Request for Qualifications: Valley Line West LRT Stop Canopies Public Art Projects, Edmonton

The Edmonton Arts Council (EAC), on behalf of the City of Edmonton, is seeking artists/artist teams residing in Canada to create canopy art for six LRT stops on the Valley Line West LRT. One artist/artist team will be selected for each location.

This Request for Qualifications includes a two-stage selection process.

Deadline for Request for Qualifications: Wednesday, February 25, 2026, 11:59am MST (noon)

Project Budget: $110,000 per location. This budget encompasses all costs directly associated with the creation and installation of the artwork, including materials, fabrication, foundations, and transportation. Artists are responsible for allocating their own artist fees.

Online Information Session: Wednesday, February 4, 1pm MST
Information session details.

Project Description

The Edmonton Arts Council, on behalf of the City of Edmonton, is seeking artists to create canopy artwork at six Valley Line West Stops: Glenora, Grovenor/142 Street, Jasper Place, Meadowlark, Aldergrove/Belmead, and Lewis Farms, all of which are “neighbourhood” style stops. Submissions will be considered for all six stops, and a different artist or artist team will be selected to create artwork for each canopy.

Valley Line West

The City of Edmonton’s LRT network is expanding to all quadrants of the city. Valley Line West is a 14 km LRT extension from downtown to Lewis Farms. It’s the second stage of the Valley Line, an urban-style 27-km line that will operate between Mill Woods in southeast Edmonton and Lewis Farms in west Edmonton. Construction is anticipated to be complete in 2028, followed by testing before the line can open.

Further information about the Valley Line West is available on the City of Edmonton website.

Artwork Specifications

The art will be limited to 500 lbs per canopy, on selected canopies, which may be concentrated or distributed within the indicated art areas, ideally utilizing all indicated artwork areas.

The art itself will be self-supported and mounted to continuous steel beams/rails, designed and supplied by the project team. The beams/rails for the artwork will be mounted on top of the canopy roofs in the locations shown in the project images. The beams/rails will be 12-gauge Unistrut P1000HS metal framing struts oriented in a U‑shape with legs pointing upward.

Artist Responsibilities

Include, but are not limited to:

• Adhering to the Project Team’s schedule and deadlines.
• All aspects of the engineering and fabrication of the artwork must meet best practices and be compatible with the anchoring system.
• Adhering to the weights and locations specified by the Project Team.
• Supplying all artwork connections required to mount the art to the continuous steel beams/rails on the indicated Stop Canopies.
• Installing the art onto the beams/rails on the indicated Stop Canopies during the Project Team’s installation windows.
• Coordinating artwork installation with Marigold Infrastructure Partners. Installers (and anyone else on site) will be required to attend Marigold’s site orientation.

Artists are asked not to propose creative concepts as part of their submission proposal. The selected artists or artist teams will conduct research and engage with the surrounding community when developing concepts. If relevant to the artist’s process at this stage, submissions may include preliminary ideas for how the artist plans to conduct research and engagement. The EAC can support the artist with any engagement and consultation.

The selected artist will propose an artwork concept to be approved by the EAC prior to artwork fabrication and installation. The selected artist is responsible for all aspects of designing and installing their artwork on the beams/rails on the Stop Canopy. The artist will work with the EAC and the City of Edmonton to determine the optimal placement for the artwork installation.

Project Timeline

• February 25, 2026 at 11:59am (noon): Deadline for Request for Qualifications
• June 2026: Artwork concept due
• September 2026: Final detailed artwork design, including attachment system, due
• Summer 2027: Artwork Installation

These dates are preliminary, and subject to change.

For more information on this opportunity and to apply, visit edmontonarts.ca.

If you have questions, please email support@edmontonarts.ca.

Edmonton Arts Council
Phone: 780−424−2787 | Email: info@edmontonarts.ca
Prince of Wales Armouries, 2nd Floor (#222)
10440 108 Avenue
Edmonton, AB T5H 3Z9