“The projects I did with STEPS meaningfully contributed to my growth and helped connect me with new opportunities. Toronto can attribute some of their key stand-out public artworks to STEPS.”
“It’s refreshing to work with an organization dedicated to expanding art and public spaces and exploring new ways to accomplish that.”
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.
I HeART Main Street
Artist Credit: Hour Studio Space
Photo Credit: Shanthan Reddy
Perhaps you should collab 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. Gosh, so 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.
I HeART Main Street
Artist Credit: WKNDRS
Photo Credit: David Geary
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
- Help building 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
- 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
- Professional documentation of your work: Our team of dedicated documentarians capture photographs and video reels for professional portfolios and social media
“Before collaborating with STEPS, I felt nervous about client communication, particularly with setting up contracts, timelines, and defining boundaries for revisions. STEPS streamlined this process and made it hassle-free. Working with the team gave me security so I could focus on creating!”
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.
Are you an artist who wants to contact us or join our artist directory? Complete this 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.
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.
If you made it this far and you’re ready to contact us and join the artist directory, great! Fill out the form below.
*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.
Artist email list
We’re making some changes to how we promote calls for artists.
The best and often only way to hear about timely artist calls will be done through our brand new artist email list. Social media postings will decrease over time.
What you’ll get when you subscribe:
- First access to artist opportunities happening across Canada
- Registration for our free public workshops and online events
- News from the public art community
Artist programs
Looking to build your skills in the public art realm? Apply to our artist capacity building programs: