Call to Artists

Temporary Public Art Opportunity  

 

The City of Pickering invites local artists/teams to apply to submit digital based artwork for the Pickering Museum Village Indigenous Bench Wrap project. Selected works will be digitally reproduced, printed on vinyl and installed onto one (1) bench. As part of the new permanent First Nations exhibit down the path to the Museum from the Dorsay Community & Heritage Centre; the bench will provide a place for visitors to rest and reflect.

The First Nations exhibit will consist of 5-10 interactive signs down the pathway. The topics that have been identified are the clan system, medicines that relate to the clans, and the relationship to the waterway.

This opportunity is open to Indigenous artists, with eligibility limited to artists who are members of Williams Treaties First Nations to reflect the specific cultural teachings and territorial relationships represented in this site specific project.

The bench will be displayed on the path for three to five years. One artist/team will be commissioned by The City of Pickering to create the works.

  As per the City of Pickering Public Art Policy (CUL 130) an Artist is defined as the designer/creator of an artistic work and can include, but is not limited to, a professional artist, graphic designer, collaborative team, architect, or landscape designer.

A public art jury comprised of professional artists and community members with diverse backgrounds will be established for this single-stage competition.

 

A selection committee comprised of professional artists and community members will be established for the evaluation of the proposals. This is a single-stage competition. One (1) artist/team will be awarded the commission.

The selection committee will recommend an artist/team for the award of the commission based on the following criteria:

 

1. Artistic merit, including quality of work, originality, and artistic excellence.
2. Adhesion to location and expressed desire in this project; and,
3. Artist’s demonstrated ability and proposal feasibility to meet the artwork goals and technical requirements, within the set timeline and budget.

The City of Pickering reserves the right to select and retain the artist deemed most appropriate for the project at its sole discretion.

 

 

 

Complete your RFP submission by filling out the form here.  

Submissions should be emailed to etayles@pickering.ca no later than 4pm on March 27, 2026.

Artists are invited to respond to this RFP Call by submitting a single pdf document (max size 20 MB) including: 

 Artist Statement

Write your statement (400 words maximum) in first person referring to relevant information only. Write about the point of your practice, materials, approaches, themes or focus, the history related to your work/approach/medium, and contemporary discourse. Consider what makes your work different, exciting, or interesting. This will help tell the story of not only your work but you as an artist and professional.  

Project Statement

Describe your interest in this project specifically and share your experience in the field. You can submit a written document (500 words maximum) or record an audio or video message (MP3 or MP4 file, max 20 MB).

Concept Design

These are to be rough sketches of the designs you plan to submit should you be awarded the opportunity. 

Portfolio of Past Work

Examples of relevant work up to ten (10) projects. You may include individual images or multiple images of each project on one page of a larger document. Please note the document should be saved as a PDF and not exceed 20 MB. The maximum number of works in the portfolio is 10. The maximum number of pages in your PDF should equal 10. For each project, please be sure to include the title, year, medium, dimensions, scope, budget, and a brief description of the piece.

References

A list of at least two (2) professional references familiar with your work and working methods. The list must include name, title, complete e-mail address, and telephone number for each reference. 

The City will provide accommodation throughout the selection process to applicants with disabilities. Please notify Ellen Tayles-Armstrong, Curator, Public Art at 905-409-0567 or etayles@pickering.ca with the nature of any accommodation(s) you may require in respect to any materials or processes used to ensure your equal participation.

The City of Pickering, at its sole discretion, may request clarification or request additional information, as deemed necessary to evaluate the submissions. The City retains the sole discretion to determine whether a submission is responsive and if the prospective Artist or Artist Team is capable of performing the Work. The City reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to determine the number of pre-qualified Artists or Artist Teams. The City reserves the right to not proceed with awarding a contract.

The City of Pickering shall have the exclusive right to issue all public announcements regarding the competition. Additional Information For any additional information or questions please contact Ellen Tayles-Armstrong, Curator, Public Art at 905-409-0567 or etayles@pickering.ca.  

Artist Opportunity  

The City of Pickering invites artists or artist teams to respond to this Call for Artists to create permanent outdoor public artwork for the west garden of the Dorsay Community & Heritage Centre.

As per the City of Pickering’s Public Art Policy (CUL 130) an artist is defined as the designer/creator of an artistic work and can include, but is not limited to, a professional artist, graphic designer, collaborative team, architect or landscape designer.

The total budget for the project, including artist fees, materials, installation and other associated costs is $125,000.00 (including HST)*

The successful artist/artist team will be selected through a two-stage process.  One (1) artist/artist team will be awarded the opportunity.

Stage 1: Call to Artists – Expression of Interest (EOI) 

 

A public art jury comprised of practicing arts professionals, project stakeholders and community members will be established for the evaluation of the Stage 1 submissions.

 

Expression of Interest (EOI) Submissions: Artists/ Artist teams are invited to respond to this EOI by submitting a single pdf document including:

 

• CV: Professional resume (3-pages max). If submitting as a team, an individual resume should be submitted for each team member.
• Artist statement: describe your interest in this project and share your experience in the field. You can submit a written document (1-page max) or record an audio or video message (MP3 or MP4 file, max 20 MB).
• Portfolio of past work: Examples of relevant work. You may include multiple images per project on 1 page of a maximum of 10 projects (10-pages). Include title, year, scope, budget and a short description.
• References: A list of at least two professional references familiar with your work and working methods. The list must include name, title, complete e-mail addresses and telephone numbers.

 

Submissions must be uploaded through the link here.

Deadline: March 27, 2026 at 4:00 pm EST

If the submissions exceed 20 MB, artists should contact Ellen Tayles-Armstrong, Curator, Public Art who will provide a link to an external file share program.

 

Incomplete submissions or submissions received after the deadline will not be juried.

 

Stage 2: Request for Proposal (RFP)

 

The Public Art Jury will review all submissions and identify a short-list based on artistic excellence and demonstrated or perceived ability to create and execute an innovative, engaging public artwork that is complementary to the overall design scheme and community context.

 

The Jury will select a short-list of three (3) artists/artist teams for Stage 2 – Request for Proposal (RFP). Each of the three (3) artists/artist teams will be compensated $1,500 CAD including HST for their time and the creation of concept for Stage 2.

 

The short-listed artists will be notified by the week of April 22, 2026 and invited to present their concept to the community and the public art jury during “Artfest” held on May 23 & 24, 2026*. This concept presentation and community consultation will be based on the Terms of Reference provided prior. As part of the process, short-listed artists must attend the in-person presentation (online presentations may be accommodated).

 

When evaluating specific artwork proposals, the Public Art Jury will consider the vision, mandate and objectives of the Public Art Program and the objectives listed in the Public Art Opportunity outlined on Page 1 of this Call to Artists. The Public Art Jury (as per section 07.02 of the City of Pickering Public Art Policy (CUL 130) will also consider the artists:

 

• Artistic excellence of previous work;
• Ability to achieve the highest quality of contemporary artistic excellence and innovation;
• Professional qualifications and relevant working experience as related to the public art project brief;
• Ability to manage a project and experience working with a design team, project team and/or community group, as appropriate;
• Potential to comprehend, access and interpret relevant technical requirements; and,
• Interest in and understanding of the public art opportunity and the context.

 

The proposals may be used by the City of Pickering in meetings with community groups, stakeholders and staff.

 

Complete your RFP submission by filling out the form here.  

Submissions should be emailed to etayles@pickering.ca no later than 4pm on March 27, 2026.

Artists are invited to respond to this EOI Call by submitting a single pdf document (max size 20 MB) including: 

Artist Statement

Write your statement (400 words maximum) in first person referring to relevant information only. Write about the point of your practice, materials, approaches, themes or focus, the history related to your work/approach/medium, and contemporary discourse. Consider what makes your work different, exciting, or interesting. This will help tell the story of not only your work but you as an artist and professional.  

Project Statement

Describe your interest in this project specifically and share your experience in the field. You can submit a written document (500 words maximum) or record an audio or video message (MP3 or MP4 file, max 20 MB).

CV

A comprehensive, structured document detailing a visual artist's professional accomplishments, educational background, and exhibition history. 

Portfolio of Past Work

Examples of relevant work up to ten (10) projects. You may include individual images or multiple images of each project on one page of a larger document. Please note the document should be saved as a PDF and not exceed 20 MB. The maximum number of works in the portfolio is 10. The maximum number of pages in your PDF should equal 10. For each project, please be sure to include the title, year, medium, dimensions, scope, budget, and a brief description of the piece.

References

A list of at least two (2) professional references familiar with your work and working methods. The list must include name, title, complete e-mail address, and telephone number for each reference. 

The City will provide accommodation throughout the selection process to applicants with disabilities. Please notify Ellen Tayles-Armstrong, Curator, Public Art at 905-409-0567 or etayles@pickering.ca with the nature of any accommodation(s) you may require in respect to any materials or processes used to ensure your equal participation.

The City of Pickering, at its sole discretion, may request clarification or request additional information, as deemed necessary to evaluate the submissions. The City retains the sole discretion to determine whether a submission is responsive and if the prospective Artist or Artist Team is capable of performing the Work. The City reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to determine the number of pre-qualified Artists or Artist Teams. The City reserves the right to not proceed with awarding a contract.

The City of Pickering shall have the exclusive right to issue all public announcements regarding the competition. Additional Information For any additional information or questions please contact Ellen Tayles-Armstrong, Curator, Public Art at 905-409-0567 or etayles@pickering.ca.