Northeast Mini Galleries Program: Information Session Online

Tiffany Wollman: Hello, welcome to online information session for the Northeast Mini Galleries call for artwork.

I’m Tiffany Wollman, my pronouns are she/her and I’m the public art project lead for the Northeast Mini Galleries Public Art program.

The purpose of this session is to provide an overview of the Northeast Mini Galleries program. We will also go over the application process and answer any questions you may have. We will not be going over every detail of the program, but please refer to the guidelines and read them carefully before applying. If you do have any questions, please feel free to add them in the chat throughout the meeting and we will go over them at the end of the session.

Let’s start in a good way, acknowledging the land we are on. 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 Otipemisiwak Métis Government Districts 5 and 6 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.

What is public art? Art in the public realm that is initiated and led by an artist. Here is a current mini gallery of ours. This is Honey and her artwork. So we’ll just get a little glimpse of what art galleries look like.

Go over the timeline. Applications opened on March 11. The deadline is next month, April 22 at 4:30. If you are going to need an extension or have any questions, always reach out to me before that deadline. Evaluations of applications will begin from end of April to mid-May. Notifications of results for the summer exhibition will happen May 16 to 23. Summer exhibition installations will happen end of June. Notification results for the winter exhibition will be in August, with the installation happening end of October. Notifications for the 2026 Spring Exhibition, artists will be notified end of December, with the installations happening end of February.

Need help applying? Calgary Arts Development is committed to open, fair and transparent processes. We recognize that barriers within the arts community exist, particularly for equity seeking communities, and there are many unique entry points into an artistic practice and career in the arts.

Our Applicant Support and Accessibility Policy is available for applicants who may need support from program staff or financial assistance to access support from someone outside of Calgary Arts Development. We will work one-on-one with people to help find solutions that suit their abilities and situations.

If you’re looking for assistance or have questions about eligibility for this program, please reach out to us before applying. You can e-mail the public art team at publicart@calgarysdevelopment.com, or you can reach me directly, tiffany.wollman@calgarysdevelopment.com. In order for us to provide appropriate support, please reach out to us as early as you can. Booking translators, for an example, can take a week or more.

As the City’s arts development authority, Calgary Arts Development is uniquely positioned to deliver and create a public art program built upon our knowledge of, and strong relationships in the arts community. Calgary City Council noted a lack of public art in northeast Calgary compared to other quadrants, passing a motion on October 13, 2020, to specifically identify and support public art projects in Northeast. The Northeast Public Art Initiative brings several public art projects to Calgary’s Northeast communities, supports local artists, enhanced Northeast communities and reflects the people who live in the communities where art will be located. This initiative aims to build amazing spaces for people to come together and provides opportunities for local artists to showcase their talent while celebrating their diversity of art forms, people and cultures represented in Calgary.

Northeast Mini Galleries Public Art Program. As part of this initiative, the Northeast Mini Galleries program began in 2023 and showcased 39 local artists per year over three exhibitions. Each exhibition includes 13 local artists selected by a local curator for a four-month period. Starting in September 2025, the program will include 10 mini galleries at locations in Northeast Calgary, the three mini galleries that were previously at the City of Calgary’s Municipal Building Atrium will no longer be part of this program.

We welcome artists who live and work and have a strong connection to Northeast Calgary/Mohkinsstsis to submit digital images of existing, original two-dimensional or three-dimensional artwork that demonstrates how being part of the community impacts your everyday life through values, trust and care.

The Northeast Mini Galleries Public Art Program includes 10 mini galleries, each located at different community associations: Thorncliffe/Greenview, Winston Heights-Mountview, Vista Mayland Crossroads, Livingston Homeowners, Beddington Heights, Falconridge/Castleridge, Marlborough Park, Temple, Rundle and Martindale.

It’s important to note the dimensions of the mini galleries. The window itself, the glass is 9 and 1/4 inches high by 14 inches wide, the artwork should only be a maximum size of 11 inches high, 16 inches wide and six inches deep.

From the current call for artwork, 10 local artists will be selected for each of the four-month periods of exhibition below: July to October, November to February 2026, and March 2026 to June 2026. Artists will be expected to work with the art project lead and curator to install and deinstall their artwork from their mini gallery.

To note the program’s goals is:

1. to provide opportunities for self-identifying artists of all levels to share their artwork and stories
2. to celebrate the diversity and uniqueness of the Northeast Calgary communities
3. create a sense of collective well-being and care for community associations and community members, and
4. enhance the overall experience that people living and working in Northeast Communities of Calgary

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

Calgary Arts Development supports the City of Calgary’s response to federal Truth and Reconciliation Committee’s call 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 your proposed projects. If you’re 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.

Who can apply? This program is open to anyone who self-identifies as an artist and lives and works or has strong connections to Northeast Calgary. Artists of all experience levels are welcome. Artists working in two-dimensional and three-dimensional mediums are encouraged to apply, for example: painting, drawing, printmaking, graphic design, illustration, fibre, photography, digital art, ceramics, small sculpture, etc. We encourage submissions from artists who are typically underrepresented, including BIPOC, Black, Indigenous and People of Colour, LGBTQ IA2S+ identifying individuals, D/deaf persons and persons with disabilities.

Artists who have previously, artists who have previously exhibited their artwork in the Northeast Mini Galleries are not eligible to apply. This is to extend the opportunity to more artists.

Selected artists will be paid $1,035, not including GST, for participation in the Northeast Mini Galleries exhibition. This rate follows the current CARFAC minimum fee schedule for solo single work/small site exhibitions. CARFAC is a Canadian artist representation, a wonderful organization to promote that artist are well respected and paid for their artwork.

How to apply? Applications are accepted through Smart Simple or online platform. The application form will be available on the date the program opens. Applicants must be registered as individual artists or artist collectives to apply. To register, upload your artist resume/CV and complete your artist statement in your profile. Complete or update all your contact information. If you need support registering through our application platform, or need help applying due to accessibility concerns, please contact publicart@calgarysdevelopment.com.

This is what the online application platform looks like. If you are new, you will need to register. I will jump to the website after the presentation and demonstrate how to use the platform.

Application requirements. In the application it will ask for your letter of interest. Include a response in your letter of interest. Please try to include response to each of the following questions in 500 words or less: Why does the program appeal to you? What is your connection to one or more communities in Northeast Calgary? How does your artwork reflect what it means to be part of a community, or what stories would you like to share that reflect your culture and community? Describe your art practice and how it connects to the program goals.

A CV, also known as artist resume, is the chance to tell us about your art practice. Our online platform requires the CV when completing your profile. Information to include in your CV: Demonstrate experience with your art exhibitions or commissions, demonstrate involvement or engagement with community.

For this program, the curator will not be assessing your CV. It’s merely there for her to gather more knowledge about your art practice, and it’s good practice to start writing your CV.

For artwork images considered the artwork meets the program goals. Artists may submit one to five original, finished artworks for consideration. Artwork submitted must be finished, artwork submitted must fit with the dimensions of the gallery and gallery’s door/window. In all of the image details required on the, fill in all the image details required on the online platform, and image files will need to be in JPEG or JPEG format and all files combined may not exceed two gigabytes

Artists are responsible for ensuring that submissions are received by the deadline. Application not received by the closing date and time will not be considered again. The deadline is April 22, 4:30 MST.

How are artwork selected? Applications to the program will be reviewed by a curator selected from the Public Art Curator roster list with strong connections to northeast communities in Calgary. Our curators for this call are chosen to develop, to develop a theme for the exhibition, being guided by the program’s goals, and are asked to represent the broad diversity in Northeast Calgary and its artistic communities, including but not limited to: artistic discipline, gender, sexuality, age, religion, beliefs, nation, physical and neurological identities, etc.

Hosting open office hours next week, sorry, from 11am to 1pm. Interested applicants can book a time with the project lead to ask questions about the program and application criteria process. You can sign up for open office hours in the guidelines on our CADA website.

About the Public Art Program. The City of Calgary funds public art by setting 1% of eligible capital project budgets. This model remains responsive to upturns and downturns in the economy. Both Calgary Arts Development and the City adhere to public art policy, which directs how taxpayer dollars are used to commission new works, acquire existing works to deliver public art activities and events, provide access to public art collection, and maintain and conserve the collection.

Calgary Arts Development is responsible for commissioning new artworks through open competition, programming such as youth programs, artistic development and temporal exhibitions and building public art awareness and activating the Civic Collection. The City of Calgary is responsible for conserving and maintaining the Civic Collection, activation of the Civic Collection, as well as filling in gaps in the Civic Collection.

This is the program contact information, myself, Tiffany Wollman, so tiffany.wolman@calgaryartsdevelopment.com. You can reach me by phone 403.264.5330 ext. 106.

We get a lot of frequently asked questions. Can I apply if my Northeast community is not listed in participating community associations? Yes, artists who work live or have strong connections to any Northeast community are eligible to apply, the call is not exclusive to the locations of each mini gallery.

Question. Can I select the location for my artwork? Answer, no. The curator will consider what gallery location to display each of the artworks.

Question. If selected, will I need to write about my work? Yes. Signs will be created specifically for your artwork and displayed with your artwork. You will be required to provide your name, title of artwork, the year was completed and a short description of any artwork and ideas that represents.

You may also include your website or social media links you would like to share on your sign. We will also use this artist statement on our Programs web page.

Question. I’m concerned my art might be stolen. Will my art be insured? Due to the nature of these exhibition sites, the Northeast Mini Galleries are not insured by Calgary Arts Development. Artists should not submit artworks of high value or that the artist is not prepared to be damaged or stolen. While the percentage of artwork damaged or stolen is low, it has happened and artists need to be aware of the risk.

The project lead and curator will determine which artworks must be photographed and printed to participate in the mini galleries. This may be the case if the artwork selected is too large to fit within the mini gallery.

If documentation is required, artists are responsible to deliver the artwork to the project lead to be documented if necessary. Artwork will then be returned to the artist day of installation. The project lead or the artist will print the photograph of the artwork to be displayed in the mini gallery.

And then another question. If you have questions or would like someone to review your application before submitting, e-mail myself, tiffanywollman@calgarysdevelopment.com, give me a call 403.264.5330, ext. 106. Feedback can be provided on your application up to 10 days before the deadline, and if you need support or have questions regarding creating your artist profile on our online platform, please contact publicart@calgaryartsdevelopment.com.

I just want to clarify that the artwork images that you are submitting are artworks that are already completed and finished and not proposed artworks.

OK, just want to go to the Internet for a moment. All right, so here’s our website for Calgary Arts Development. If you haven’t been to Smart Simple before, you can go here, it says log in. I’m just going to use my personal account. If you don’t have an account yet, you need to register and have your profile here and more questions and the opportunities, you go up to the right top hand corner you see a T, that’s mine, the T because my name is Tiffany, but yours will be the letter of your first name. You click on that, go on My Profile and this is how you set up your profile.

Add your, fill in all the information about the asterisks, first name, last name, pronouns, e-mail, mailing address, years of practice, I just did since I graduated art school, but you can do what you feel makes most sense for you. Obviously, art school is not mandatory or anything like that. If you’re interested in being an assessor, you can go there. This is where you upload your CV. This is very crucial, mine’s not updated, I haven’t applied to any programs for a while, but this is where you’ll upload your CV/artist resume, then the CV will automatically transfer to any of the programs or projects you are applying for, so it’s really important to keep this up to date, as well as your artistic practice statement. It’s just really nice for the curator or assessors to have like another document getting to know you as an artist and what your practice is about and then make sure to go to the bottom and update it or save it.

How to apply. You go to this big horn to find the opportunities. This is what we have right now. Then you would hit Apply to start your application. I was looking around last night so it already started one for me. I’m not obviously applying, I just want to show you what it looks like.

So this is the contact information from your profile. It’s going to automatically upload into here, including your CV. So you’re going to click on Submission Requirements, answer this question How did you hear about this call? Letter of interest where you talk about your artwork, why you’re interested in this program? How it relates to your art practice. All the all the questions are in the guidelines where you upload your artwork, just up to five images, artwork that is already finished. You click on this pencil icon to input the title, your completed size, medium, brief description and location. Location’s not so important for this program, it’s usually more of, say someone had a mural of public art and wanted to know where it is located. And then you’re going to be Saving and Validating your submission while you’re working on it, and then when you’re ready to apply, hit Submit.

Well, that’s that, pretty simple. And then I just, see this, this, this is our current exhibition. I just wanted to go here.

We have a program page for the Northeast Mini Galleries, it talks about the program some more, shows the current exhibition and past exhibitions. So that’s the program. Our curators’ statements, about how they chose the work they chose, what their theme is. It has all the artists also included, and uh, you can click on each artist and show a nice documentation of your artwork and your artist statement will be here.

If you haven’t found the guidelines, you can go to our web page. I’ll show you, so you go main page, public art, the Artist NE Mini Galleries guidelines, it has all the important information in there as the dates, extension. If you need an extension, let me know before the deadline and then I like to click on Application Requirements, and this is where it’s going to help you give you information to what to include in your CV and your letter and any considerations for the artwork.

Please let me know if anyone has any questions.