Guidelines: North Central BRT Shelter Artwork 2023

Calgary Arts Development is partnering with The City of Calgary’s Bus Rapid Transit program to add artworks to new bus rapid transit shelters. We welcome artists who live, work or have a connection to north central Calgary, specifically along the transit line from Centre Street through Harvest Hills Boulevard North to submit digital images of existing, original 2D artwork that demonstrates how being a part of a community impacts your everyday life through shared values, trust and care.

Selected artworks will be enlarged and printed onto the glass of 16 bus shelters for the North Central Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project. Up to 32 images may be selected from this call.

This opportunity is open to anyone who self-identifies as an artist. Artists working in any two-dimensional medium are encouraged to apply (e.g., painting, drawing, printmaking, graphic design, illustration, fibre, photography, digital art, etc.).

Artists will be paid $1,750 per selected image; this amount is above current CARFAC rates for the permanent reproduction of artworks.

Designs will be installed in 2024.

Artists interested in submitting artwork are asked to respond to three questions:

• What is your connection to one or more of the communities along the North Central Calgary BRT line?
• How does your artwork reflect what it means to be part of a community?
• Describe your art practice and how it connects to the project goals.

Artists may submit up to 10 JPEG images of their original artwork for consideration:

• Images may be presented individually or in pairs. Each bus shelter will have two images (not necessarily from the same artist).
• Images must be submitted as an individual file and placed on the shelter template provided.
• Images may be suggested for specific locations (See Figure 3), and artists should indicate if their images could be considered for all locations.
• If selected, artists must be prepared to provide a high-resolution digital image of their submission.

Artists are advised that:   

• Artwork will be enlarged to a maximum width of 182.9 cm, or 72 inches.
• Due to the limitations of printing on glass, the reproduction will not be an exact representation of the original artwork (See Figure 4).
• All submissions must be cleared for copyright reproduction.

We acknowledge that the land we gather on, Mohkinsstsis, is the ancestral territory of the Siksikaitsitapi — the Blackfoot people — comprising the Siksika, Kainai and Piikani Nations, as well as Treaty 7 signatories, the Tsuut’ina Nation, and the Îyârhe Nakoda Bearspaw, Chiniki and Goodstoney First Nations. Today this land is home to the Metis of Region 3 as well as many First Nations and Inuit peoples from across Turtle Island.

We acknowledge that there has been art, music, dance, storytelling and ceremony on this land since time immemorial and it is in the spirit of this land and its people that we do our work.

Calgary Arts Development is committed to the process of eliminating institutional racism, ableism and barriers in our programs, policies and practices by centring the creativity and leadership of those communities most impacted by structural inequities. Read our full Commitment to Equity statement on our website.

We recognize that barriers within the arts community exist, particularly for equity seeking communities, and that there are many unique entry points into an artistic practice and career in the arts. If you are unsure about eligibility, please reach out to discuss this with the program specialist before applying. You’ll also find answers to some common questions in our

There are two policies available for potential applicants who may need accommodations or assistance to apply to this program, such as translating program guidelines and applications. These policies are available to potential applicants even if they decide not to apply to the program.

• An Accommodation & Accessibility Policy for potential applicants who experience barriers to access, to develop accommodations that suit their abilities and situations.
• The Application Assistance Policy for eligible applicants to alleviate some of the financial costs associated with preparing and submitting an application.

Calgary Arts Development is committed to open, fair and transparent processes. If you have any questions, want help with feedback on your application or if it’s your first time applying, please don’t hesitate to contact the program specialist as early as you can to ensure they can provide the best support possible. Staff can provide feedback on your application up to 10 days before application deadlines.

If you have any questions or need help completing an application, please contact the public art team at publicart@calgaryartsdevelopment.com or 403.264.5330.

Calgary Arts Development supports The City of Calgary’s response to the federal Truth and Reconciliation Committee’s Calls to Action, as documented in the White Goose Flying Report. All applicants are encouraged to reflect on their journey and understanding of Truth and Reconciliation and how it may relate to their proposed projects. If your work includes Indigenous content, involves work with Indigenous people or you would like to include Indigenous knowledge or ways of knowing and doing, it is recommended that you read the report.

Successful applicants are required to participate in a Truth and Reconciliation Learning Session prior to starting community engagement for the project.

The goal for this project includes, but is not limited to, providing pedestrians and vehicular traffic with an engaging visual art experience which:

• Celebrates the diversity and uniqueness of the communities along the North Central BRT line by capturing the spirit, personality and/or history of the communities attached.
• Creates a sense of collective well-being and care for transit users and pedestrians.
• Enhances the overall experience of transit users.

To support the attainment of the above goals, the artwork installed through this project will:

• Enliven the visual experience though colour, texture and content.
• Enhance the transportation infrastructure.
• Minimize future maintenance requirements and costs.
• Conform to applicable design codes and standards.

City of Calgary guiding principles

• Contemporary — A fresh, engaging, and contemporary approach.
• Reflective — Art that is community and site-oriented, and that provides a distinct expression of the people and communities in which it exists.
• Responsive — Art that is developed in an open and informed atmosphere and is founded in community input and engagement.
• Inclusive — Supports a wide range of participatory and experiential opportunities for a demographically diverse audience, the local arts community and interested Calgarians.

Assessors will be scoring your application based on the following criteria (rated out of a possible total 100 points):

• Letter of Intent (30 points)

Include a response to each of the following questions:

1. What is your connection to one or more of the communities along the North Central Calgary BRT line?
2. How does your artwork reflect what it means to be part of a community?
3. Describe your art practice and how it connects to the project goals.

• Artistic Practice (30 points)

1. Excellence of work in conceptual, aesthetic and technical terms.
2. The quality of the images submitted for consideration are strong enough for reproduction.
3. CV

• Project Goals (30 points)

Does the application meet the goals of the project?

• 1. Celebrates the diversity and uniqueness of the communities along the North Central BRT line by capturing the spirit, personality and/or history of the communities attached.
  2. Creates a sense of collective well-being and care for transit users and pedestrians.
  3. Enhances the overall experience of transit users.

Proposals will be evaluated and ranked according to the outline below. The evaluation will be based on a 0 to 10 scale.

• 10 — Exceeds expectations
• 8 — Somewhat exceeds expectations
• 6 — Meets expectations
• 4 — Somewhat meets expectations
• 2 — Does not meet expectations
• 0 — Lack of valid response

Questions and Clarifications

Questions about this call to artists can be directed to the Public Art Program via email to publicart@calgaryartsdevelopment.com. All questions must be received no later than 72 hours prior to the submission deadline.

Applications to the program will be reviewed by an independent assessment committee made up of artist peers and community members. The membership of the peer assessment committee will be chosen through public nominations and staff expertise.

Anyone can ask to participate on a Calgary Arts Development assessment committee by completing the Assessor Nomination Form or by emailing publicart@calgaryartsdevelopment.com.

Assessment committees are chosen to represent the broad diversity of Calgary and its artistic communities, including but not limited to: artistic discipline, gender, sexuality, age, religion, beliefs, nation, physical and neurological identities, etc.

Conflicts of Interest: Calgary Arts Development defines conflicts of interest as close family members, people who are involved in the activity being applied for or where there is a real or perceived financial benefit. If in doubt, assessors are encouraged to talk with Calgary Arts Development staff.

If a committee member has applied to the program or declared a conflict of interest, they will not assess those specific applications or be present for any discussions of those applications.

Anyone can ask to participate on a Calgary Arts Development assessment committee by emailing publicart@calgaryartsdevelopment.com.

Applications will be evaluated on:

• Your responses to the questions described under evaluation criteria.
• Demonstrated excellence in conceptual, aesthetic and technical terms.
• Artwork that meets the project goals.

Applications are accepted through our online application interface. The application form will be available on the date the program opens. Applicants must create an organization profile in order to apply. If the organization’s primary contact also has an individual artist profile, they must use a different email address to create the organization’s account.

If you need support with creating your organization profile and/or need help applying due to accessibility concerns, please contact publicart@calgaryartsdevelopment.com.

The City of Calgary will continue to fund public art by setting aside one per cent of eligible capital project budgets. This model remains responsive to upturns and downturns in the economy.

Both Calgary Arts Development and The City adheres to the Public Art Policy.

Policies

Deadline Extension Policy

Accessibility & Accommodation Policy

Application Assistance Policy

Disclosure of Grant Information Policy

Other

Group Agreements

Assessor Nomination Form