National call to Indigenous Artists for new landmark public artwork in the Town of Whitby

The Town of Whitby is seeking to commission a landmark public artwork from a professional Indigenous artist or artist team from currently called Canada to be placed within and adjacent to the forthcoming Whitby Sports Complex. This major public art project builds on the Town of Whitby’s commitment to create awareness of the Indigenous cultures, peoples and heritages. 

The Town of Whitby 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. 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 each to create detailed proposals. Community engagement will be a requirement for the selected artist/artist team.

Community Background

Whitby, Ontario is located on the traditional lands of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation, which is covered under the Williams Treaties, the traditional territory of the Mississaugas, a branch of the greater Anishinaabeg Nation, which includes Algonquin, Ojibway, Odawa and Pottawatomi.

The Town of Whitby is located in the Regional Municipality of Durham, on the north shore of Lake Ontario. It sits approximately 40 km east of the centre of Toronto and is part of the Greater Toronto Area. Whitby is a rapidly growing community, with a population of over 135,000. The population is expected to grow by over 40% in the next 11 years, making the community one of the fastest growing municipalities in Ontario. The Whitby Sports Complex will help meet the recreation needs of the growing community. 

Whitby has both a small town atmosphere and abundant urban amenities. Whitby residents enjoy being on the Lake Ontario waterfront and having access to over 100 parks, 60 km of trails and over 1000 acres of open spaces and beaches. The town offers many recreation programs, events and festivals. Whitby has two historic downtown centres. Downtown Whitby is home to historic architecture, cultural and educational institutions, local businesses and a weekly farmers market. Downtown Brooklin is the historic downtown of the village of Brooklin. Today it is a heritage conservation district with restaurants, retail shops, Grass Park and year round events and festivals. 

The Whitby Sports Complex site sits between these two downtowns, a 5 minute drive from Downtown Brooklin and a 10 minute drive from Downtown Whitby. Whitby is a community of choice for businesses – a smart, urban Town where talent and businesses are supported and can flourish.

Site Location

The Whitby Sports Complex site will be located southwest of Highway 12 and the 407. It will be situated on the west side of Baldwin Street South, south of the intersection of Highway 407. The site is directly east of the Heber Down Conservation Area, a 284 hectare conservation area with 5 km of trails. The area offers fishing, nature walks and a pond. The site is close to Whitby’s Arts Trail, which includes additional public art and murals, galleries and artist studios. 

The Whitby Sports Complex building is located at the “elbow” of the site. Reflecting community feedback, the building design will create spaces that are natural, modern and dynamic. The design will establish a clear connection between the indoor and outdoor activity spaces, creating a network of interior trails and gathering spaces. There will be outdoor seating areas, shade structures and naturalized areas. Multi-use paths will encourage non-motorized transit to the site. A future transit station is proposed for the adjacent property. The complex is being designed to meet the accessibility needs of all visitors.

Artwork Location

There are multiple locations for the public artwork, both on the interior and exterior grounds of the forthcoming Whitby Sports Complex. The interior artwork will be located in the large main corridor that acts as a central meeting point in the recreational centre. Exterior artworks could be integrated into or within the pathways that lead to and from the new recreational centre. 

Public artworks can also be integrated in a proposed community space closer to the sports fields. The interior hanging work is the priority location, with options for additional exterior elements. These sites allow for high visibility, impact, community connection and one that best aligns with the building’s natural flow and themes. 

Shortlisted artists/artists teams will be provided with detailed drawings and specifications for these sites. The selected artist will work with the Town of Whitby to determine the final locations of the work.

Selection Process

This Call is open to all professional Indigenous artists and artist teams residing in what is currently called Canada. While this is a national public art call; local and regional Indigenous artists will be encouraged to apply. All applying artists are required to draft a letter stating their relationships to the local communities of the Great Mississauga Nations. Artist teams are welcome to apply but must share the total commission. 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 Town officials, Indigenous community members and professional practicing Indigenous arts professionals.

Stage 1: Request for Qualifications

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 (both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, including youth)
• Interest in the project and the site 
• Past experience of 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 Town of Whitby 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 Town of Whitby community for feedback via a virtual Community Open House. The responses 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 selected artist/artist team will enter into contract for the public art project. 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_WSC). Each single PDF document must include the following:

• • 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. 
  • 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 Whitby communities, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, including youth. Proposals are not accepted at this stage. 
  • 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 the Great Mississauga Nations. 
  • 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. 
  • 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. 
  • 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). 
  • 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.

Application Delivery and Deadline

Deadline extended to January 21, 2024 at 11:59 PM EST

Submissions must be received by January 21, 2024 at 11:59 PM EST. 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 Whitby Sports Complex 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 Thursday, January 4, 2024 at 4 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

Subject to change:

October 2023 – January 2024

• Call-to-Artists goes live
• Submissions received

January – April 2024

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

May – June 2024

• Final Artist selected 
• Pending Council approval and enters into contract 

July 2024 – June 2025

• Selected Artist begins community engagement and artwork fabrication

July – August 2025

• Final artwork installed and opens to the public

Contact

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

Project Partner