Artist Call – Rotary Centennial Waterworks Park Mural

Opportunity Overview

The City of Brantford is seeking a regional (City of Brantford, County of Brant, Six Nations of the Grand River or Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation) artist or artist collective to create an original mural on the front of the washroom and storage building in Rotary Centennial Waterworks Park. Mural installation by the artist/collective is scheduled for Summer 2025.

Eligible artists are invited to submit expressions of interest and qualifications to this call.

The commissioned artists will be selected through an open, one-stage process. The selected artist will receive $5,500 CAD (exclusive of HST) which includes all costs directly associated with the artwork: artist fees, design time, materials, and other professional services.

The muralist is required to apply an anti-graffiti coating to the finished mural.

The successful artist/collective will need to be available for any interviews and/or photography during production/installation or after the mural is installed. Compensation for the interview and photos are factored into the artist call.

Community and Project Background

The City of Brantford is home to over 104,000 residents and is located on the Grand River in Southwestern Ontario, surrounded by the County of Brant and Six Nations of the Grand River.

Located at 390 Grand River Avenue, Rotary Centennial Waterworks Park has a rich history, stemming from the establishment of a waterworks system in Brantford in 1888. In 1889, the Brantford Waterworks Building was constructed to provide residential water services by the following year. Today, Waterworks Park continues to serve as a recreational space and includes a soccer field, baseball diamond, cricket pitch, the Rotary Bike Park, and access points to local trails and the Grand River.

Artwork location

The mural will be located at 390 Grand River Ave, Brantford, Ontario, Canada.

• Figure 1: Image of mural building.
• Figure 2: Mural dimensions. Artist will install the mural on the front facing wall of the building (facing the cricket pitch), the under hang and the two identical washroom entrances on either side.

Figure 1: Build of mural location

Figure 2: Mural dimensions.

Project Timeline

The project will run between April 2025 – August 31, 2025.

Award

$5,500.00 (excluding HST) will be awarded. The fee payment schedule is as follows:

• A deposit of $1,500.00 will be provided to the successful artist/collective once the contract has been signed.
• $4,000.00 paid upon final delivered and completion of mural and acceptance of mural by the City.

Selection Process and Eligibility

• This Call to Artists is open to all professional artists of any experience level (emerging, mid-career and established) who are eligible to work in Canada and live in either the City of Brantford, County of Brant, Six Nations of the Grand River or Mississaugas of the Credit First Nations
• All applying artists are required to submit a form through City of Brantford’s website (details below).
• Must be a new and original design.
• Artists must be at least 18 years of age on the date their proposal is submitted.
• Artist teams are welcome to apply but must share the total project award.
• 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);
  • is active in and committed to their art practice;
  • has a history of public exhibitions; and/or has produced an independent body of work.

Artist applications will be reviewed on the basis of artistic excellence, expressed written interest in the project and other professional qualification criteria listed below. The evaluation process is a subjective process and all applications will be judged against this and the themes and criteria.

Application Requirements:

Professional artists/artist teams are invited to respond to this Artist Call by completing the submission form and submitting a single .pdf document. This .pdf document should be labelled with the name of the artist and project (Name_Brantford_Waterworks_Mural).

In the application form, artists will be asked to provide the following information through the City’s web form: artist/collective name, contact information, website (if applicable), and social media accounts (if applicable).

In the application form, artists will be asked to upload a single .pdf document file that includes the following information:

1. Artist Concept Statement: A written explanation of the proposed work (350 words maximum) that is suitable for public presentation and includes:
   • The name/title of the proposed artwork
   • A description of the artwork concept including the artist’s unique and original perspective
   • A description of the artist’s approach to the goals and themes of the project.
2. Design of Proposed Artwork
3. Artist Bio and Portfolio: An artist bio (200 words maximum) and up to ten (10) (minimum 5) examples of past work. With corresponding legend that identifies title, date, medium, location and commissioning agent (if applicable).

Estimated Project Timeline

• April 2025: Artist Call is issued
• May 9, 2025: Artist Call closes
• May-June 2025: Selected Artist is contacted and contracts signed.
• June-August 2025: Artwork installed

All selected artists/artist teams are required to complete the project components within the above timeline.

How to Apply

Submissions must be received by Friday, May 9, 2025, at 4:30 p.m. EST. Incomplete and/or late applications will not be accepted.

Applications must be submitted via City of Brantford’s website. 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. Questions and requests for clarification will be received by email until Thursday, May 1, 2025, at 12:00 p.m. EST. If you have any questions, please contact: culture@brantford.ca

Reserved Rights and Privileges of the City of Brantford

The City of Brantford reserves the right to not award the commission to any Artist and to cancel or re-issue the call at any time.

Apply to Artist Call