artist’s fees (including design, research, production and administration), travel, insurance, all materials, fabrication costs, documentation, preparation of the mural for transportation and contingency.

The Town of Collingwood will organize the transportation of the mural to the site and the installation of the mural. The artist is responsible for ensuring the mural is transportation ready in coordination with the Town. The mural transportation and installation costs are over and above the $20,000 and will be the responsibility of the Town.

Eligibility

This project is open to all professional artists, age 18 and over working in any mural medium, style or technique. Artist collectives or teams are eligible to apply.

A professional artist, according to the Town’s Public Art Policy, is defined as someone who is recognized as an artist by their peers, has demonstrated skill, training and/or experience in their artistic discipline and can demonstrate an ongoing commitment to his or her art practice.

Individuals who are members of the Town’s council or employees of the Town are not eligible to apply.

Timeline

January 14, 2020:       Call to Artists issued                                                                           

February 11, 2020:      Deadline for application materials                                                     

February 25, 2020:      Short-listed artists are selected and invited to submit for Stage Two

March 31, 2020:           Stage Two deadline   

April, 2020                    Community input                                                                   

April 21, 2020:              Final Selection                                                                       

September 1, 2020:      Installation of artwork 

September 19, 2020:    Unveiling event                                                                                  

The Town reserves the right to change the project time line.

How to Apply

Artists interested in this project must prepare and submit the following:

1. Application form

2. A letter of interest, no more than two pages in length, which explains the artist’s interest in the project, vision and approach to the project.

3. A current résumé. If submitting as a team, a résumé should be submitted for each team member.

4. 3-10 images of the artist’s work reflecting relevance, innovation, originality and technique. Include a brief description of each image including its title, date, medium, size, location and, if a commissioned project, the budget.

5. Minimum of three professional references who have knowledge of the artist’s work and methods.

Completed submissions must be received by February 11, 2020 at 4:00 p.m.  All submissions must be submitted via email to artsandculture@collingwood.ca. Incomplete applications or submissions received after the deadline will not be accepted.

Selection Process

All applications submitted for this project will be reviewed by the Public Art Committee assembled for this project, consisting of two art professionals, a representative from the Blue Mountain Foundation for the Arts, an owner of the building, and a member of the community.

A maximum of three artists will be short-listed and invited to visit the site and to develop a detailed concept design and/or renderings for the mural, detailed budget, materials list, size, how the mural will create excitement and interest in the community, enhance the space, and reflect a contemporary aesthetic of a vibrant and dynamic Collingwood. The short-listed artists will be interviewed and proposals may be displayed for community input. The short-listed artists will be compensated $550 each for their participation in this stage of the selection process.

Stage One applications will be assessed based on:

• Vision, approach and insight into the project (letter of interest);
• Experience and ability to complete the project (résumé & references);
• Work relevance, skill and originality (images of past and current work).

Stage Two applications will be assessed based on:

• Artistic merit, originality and cultural authenticity of proposal/renderings/design concept
• Feasibility and probability of successful completion
• Aesthetic response to the project objectives, relevance to the community and ability of the artwork to engage the public
• Consideration of practical issues such as maintenance, risk management, robustness and durability (intended lifespan is up to 10 years)

• Responsiveness to stakeholder consultation and feedback

All artists will be notified by email as to the outcome of this Call for Artists.

Location

The location for the mural is 28 Huron Street on the east facing external wall of a privately-owned building. There was a mural previously situated on this wall for 19 years from 2000 to 2019. The owners of the building are interested in maintaining artwork on the wall and a representative from the building is on the Committee for this project. The mural will be entirely funded, owned and maintained by the Town of Collingwood.

The available wall space for the mural is approximately 45 long and 40 feet high (pictured below). It is expected that the mural will cover a minimum of 25 percent and a maximum of 35 percent of the available wall space. With the exception of the two main floor windows, the remaining windows and decorative brick are not to be covered. The artwork must be completed remotely using aluminum composite panels. 

Municipal Context

The Town of Collingwood is located on the shores of Georgian Bay, approximately 90 minutes from Toronto. With approximately 21,700 residents and an additional 4,000 part-time and seasonal residents, Collingwood is ranked one of the top places in Ontario to open and operate a small business and one of Canada’s 25 best places to live, according to a list produced by Macleans. Collingwood boasts stunning landscapes that encourage an active lifestyle, and inspire the local arts & culture community. Collingwood is home to year-round recreational activities and provides residents and visitors with a range of cultural and recreational opportunities.

Project Objectives

The artwork should create excitement and interest in the community, enhance the space, and reflect a contemporary aesthetic of a vibrant and dynamic Collingwood. The Town envisions the artwork will align with the guiding principles of the Public Art Program to:

• foster creativity
• create a visually-rich space
• promote the recognition of artists as an important asset for a vibrant community
• attract people and engage them in dialogue
• enhance our cultural identity

The artwork must be suitable in scale, execution, materials and creativity for exhibition on a public outdoor wall in the downtown core. It must not promote violence, hatred or contempt against any group on the basis of colour, race, ancestry, religion, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, age, language or disability. It must not include business names/logos, branded tags, acronyms, or any commercial advertising.

It is expected that the artwork be completed remotely using aluminum composite panels. The artist is responsible for preparing the panels (all sides and edges) for the mural painting and for outdoor conditions. The intended life span for the mural is up to10 years.

General Provisions

Artist Agreement: The selected artist(s) will be required to enter into a contract with the Town of Collingwood.

Intellectual Property: The Artist will retain copyright of the artwork. The artist must guarantee that the proposed artwork is original and does not violate the copyright of any other person. The artist must assign ownership of the artwork to the Town of Collingwood where it will be accessioned into the Town’s Public Art collection. The Town has the right to reproduce images of the artwork for educational, promotional and other municipal purposes.

Artwork Changes: The intended life span for the mural is up to10 years.The Town reserves the right to move or de-accession the Artwork and will make every effort to notify the Artist.

Warranty: Artists will be required to provide a minimum 5 year warranty from the date of installation.

Reserved Rights: The Town reserves the right to reject any or all submissions or to accept any submission if in the best interest of the Town.  In the event that no submissions resulting from this call are judged to meet the project, the Town may re-issue the call or engage an artist for the opportunity.

Concept designs/renderings: Concept designs/renderings may be displayed publicly in an open forum.

The Town of Collingwood seek to be inclusive and respect the rights of Indigenous people to own and control their heritage, including Indigenous images, design, stories and other cultural expression.

To download a PDF of the Call to Artists application, click here >>