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New blog in our Fieldnotes series! Read the article.

Finally, a place that values your artistry and pays you fairly

Dreaming of more time in the studio and less time grant writing?

If you’re looking for opportunities to work and contribute to public art and meaningfully impact communities, you’re in the right place.

We’re passionate about helping you navigate the world of public art to create community-engaged projects.

Join the Artist Directory
Artist Email List

Perhaps you should collaborate with us!

Being an artist takes more than talent; you have to be your own marketing team, project manager, installation crew, and documentarian all at once. It can be overwhelming (and not necessarily what you signed up for)!

We want to make the public art process as smooth as possible, so you can spend time doing what you do best.

Here’s what you can expect from us:

  • We advocate for you to be fairly compensated for your work and ideas: Our promise to you is we’ll ensure you are paid for your time at all stages of the process
  • We build connections with the community: Community engagement is at the core of our mandate and we bring consultation and engagement strategies to every public art project
  • We keep your style and input at the forefront: We enjoy building relationships with the artists on our roster to make sure we connect them with opportunities that resonate with their artistic approach
  • We provide professional documentation of your work: Our team of dedicated documentarians capture photographs and video reels for professional portfolios and social media

Public art should reflect the diverse identities and perspectives of the communities that host it. We are particularly interested in amplifying the work of artists who identify as Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit, Métis), Black, newcomer, LGBTQQIP2SAA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, pansexual, two-spirit, asexual, allies, along with additional sexual orientations and gender identities), racialized, disabled and equity-deserving in public spaces.

“STEPS supported me with funding, guidance and mentorship. It was a huge milestone and now I have credibility and confidence to keep growing my public art practice.”

Dillon Lew'chuk

Artist

“The STEPS team was great at making me feel fully supported. Communication and organization went seamlessly and the mural was installed beautifully thanks to their efforts.”

Kanisha Dabreo

Artist

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

I'm an artist, how can I work with STEPS?

We’re so excited to meet you! Here are some ways you can get involved in our projects:

  • Submit the artist form below so we can keep your information on file – if there is a public art opportunity that may be a good fit for you and the client, we’ll be in touch!
  • Apply to an artist call 
  • Hire us for a public art project – we can handle the public art management and/or submit a joint public art proposal together!
What's the best way for me to contact STEPS?

We love meeting artists like yourself! The best way to get in touch with the STEPS team is to complete the artist form below to introduce yourself. We look forward to hearing from you!

Is STEPS a funder?

No, STEPS is not a funder or funding body. As a charity, we’re also submitting grants to support our charitable programming and public art initiatives!

If you’re looking for ways to fund your project, we suggest starting with grant organizations in your city (e.g. Toronto Arts Council). There are also provincial and national organizations (like Ontario Arts Council and Canada Council for the Arts) that provide arts and cultural funding opportunities.

Ready to move to the next step? Join our Artist Directory

Are you an artist who wants to contact us or join our artist directory? Complete the following form to introduce yourself.

We receive many requests for public art services each year. We do our best to connect our clients and partners with artists who may be a good fit to collaborate on achieving their public art visions. While we cannot guarantee any paid or public art opportunities by joining this artist directory, submitting this form is the best way for us to learn about you.

By submitting your information, you’re consenting we can keep your information on file, share information or images of your past work with potential clients (or profiled on our communications channels with credits to you), and for our team to contact you directly if a collaborator is interested in shortlisting you for an opportunity. Rest assured, we’ll never share your contact information with a third party without your consent.

You can also join our artist-only email list to receive public art and artist capacity-building opportunities (you can unsubscribe at any time), and we encourage you to follow STEPS on social media for more announcements.

*If you’re on desktop, hold the Command (Mac) or Windows (PC) button on your keyboard and select all that apply for fields with multiple options.









Preferred / Alternate Name:

Pronouns:

Pronouns:



Tell us about yourself!
STEPS is a Canadian charity and social enterprise that collaborates with artists on a broad spectrum of national projects.
The more information you share, the easier it will be to identify opportunities for which you may be a fit.


Where are you located?




Artistic Media: Please select the answer that best describes your practice

Tell Us About Your Artistic Practice Use the space below to tell us about your artistic practice. Don’t forget to mention the following:
  • artistic media you work with (we know our list above is limited)
  • past public art experience (including past projects / clients that you are most proud of)
  • community engagement experience
  • artistic styles
  • inspiration or themes that your work frequently explores
  • education / training (formal or informal)
  • geographic or identity based communities that you are a member to
  • accessibility needs (e.g. ASL interpretation, Captioning, Language Translation, Neurodiverse supports, etc.)



Link to Website or Online Portfolio (must be entered in URL format):

Social Media or Second Web Link (must be entered in URL format e.g. https://instagram.com/stepspublicart):

Identities Self Declaration:
STEPS is committed to increasing representation in public art, including artists who represent a diversity of complex intersecting identities such as ability, age, class, gender, race, and sexual orientation. In support of this goal, we occasionally support partners in identifying shortlists of artists who self-identify as members of communities that are currently underrepresented in Canada’s public art collection. Optionally selecting all of the following that you identify with will help us better understand if you may be a fit for these targeted calls-for-artists.


Identities Self Declaration:

How did you hear about STEPS?

Would you like to subscribe to our mailing list(s)?


Four artists posing around a ladder at an on-going mural production as part of Crossroads by STEPS Public Art an Kseniya Tsoy in Toronto

Artist Email List

The best way to hear about timely artist calls and programs is through our artist-only email list.

By subscribing, you’ll get:

  • First access to artist opportunities happening across Canada
  • Registration for our free public workshops and online events
  • News from the public art community

 

Artist Email List