The City of Airdrie and STEPS invite professional artists or artist teams based in Canada to submit expressions of interest and qualifications to create landmark public artworks to be placed within and adjacent to the forthcoming Airdrie Multi-Use & Library Facility

The public artworks will be selected through an open, two-stage national competition, with a total budget of approximately $390,000 CAD. 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 four (4) artists or artist teams will be shortlisted and paid $4000 CAD each to create detailed proposals. Community engagement will be a requirement for the selected artist/artist team.

Community Background

Airdrie is located on Treaty 7 Territory and is the traditional home of the Blackfoot Confederacy including the Siksika, the Piikani, and the Kainai First Nations, the Tsuut’ina First Nation, and the Peoples of the Stoney Nakoda First Nations including the Chiniki, the Bearpaw, and the Goodstoney Nations. This area is also home to the People of the Métis Nation of Alberta District 4.

Airdrie has traditionally been a stopping point. Originally a camping area for Indigenous Peoples along their travels, it eventually served as a stopping house one day’s journey north of Fort Calgary for North West Mounted Police Patrols in the late 1800s. With the building of the Calgary and Edmonton Railway (1890-1891) the future site of Airdrie made an ideal stopping point for the trains to take on water to run the steam engines. Airdrie became a village in 1909. Initially the area around the station and the Nose Creek Bridge was intended to be the downtown core. Today the city’s downtown core is located along Main Street. The Nose Creek Bridge is the last remaining structure associated with Airdrie’s railway and agricultural origins. 

Airdrie is a rapidly growing city and that growth is expected to continue over the next decade. With a population of over 86,000 people, Airdrie is Alberta’s 5th largest city. Airdrie is embracing this exponential growth while maintaining connection to its historical roots. The city finds itself embodying many dualities: preserving its history while embracing the future, respecting longtime citizens while welcoming the new, maintaining friendly, small-town values while developing into a metropolitan centre.

Site Location

Situated at the southern end of downtown, the Airdrie Multi-Use Library and Facility site is bordered to the west by Nose Creek and a pedestrian path leading to Nose Creek Park on the south side of the city. The park provides 20 acres of natural space in the heart of the downtown core. This family oriented park has natural trails, picnic tables and fire pits, a concession area, fishing, and an amphitheatre. It is the location of many community events. To the east, the site is bordered by mainstreet with its easy vehicle access and nearby businesses. Nose Creek and the pedestrian path offers quiet, natural, pedestrian-centred experiences, while Main Street provides a vibrant, urban experience. The site bridges these two distinct spaces and is situated within a network of pedestrian and bicycle pathways. This includes the Trans Canada Trail which connects pedestrians and cyclists to the Genesis Place recreation hub. 

The Multi-Use Facility and Public Library is envisioned to be a landmark destination that offers a space for the community to gather, connect and access resources and programming. It will serve people of all abilities and demographics and contribute to a healthy and connected Airdrie community. This facility will consist of a 20,000 square foot multi-use space and a 53,000 square foot library. The building design and materials will reflect Airdrie’s railway and agricultural roots while creating an inviting, contemporary aesthetic. The building will express the natural and urban nature of the site and the surrounding landscaping will incorporate native plants. 

The Multi-Use Facility and Library is part of downtown revitalisation efforts and will bring energy and vibrancy to Airdrie’s downtown core. This facility will become a community hub where all longtime residents and recent arrivals can gather and connect. Airdrie has one of the highest used libraries per capita, with just over 170,000 visits in 2022. The new Multi-Use Facility and Library will meet the needs of Airdrie’s growing population.

Artwork Location

Two sites for public art have been outlined for this public art competition, both indoor (in the atrium – suspended artwork) and outdoor (in the rear Westend of the building within the plaza). The selected artist will be expected to activate both of these spaces with public art. Both of these sites allow for high visibility, impact, community connection and best align with the building’s natural flow.

Artwork Themes

The City of Airdrie has identified themes for artists to consider as they prepare their applications. These themes could act as inspiration for the final work(s):

• Natural features of Airdrie and/or the facility site (Nose Creek Park, the Valley, the Prairies, the big open sky, etc)
• Reflections of local Indigenous histories/contemporary culture
• Rural farming history/agricultural origins
• Railroad history

Artwork proposals are not requested at this time. Artist applications will be reviewed on the basis of artistic excellence, expressed written interest in the site and other professional qualification criteria listed below. Experience with community engagement and a desire to create artwork for and in the public realm is required.

Selection Process

This is a two-stage, open, national competition for professional artists based in Canada. Per the Canada Council’s guidelines, a professional artist is defined as someone who:

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

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

STEPS and the City of Airdrie encourage applications from all qualified candidates that represent the full diversity of communities in Canada, including complexities of intersecting identities such as ability, class, gender, race and sexual orientation. We are particularly interested in receiving applications from equity-deserving communities. Applications from local and regional artists are also strongly encouraged.

Stage 1: Request for Qualifications (RFQ)

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

• Previous artistic excellence demonstrated through previous samples of work.
• Interest and willingness to work with the local communities.
• Interest in the project and the site. 
• Past experience of managing and facilitating projects or public art competitions 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 four (4) artists/artist teams who will be invited to develop a detailed proposal. All shortlisted artists/artist teams will be provided a fee of $4000 CAD (inclusive of taxes and other expenses) for the development of the detailed artist proposals, including community engagement approaches.

Shortlisted artists will be given detailed site information including deadlines/dates, site locations, dimensions and suitable artwork recommendations for the site (size, orientation, etc). They will also be invited to attend an in-person site visit and meet representatives from the City of Airdrie 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, 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 Airdrie community for feedback via a virtual Community Open House. The response from the community will inform the Selection Panel evaluation process. Following the Community Open House and Technical Review events, artists will be asked to present their proposals to the Selection Panel via an online format.

The artist/artist team selected by the selection committee will be approved by the City of Airdrie’s City Council. This artist/artist team will enter into a contract with the City of Airdrie to create the final public artworks.

The Selection Panel reserves the right to select multiple final artists/artist teams for the contract under smaller awards.

Application Requirements

Professional 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_AMUFL). 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 Airdrie communities. Proposals are not accepted at this stage of the competition.

3. Curriculum Vitae (CV): 3-page maximum. Detail professional experience as an artist, past public art experience, and other information relevant to this RFQ. If applying as a team, provide one CV per team member.

4. 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.

5. 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).

6. 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 are not required.

Estimated Timeline

• November 2023 – January 2024: Call for Artists issued
• January 2024: Shortlisted Artists identified
• February – April 2024: Shortlisted Artists identified and develop detailed proposals
• April 2024: Final Artist selected pending Council approval 
• May 2024 – April 2025: Final Artist begins community engagement and artwork fabrication
• May 2025: Artwork installed

Application Delivery and Deadline

Submissions must be received by January 4, 2024 at 11:59 PM MST. Incomplete and/or late applications will not be accepted. Applications must be sent via email – 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. 

Email submissions to collin@stepspublicart.org. Please use the subject line Airdrie Multi-Use Library and Facility RFQ Submission. Submissions must not exceed 20 MB in total size. All applicants will receive a notice by email that their application has been received. If you have submitted an application and do not receive notification within two weeks of the deadline date, please contact STEPS Public Art. 

Questions and requests for clarification will be received by email until Monday, December 18 at 9:00 AM MST. Applicants who need additional support applying for this opportunity are encouraged to contact Collin Zipp at collin@stepspublicart.org by Monday, December 4 at 9:00 AM MST to appropriately accommodate your needs and to discuss alternate formats for submitting your application. 

Contact

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

Project Partner