Request for Qualifications (RFQ)

Call for Emerging Artists: Railside at The Forks

The Forks Foundation and STEPS Public Art are pleased to announce new opportunities for on-site public art. The Forks Renewal Corporation (FRC) and The Forks Foundation are inviting Manitoba artists and artist teams to submit their qualifications and expressions of interest for permanent public art commissions within the first phase of the Railside at The Forks (Railside) development.

Deadline: May 4, 2025 at 11:59 PM CST
Budget: $150,000 CAD (plus applicable taxes)

Background

The Railside development is based on FRC’s vision to transform the two (2) large surface parking lots situated between the Israel Asper Way and the CN Mainline into an urban mixed-use neighbourhood. This public art opportunity is being administered by the Forks Foundation in alignment with FRC’s long-range plans for Railside. Funding for public art will be provided through FRC’s Tax Increment Financing (TIF) Agreements with the City of Winnipeg and the Province of Manitoba. The total budget for public artworks commissioned through this RFQ is $150,000 (plus applicable taxes). FRC’s intent is to have the works completed, installed, and unveiled along with the completion of the first phase of development in either the Fall of 2026 or Spring of 2027.

Planning for Two Public Art Competitions

The first RFQ (for Established Artists) was released in August 2023. As planned, this second RFQ with public art opportunities for Emerging Artists is now in competition. This second and separate call will commission a Manitoba emerging artist/team, an early career artist, not necessarily having public art experience. The winning artist/team of the Established Artist competition will be a mentor to the winning Emerging Artist.

RFQ for Emerging Artists

The Forks Foundation is implementing a two-stage open competition with this RFQ for Emerging Artists. The total budget in this call for public artworks is $150,000 (plus applicable taxes). FRC’s intent is to have the works completed, installed, and unveiled along with the completion of the first phase of the Railside development either in Fall 2026 or Spring 2027.

Up to three (3) emerging artists will be shortlisted from this RFQ to develop a proposal. The Forks Foundation continues its support for the arts community by commissioning on-site public art for Railside at the Forks.

The Forks

FRC was incorporated in 1987 by the three levels of government to acquire the former CN east rail yards, known today as The Forks. Over the last 30 years, FRC has transformed The Forks into Winnipeg’s primary destination, attracting more than four million visitors each year. The jewel in the crown of FRC is the ownership of The Forks Market and Common.

Located at the junction of the Assiniboine and Red Rivers, The Forks has been a meeting place for over 6,000 years, beginning as a trading location and camp for early Indigenous peoples. Over the centuries, The Forks has been a locus of activity for Indigenous bison hunters, European fur traders, Scottish settlers, riverboat workers, railway pioneers, and tens of thousands of immigrants.

Today, the Forks is a vibrant Downtown Winnipeg public space where people gather for celebrations, recreation and, much like the early Aboriginals, to meet one another. It encompasses some of the City’s best public open spaces, year-round recreational opportunities, world-class programming and site management, and a number of major cultural facilities, including the Children’s Museum, Manitoba Theatre for Young People and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights. The Forks Foundation is the philanthropic arm of FRC. Since forming in 2004 as a registered charity, The Foundation has raised over $4 million to invest in the public realm, art, and programming throughout The Forks and downtown. Its mission is: “To inspire and nurture philanthropic support for continued enhancements to public spaces, programming and placemaking at The Forks and other downtown park areas.”

More information about The Forks, FRC, and The Forks Foundation is available online at: www.theforks.com

Railside at The Forks

Consistent with FRC’s founding mission statement (see below), the vision and development direction for the Railside lands is premised on a 20-year strategy to transform the subject lands into a complete mixed-use neighbourhood that builds on the rich amenities of The Forks. The overarching goal is to create a welcoming place.

The vision for Railside has been further reinforced through an extensive and ongoing consultation process with key stakeholders, including FRC’s Federal, Provincial and City shareholders, and the wider public, which has defined and shaped the following guiding principles as the basis for the emerging Railside Development Framework:

A. Ensure Accessibility: To a diversity of development interests, entrepreneurs, residents and the public;

B. Encourage a Mix of Uses: Including high quality public spaces, retail, commercial, live/work, condominium and rental residential;

C. Implement a Green Approach: To development and operations, based on The Forks’ Target Zero Policy;

D. Design for Winnipeg’s Varied Climatic Conditions;

E. Demonstrate Innovation and Design Excellence; and 

F. Strengthen Connections to the City.

More information about Railside at The Forks is available online at: www.railsideattheforks.com

Opportunity

Railside at The Forks is a major step in the evolution of The Forks. Emphasizing environmental, economic and social sustainability, the plan will integrate a complete mix of uses that build on and celebrate the site’s abundant cultural, historic, and recreational assets, while maintaining access to every citizen and visitor alike. The Forks is consistently regarded among the top public spaces in North America. Accordingly, expectations are high when it comes to the quality of public space. Creating and maintaining high quality public spaces, that are animated year-round, is central to the vision for Railside at The Forks. Beyond integration with the broader Forks site, the Railside Concept Plan is mindful of the importance of ensuring that new public spaces not only meet the needs of future residents living at Railside, but all visitors to the Forks.

Public Art Vision

The first phase of development, which is the focus of this RFQ, is premised on the development of two (2) central urban squares, connected via a network of short streets and alleys. The intent of the design is to create an inviting village atmosphere that draws people in and encourages them to explore and discover. The Railside Plan envisions public art as a critical element in creating that atmosphere. The possibilities for public art within these spaces are wide ranging, and could include, but are not necessarily limited to: lighting, murals, sculpture, and functional/integrated elements. Public art in Railside is intended to reinforce placemaking objectives by adding character and distinction to these spaces through the installation of innovative art. The goal is to commission art that is iconic, impactful, durable, and requires minimal maintenance.

Total Budget

The total budget available for the Emerging Artist public art competition, including artist fees and related expenses, is $150,000 (plus applicable taxes). The budget includes, but is not limited to: artist fees; technical consultation; travel to the site and project meetings; purchase of relative materials; engineering fees; fabrication; site preparation and labour; delivery and installation of artwork; insurance and/or permit fees as required by the FRC and/or the City of Winnipeg; electrical lights integral to the art; contingency; maintenance plan documentation; and, attendance at the unveiling of the completed artwork(s). Artists selected to develop a proposal will receive an additional proposal fee.

Eligibility and Selection Process

This is a public competition open to professional artists and artist teams either residing in (i.e. the applicant’s primary residence) or originating from Manitoba (i.e. born or spent formative years). Artists working in any media may apply individually or as an artist team. 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);
• has a history of public exhibitions; and/or
• has produced an independent body of work.

Through this RFQ, FRC is seeking to commission at least one (1) work from a professional emerging artist or artist team; an emerging artist being an early career artist, but not necessarily having public art experience. The intent is that the final commissioned artists will work collaboratively with FRC’s site design advisors on the Railside Design Advisory Committee and project architects to refine and integrate their artworks within the overall site design.

Selection Process

Both the artist shortlist and final awards will be conducted by an Artist Selection Panel. This Panel will be composed of, but not limited to, a majority of independent arts professionals. Representatives of the Forks Foundation and a member of the Railside Design Advisory Committee will serve as technical advisors. Upon review of all submissions, the Panel will select a shortlist of up to three (3) artists as finalists to develop a proposal.

Finalists will be invited to respond to a detailed Request for Proposal (RFP) package and will be paid $1,000 CAD (plus GST) to develop their proposal submissions. The shortlisted finalists will be invited to present their proposals virtually to the Selection Panel and based upon the proposal reviews and interviews, the Panel will award commissions to up to one (1) artist and/or artist team. The commissioned artworks will be required to comply with all applicable City of Winnipeg standards and regulations, such as those dealing with permitting, safety, and accessibility. Artist teams may not change over the life of the project.

The Selection Panel will be composed of community members and practicing arts professionals. Non-voting members representing the FRC, Railside design team and STEPS Public Art will help inform the Selection Panel on project information.

Selection Criteria

Stage 1: Request for Qualifications

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:

A. Artist excellence, skill, innovation, and merit – artists with little or no public art experience should demonstrate:

• An interest in learning about and working in the public art realm;
• An interest in or prior experience working on community-centred projects;
• Artistic merit and conceptual strength; and
• Understanding and acknowledgment of the social and/or historical context of the site and the project.

B. Approach to and interest in the project and site, as expressed in the provided Statement of Interest/Artist Statement. This statement should convey alignment with the overall vision for Railside.

C. Qualifications and professional experience.

D. Interest in being mentored by an experienced artist/team.

E. 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/teams who will be invited to develop a proposal. All shortlisted artists/artist teams will be provided a fee of $1,000 CAD (plus applicable taxes) for the virtual site visit, development of the detailed artist proposal, and presentation of the proposals to the Selection Panel. 

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 project stakeholders. Following the site visit, each artist/team will create a detailed artist proposal including a written artist statement, a project budget, and a detailed artwork design. Additional information will be given to shortlisted artists/teams to aid in the creation of these proposals.

Proposals will be presented to a Technical Review Panel to provide feedback on feasibility, safety, and maintenance of the artwork. 

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

Submission Requirements

Applicants 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_RAILSIDE RFQ FOR EMERGING ARTISTS). Each single PDF document must include the following:

A. Contact Information: Including full name, business name (if applicable), mailing address, telephone, and email. Teams must identify one artist to be FRC’s primary contact for the team, as well as contact information for each artist on the team.

B. Statement of Interest/Artist Statement: Written expression of interest in creating a public art project for Railside.

C. Curriculum Vitae (CV): Please submit a CV for each person on the primary team.

D. 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.

E. 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).

F. Two References: Including full name, business name (if applicable), telephone, email, and their relation to your work. Reference letters will not be accepted.

 *Additional materials included will not be reviewed.

Applicants should not include any specific proposal(s) at this time. Any such elements will be redacted from the application prior to review by the Selection Panel (refer to the Selection Process section), or the application may be deemed disqualified and not be reviewed.

Estimated Project Timeline*

The following is an overview of the anticipated project schedule. FRC reserves the right to change or extend the dates and/or solicit more RFQ submissions if deemed necessary:

March 7 –  May 4, 2025

• Call for Artists is live
• Submissions received

May 2025

• Artists shortlisted and notified

June – September 2025

• Shortlisted Artists develop detailed artwork 
• Virtual site visits

September 2025

• Shortlisted Artists’ presentations
• Final Artist selected 
• Contracting period

October 2025 – September 2026 (TBC)

• Selected Artist begins mentorship and artwork fabrication
• Installation period 

*Subject to change

Application Delivery, Contact and Questions

Submissions must be received by May 4, 2025, at 11:59 PM CST. 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.

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.

Deadline for questions: April 6, 2025 at 11:59 PM CST
Date for answers posted on website: April 11, 2025 at 5:00 PM CST

With any questions about the RFQ, please contact: 

Collin Zipp
Public Art Manager
P: 1-888-783-7780 (extension 704)
E: collin@stepspublicart.org

Additional Terms and Conditions

Proponents should clearly understand, and by submitting a proposal agrees, that any part of the submission is subject to the following conditions, in addition to any other terms and conditions set out in this RFQ:

A. Disqualification: No submission will be considered which is received after the closing date and time. No proposal will be considered from a Proponent where FRC, in its sole discretion, determines that a potential conflict of interest exists. No proposal will be considered that is in any way conditional or that proposes to impose conditions on FRC that are inconsistent with the requirements of this RFP and the terms and conditions stipulated herein.

B. Acceptance/Rejection of RFQ: FRC reserves the right to withdraw this RFQ at any time, for any reason. FRC is under no obligation whatsoever to shortlist or accept any submission.

C. Right to Re-issue RFQ: FRC reserves the right to re-issue the RFQ or undertake any other competitive bid process where, in FRC’s sole opinion, none of the submissions warrant acceptance or where it would be in the best interest of FRC to do so.

D. Cost of RFQ Submissions: All costs and expenses incurred by any Proponent in the development, preparation, submission or presentation in response to this RFQ will be borne by the Proponent. The selection of any submission, the rejection of any or all submissions, the termination of this RFQ process, or initiation of a new RFQ process shall not render FRC or STEPS Public Art liable to pay or reimburse any such costs or damages incurred by any proponent or any partner or associate of such Proponent participating in this RFQ process.

E. Confidentiality: The contents of this RFQ and all information, data, or material obtained by the Proponent in connection with this RFQ process are the property of FRC and must not be used for any other purpose than replying to this RFQ. Upon request by FRC, all such information shall be returned to FRC, or the Proponent shall certify that the information, including copies and records thereof, is destroyed. All information, data, and material gained through the RFQ process is to remain strictly confidential.

F. Public Announcements: FRC shall have the exclusive right to issue all public announcements regarding the competition. Public announcements or news releases in any form of media shall not be permitted with respect to the terms and conditions of this RFQ or any ensuing contract without prior written approval from FRC.

G. Amendments: A Proponent may amend their submission at any time prior to the Closing Time or withdraw their submission at any time. No alteration to a submission will be accepted after the Closing Time.

H. Recommendations of the Selection Panel: All decisions on the degree to which a submission meets the stated criteria, or the score assigned to a Proponent or to part of a submission, will be determined solely by the Selection Panel. FRC reserves the right to reject the Panel’s recommendations. The Panel’s determinations in this regard are final and may not be appealed by a Proponent.

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