Do you want to promote cultural development in your community?
Our artist capacity building service helps you develop the artist networks, strategic creative programming, and expertise that you need.
We’re here to help you build and implement a custom solution to bring unique public art to your community, support emerging local artists, and establish your public space as a creative hub. Work hand-in-hand with our experienced team to facilitate public art programming that leverages your arts and culture resources and represents your municipality to the rest of the country.
What outcomes can you expect?
- Collaboration with a national network of artists to fuel your creative sector and represent the arts from coast to coast
- Custom programming to suit your needs, mandate, and resources
- Our expertise in artist calls and artist selection processes
- Our experience running residency programming
- Public outreach and digital promotions so you’ll get the most innovative outcomes from your existing arts and culture assets
“STEPS was an invaluable partner in coordinating the residency, workshops, and resulting artwork which supported the work of three local artists. Together, we were able to provide the people of Southern Alberta with a unique artmaking and placemaking experience.”
“We were looking for public art activity in our public recreational spaces. STEPS connected us with a wonderful artist [and] everyone loves the mural.”
What have we done in the past?
Drumming with Community
The Drum of Concordia, City of Fort St. John (British Columbia)
Sustainable Public Art
Nourish Together, City of Brampton (Brampton)
Indigenous Public Artwork
áhsire, Critical Mass (Port Hope, Ontario)
We’ll help you find your city’s hidden artists
Our artist capacity building services can help you support the public art journeys of equity-deserving artists within their communities and create landmark public art for your city. Follow the steps below to bring creative programming to your city.
Step 1: Reflect
Think about your cultural programming goals, public art opportunities, and available resources. Take a look at our FAQ section to learn more about our artist capacity building services available.
Step 2: Book a Call
Use the Book a Call function on the website to schedule a call with our Public Art team!
Note: Are you an artist? We have a space just for you! Please contact us through the artist form.
Step 3: Preparation
Check your email and make sure the call has gone into your calendar. Then, prep for the call! Come with your goals, dreams, timeline, and budget range so we can help you best.
Step 4: Meet the Team
Attend the call. On this call we’ll determine whether your project is a good fit for what we offer. If it is, we’ll recommend the next steps.
Step 5: Celebrate!
We look forward to working with you and your team.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Why should I invest in public art?
Public art has a critical role to play in shaping cities, and heightens their cultural, social, and economic value. Investing in artist capacity building supports emerging public artists in developing vibrant and inclusive public spaces for the future.
Your community can benefit from public art as it attracts resident and visitor spending, contributes to cultural tourism development, provides branding and marketing opportunities, and attracts new businesses which increases employment opportunities. Artist capacity building programs are also an avenue to communicate messages about culture, history, heritage, politics, and social issues to build on a place’s shared identity. Investing in public art in your municipality also contributes to community pride.
We can help you collaborate with artists to pilot creative programming that reflects the diverse identities and perspectives of your community. Learn more about investing in artist capacity building by booking a call with us.
How does public art benefit the community?
Hiring us to bring public art to your community has many benefits across sectors. Hosting a public artist through our programming can establish your city or town as an artistic hub, build connections between community members and businesses, contribute to tourism, and spark joy in everyday spaces for locals and visitors alike.
You can learn more about the community benefits of public art by reading an overview on our blog, or diving into our Inspired Art Impact Placemaking Toolkit for main street cultural tourism which measures the qualitative and quantitative benefits of public art on Canadian main streets.
To discuss how we can develop artist capacity building public art programs to benefit your community, book a call with us.
Does STEPS work with artists and partners from outside the Greater Toronto ARea?
Yes! We’re a national charity and social enterprise that has facilitated public art activations and engagements across Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, Quebec, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan, and in the Yukon. We can facilitate open calls, targeted outreach, and work within our network to connect you with talented artists in your area. We’re passionate about artistic collaborations within communities across the country, and our artist capacity building programs (like the STEPS Public Art Residency and the CreateSpace Public Art Forum) encourage applications from artists working anywhere in Canada.
If you’re interested in engaging with local artists, book a call with us to discuss ways we can bring engaging public art initiatives to your city.