Indigenous Multi-Canvas Artwork
The Calgary TELUS Convention Centre (CTCC) wishes to collaborate with a Blackfoot Indigenous artist and/or artist team of all experience levels and disciplines, and is seeking proposals for an interior multi-canvas project within the CTCC.
The CTCC is located in Calgary’s downtown core on Treaty 7 lands and in Blackfoot Territory. In the spirit of Truth and Reconciliation, the CTCC, working with Blackfoot Elders and Indigenous community leaders, have written a land acknowledgement reflective of our lands in which we are located and our continuous journey.
Calgary’s history at Moh’kinsstis, a gathering place, is reflective of the CTCC and the intention to be an inviting and inclusive space for all people to meet. Our goal within the CTCC is to be a place of possibilities, a place to share stories and learn from our community and the people who shape it, and a convergence space for ideas and people that can change the world.
The CTCC is inspired by the story of how we gather and what the meeting of the land, water, animals, and people means to the spirit and purpose of the Treaty 7 lands and nations. This artistic collaboration with a Blackfoot Indigenous artist and/or artist team would ideally be reflective of our shared history in bringing people together in gathering spaces to learn, share and grow.
Who: Blackfoot Indigenous artists with mural experience (Treaty 7 and Treaty 7-based)
What: The Calgary TELUS Convention Centre (CTCC) is looking to collaborate with a Blackfoot Indigenous artist and/or artist team on an interior wall canvas and art installation.
Where: The CTCC South Building, 2nd Flr, outside South Entrance for Glen Rooms.
When: Deadline to apply is December 13, 2023 at 4:30 pm MT. Project starts January 30, 2024.
How Much: $8,500 (CARFAC exhibit rates).
Canvas Details
- The wall space available to hang canvases from is 263” w x 112” h – the wall also has a 25 degree curve.
- It is up to the artist’s discretion to determine number and size of canvases to best utilize the wall space.
Goals
This project will:
- Provide space and support for Indigenous artists to share and interpret their story.
- Collaborate with Indigenous artists to share and reflect on our community.
- Promote Indigenous art and storytelling with people from around the world.
- Share the CTCC journey through Truth & Reconciliation for our employees, community and visitors.
Budget
The artist/artist team receives an all-inclusive, maximum budget, CARFAC rates of up to $8,500 (not including GST).
The total budget includes, but is not limited to, artist fees, concept, supplies and materials, consultation, artist time for public engagement, travel, insurance, and studio fees. The artist/artist team is responsible for their project budget and will be paid based on deliverables as per their Artist Agreement.
How to Apply
Interested artists, please submit a submission package consisting of:
- Letter/email of interest (maximum of 500 words) including:
- Verifiable Blackfoot Indigenous Nation affiliation
- Description of your art practice
- Past experience
- Team members (if applying as a team)
- Contact information (phone number, alternate number and email address)
- Brief description of how artwork would connect with theme of CTCC as a inclusive and inviting gathering place
- Qualifications/past work
- Portfolio with up to 10 images of past work
- Up to three (3) examples of similar work with descriptions on the pieces and what the work was for
How to submit
Email communications@calgary-convention.com and attach all the required documents. Email subject line should include: Indigenous Mural Artwork.
Note that the maximum file size for an email is 10 MB. You may submit multiple emails to ensure all files are received. Submissions are accepted in electronic form only.
Please also note that incomplete or late submissions will not be considered.
Artist information sessions
Free online artist information sessions are available for those interested in applying.
Please email communications@calgary-convention.com for dates and times. Attendance is not mandatory in order to qualify for this opportunity.
Selection Process
All eligible submissions are reviewed by a selection panel consisting of art professionals and Indigenous community members and is stewarded by a selection committee from the Calgary TELUS Convention Centre.
Artists or artist teams may be invited to an in-person or online interview with the selection panel.
Submissions will be rated out of a possible 100 points according to the evaluation criteria:
Evaluation criteria (100 points)
A. Understanding of the project: 35 points
- Why this opportunity appeals to the artist
- How the artists Blackfoot Indigenous background connects to their artwork
- Connection of the artwork to the theme of gathering together and shared intention of Moh’kinsstis and the CTCC to be an inviting and inclusive space.
B. Artistic practice: 45 points
- Demonstrated artistic excellence
- Demonstrated flexibility of practice and responsiveness to contextual opportunities
C. Appropriate for the location: 20 points
- Demonstrates experience creating artwork for public locations (content, health & safety considerations, supplies needed, reasonable access to utilities)
Questions and clarifications
Submit all questions in writing to communications@calgary-convention.com prior to November 20, 2023
Land Acknowledgement
The Calgary TELUS Convention Centre hosts live events facilitating connections and promoting the convergence of ideas that may never have existed. It takes inspiration from “Wicispa, Guts’ists’I and Mohkinstsis,” the confluence of the Bow and the Elbow Rivers.
Today we gather on Blackfoot Territory. These ancestral Treaty Seven lands of the Blackfoot Confederacy consist of the Siksika Nation, Piikani Nation, and the Kainai Nation; we also acknowledge the connection of the Iethka Stoney Nakoda Nation, consisting of the Chiniki, Bearspaw, and Good Stoney Bands, the people of the Tsuut’ina, and Métis people of Alberta Region 3. These lands and connections make up an entire ecosystem, which they share with all of us as newcomers.
As we commence our journey here today, we do so by acknowledging these lands are more than just spaces; they are gathering places, deeply interwoven in the traditional Indigenous stories, songs, languages, ceremonies, and lifeways that must be honoured and protected.
By respecting these cherished lands where we work and live, we continue to encourage meaningful relationships – like those that have been unfolding here for thousands of years. It is our responsibility to be present, aware, and reflect every day, as we continue our journey towards truth and reconciliation – All our relations.
