Century Gardens Youth Hub Public Art Competition

Provincial Call to Indigenous Artists (Request for Qualifications)

Deadline: March 30, 2025 at 11:59 PM EST
Budget: $150,000 CAD (inclusive of HST)

Image Credit: MJMA Architecture & Design

Opportunity Overview

The City of Brampton is seeking to commission a public artwork from a professional, Ontario-based, Canadian Indigenous artist or artist team to be placed within Brampton’s forthcoming Century Gardens Youth Hub. The City of Brampton is seeking expressions of interest and qualifications which will see an Indigenous artist/artist team selected through an open, two-stage process, with a total budget of approximately $150,000 CAD (inclusive of HST). The project budget includes all costs directly associated with the artwork: including fees for design, fabrication, shipping, installation, engineering and professional services, insurance, permits, travel and other incidental and production expenses. Up to three (3) artists or artist teams will be shortlisted and paid $3000 CAD (inclusive of HST) each to create detailed proposals.

Community engagement involving local youth will be a requirement for the selected artist/artist team. The City of Brampton and STEPS Public Art strongly encourage applications from artists with ties to local Indigenous nations or urban Indigenous communities, and applications from Indigenous artists under 29 years of age.

Community Background

The City of Brampton is situated on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, Haudenosaunee, and Wendat Nations who have called this land home since time immemorial.  Brampton is also home to many First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and other global Indigenous people. Located within the lands of Treaty 19, the Ajetance Purchase, Brampton is also situated along Etobicoke Creek in the Peel Region of Ontario and part of the Greater Toronto Area. Known as the “Flower City” due to its history in the greenhouse and floriculture industry, Brampton continues to celebrate its agricultural roots with the annual Brampton Fall Fair, a tradition since 1853.

Today, Brampton boasts a diverse economy, with key industries in advanced manufacturing, food processing, and biotechnology. The city has a vibrant cultural scene. Brampton is home to notable cultural institutions such as the Peel Art Gallery, Museum and Archives, and the Rose Theatre, which is centrally located next to Garden Square in downtown. The Brampton Arts Organization supports the city’s diverse arts, culture, and creative industries. Brampton is one of Canada’s fastest-growing cities, characterized by its diverse population and significant youth presence. In 2021, more than 24% of its population was under 19 years old. The City of Brampton is committed to fostering youth development, earning recognition for its dedication, including the prestigious Platinum Youth Friendly Community designation from Play Works, awarded three times for its outstanding support and opportunities for young people.

Site Location

The Century Gardens Youth Hub will serve as a youth-centric space that acts as a one-stop shop for services and activities for youth. In 2020, the City of Brampton conducted an extensive consultation with youth and youth service providers to gather input on how to design and program Youth Hubs (the full report can be found). In 2023 the City opened its first Youth Hub at Susan Fennell Sportsplex. The forthcoming Century Gardens Community Youth Hub is anticipated to open in 2026.

The Hub will provide a variety of services and activities that foster personal development, growth, and creative exploration for youth. The Hub will approach service delivery through an equity, diversity, and inclusion lens as one of its core principles to ensure all youth can see themselves reflected in the space and find opportunities for self-growth. The Youth Hub will span 12,500 square feet and feature youth-oriented design and activities, including games and e-sports, creative space, meeting rooms, spaces for organizations to deliver a variety of services to youth, and more. Outdoor amenities will include an amphitheatre, community gardens, basketball court and the Atiba Hutchinson soccer court, which is now open. The Hub will have a LEED GOLD and NetZero design.

Artwork Location

The artwork will be located in the Outdoor Seating Garden of the Youth Hub and should contribute to making the garden a space for gathering, connection, teachings, and community programming.

Artwork Themes

Through a consultation process with Indigenous partners, the City of Brampton has identified the theme of “Looking Forward” for this public art project. Possible subthemes for consideration could include future generations, youth, sustainability, and revitalization. Shortlisted artists will be encouraged to conduct their own research and explore connections to the site and local Indigenous culture, ensuring the final artwork is meaningful and relevant. Materials used in the artwork should also prioritize sustainability, durability, and ethical sourcing.

Selection Process

This Call is open to all professional Indigenous artists and artist teams residing in Ontario. Artist teams are welcome to apply but must share the total commission. The City of Brampton and STEPS Public Art strongly encourage artists under 29 years of age to apply. All applying artists are required to draft a letter stating their relationships to the local communities of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation and/or urban Indigenous communities. If applying as a team, each member must provide a letter.

Per the Canada Council’s guidelines, a professional artist is defined as someone who:

• has specialized artistic training (not necessarily in academic institutions);
• is critically recognized as a professional by their peers (artists working in the same artistic tradition);
• has a history of public exhibitions; and/or
• has produced an independent body of work.

The Selection Panel will be composed of City officials, Indigenous community members and practicing Indigenous arts professionals.

Stage 1: Request for Qualifications (RFQ)

Shortlisted artists and artist teams will be selected based on qualifications demonstrated in their submitted applications. Applications will be reviewed by a Selection Panel on the basis of:

• Artistic excellence demonstrated through samples of previous work
• Interest and willingness to work with the local communities (both Indigenous and non-Indigenous including youth)
• Interest in the project and the site
• Experience managing and facilitating projects or public art commissions of similar scopes and sizes
• Assessment and review of references if needed

Stage 2: Shortlisted Proposal Development and Presentation

The Selection Panel will recommend a shortlist of up to three (3) artists/artist teams who will be invited to develop a proposal. All shortlisted artists/artist teams will be provided a fee of $3000 CAD (inclusive of taxes and other expenses) for the virtual site visit, development of the detailed artist proposal, and presentation of the proposals to the community. 

Shortlisted artists will be given detailed site information including site dimensions and suitable artwork recommendations for the site (size, orientation, etc). They will also be invited to attend a virtual site visit and meet representatives from the City of Brampton and other stakeholders. Following the site visit, each artist/artist team will create a detailed artist proposal including a written artist statement, a project budget, and a community engagement approach to further inform the design, etc.

Proposals will be presented to a Technical Review Panel to provide feedback on feasibility, safety, and maintenance of the artwork. The artists/artist teams will present their detailed public art concepts to the City of Brampton community for feedback via a virtual Community Open House. The responses from the community will inform the Selection Panel evaluation process. 

The selected artist/artist team will enter into a contract for the public art project with the City of Brampton. Please note the selected artist/artist team will be required to meet the insurance prerequisites as outlined in the final contract.

Application Requirements

Professional Indigenous artists/artist teams are invited to respond to this RFQ by submitting a single PDF document. This PDF document must be labelled with the name of the artist and project (Name_CENTURY GARDENS PUBLIC ART). Each single PDF document must include the following:

1. Contact Information: Please include your name, current mailing address, phone number and email address. If applying as a team, please include team members and designate a main contact.
2. Letter of Intent: 2-page maximum (11-point font). Outline of artistic experience, ability, approach and interest in this project, site and community, highlighting relevant experience. Also, please provide your interest in working with the local Brampton communities, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, including youth. Proposals are not accepted at this stage.
3. Connection to Local Communities: 1-page maximum (11-point font). Include detailed and specific ways outlining how you are connected to the local communities of Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation and/or urban Indigenous communities. One letter per member if applying as a team.
4. Proof of Relationship to an Indigenous Community: Examples include (but are not limited to) a copy of a status card, Métis Nation card, a letter from your Band or a letter from an Elder, etc. All documents will be reviewed by the City of Brampton’s Equity Office. Please contact us with any questions (contact details can be found below). If applying as a team, each member should provide this information.
5. Curriculum Vitae (CV): 3-page maximum. Detail professional experience as an artist, past public art experience, and other information relevant to this Expression of Interest (EOI). If applying as a team, provide one CV per team member.
6. Artistic Support Material: Maximum of ten (10) images of work. For each image, a title and image number should be provided. If applying as a team, please only submit a total of ten (10) images.
7. Support Material List: A written list that clearly outlines the Artistic Support Material (above) with corresponding titles and numbers. Include the following details in order of: Title, date, location, commissioning agent (if applicable), budget, dimensions, medium/ materials and a brief description of the works (maximum 50 words each).
8. References: Names and contact information (current email and phone number) for two (2) references (preferably from recent public art projects and community-engaged projects) with their role and affiliation listed. Reference letters will be accepted.

Application Delivery and Deadline

Submissions must be received by March 30, 2025, at 11:59 PM EST. Incomplete and/or late applications will not be accepted. Applications must be submitted via Google Forms – emailed, faxed or mailed applications will not be accepted. It is your responsibility to ensure the application package is complete and submitted by the posted deadline. Final submissions must not exceed 10 MB in total size.

Questions and requests for clarification will be received by email until March 13, 2025 at 4:00 PM EST. Applicants who have a disability, or who need support applying for this opportunity are encouraged to contact Collin Zipp at collin@stepspublicart.org at least 10 business days before the application deadline to allow STEPS to appropriately accommodate your needs and to discuss alternate formats for submitting your application.

Estimated Project Timeline*

February 7 – March 30, 2025

• Call for Artists goes live
• Submissions received

April 2025

• Artists shortlisted and notified

May – July 2025

• Shortlisted Artists develop detailed artwork and community engagement proposals 
• Virtual site visits

July 2025

• Shortlisted Artists’ video presentations shared online for public review and feedback

August 2025

• Final Artist selected 
• Contracting period

August 2025 – April 2026

• Selected Artist begins community engagement and artwork fabrication
• Installation period

*Subject to change

Contact

Collin Zipp (Public Art Manager)
Phone: 1-888-783-7780 (ext. 704)
Email: collin@stepspublicart.org

Partners

Have a great public art idea?

Our Public Art Management service provides customized approaches for public art that suits your timelines, budgets, and community needs. We’re committed to making your public art goals into a reality by making the process easy. Book a call with us today to learn more.