Call for Artists: Caledon Fire 100th Anniversary Mural

Town of Caledon

Caledon East Fire Station

Call for Artists – Celebrating Caledon Fire’s 100-Year Anniversary Mural

Submission Deadline: January 31, 2025
Artist Fee: $4,500 (inclusive)
More details about the project

Overview

The Caledon Fire Department is approaching its centennial anniversary, a significant milestone that offers a unique opportunity to celebrate its history, recognize the contributions of its members, and engage with the community.

Founded on February 6, 1925, the firefighters of Caledon have been dedicated to protecting the lives and property of Caledon’s residents. Over the past 100 years, the department has evolved significantly, adapting to new technologies, expanding its services, and building strong community ties.

The Town of Caledon is looking to mark the 100-year milestone with a mural on all five of the doors at the Caledon East Fire Station that celebrates the history of Caledon Fire. This artwork will adorn the five fire station doors of the Caledon East Fire Station, symbolizing a century of service, dedication, and community spirit. The mural should encapsulate the three lines of defense in fire service:

• Public Fire Safety Education: Depict the community’s partnership with firefighters in promoting safety, including imagery of educational programs, community engagement, and prevention efforts.
• Fire Safety Standards and Code Enforcement: Highlight the importance of proactive measures, such as inspections, fire codes, and the infrastructure that ensures safety in homes and businesses.
• Emergency Response: Celebrate the bravery and skill of firefighters in action, responding to emergencies with courage and professionalism.

Artistic Direction:

• Historical and Modern Elements: Showcase the evolution of fire service in Caledon, from its early days in 1925 to the present, and its forward-looking vision for the future. For artists interested in learning more about the history of Caledon Fire, copies of Answering the Call: A History of Firefighting in the Town of Caledon are available for free at the Caledon Library.
• Community Connection: Reflect the deep ties between the fire department and Caledon’s residents, emphasizing collaboration and trust.

Submission and Artwork Requirements

The Town of Caledon is looking to commission a unique design or artwork that will be digitally transformed onto a vinyl wrap to cover the roll-up doors of the Caledon East Fire Station.

The design can be an individual design for each door, or a continuation of a design for all five doors. The windows cannot be covered and must be included in the design of the doors as exclusions. The doors are 165 Inches wide by 138.5 Inches high. The fire station is located at 6085 Old Church Rd, Caledon East, ON L7C 1G6

The application is open to all professional, emerging, mid-career and established artists (18 years of age and older).

All artists, teams of artists or groups who reside, work, study and or teach in Caledon are eligible. Caledon artists will be given preference and local artists will be taken into consideration.

Must be original art created by the artist. Purchased or public domain stock photography and/or graphics must be used only as elements of your design, not the full design. AI generated imagery not permitted.

When using traditional art techniques – painting, drawing, etc. Creating at a large scale for final art is recommended to ensure quality.

For digital art, vector based graphics are ideal, rastered images and graphics are acceptable when at a high resolution. Files are accepted in the following formats: EPS, AI, PSD, TIF, PDF, or High Resolution JPG.Note: When using InDesign, please submit files in EPS or PDF format.

The design must fit within the templates provided. Templates for the doors can be downloaded below.

• Overall Door Guide
• Template for Doors A-B-C
• Template for Doors D-E

Timeline

• Submissions Open (Concept Plans): January 6 – January 31, 2025
• Submission Deadline (Milestone): January 31, 2025
• Art Selection Committee Evaluates Submissions: February 3 – 14, 2025
• First Draft Complete (Milestone): February 28, 2025
• Town of Caledon Review Cycle 1: March 3 – 7, 2025
• Second Draft Complete (Milestone): March 14, 2025
• Town of Caledon Review Cycle 2: March 17 – 21, 2025
• Final Artwork (Milestone): March 28, 2025
• Artwork Installation: April 2025
• Unveiling: To be confirmed

*Schedule subject to change

Artist Fee

The commissioned artist(s) will be compensated $4,500 Canadian Dollars to cover all costs associated with the creation of a unique design.

The Town of Caledon is responsible for the fabrication and installation of the door wraps.

No additional fees or costs will be accepted.

Selection Process and Criteria

A selection committee of Town Staff will select the winning submission by using the scoring rubric below. The selection committee will be comprised of Town Staff from various departments including Caledon Fire that are relevant to the submission. The Town of Caledon reserves the right to select and retain the artist(s) most appropriate for this project at its sole discretion.

The submissions will be evaluated on the following:

• Meets dimensional specifications and fits within the site and appropriateness of scale of the artwork to the Fire doors (10%)
• Ability for the piece to be designed within the timelines provided (20%)
• Ability of the concept plan which could include a model, sketches, images to express what the artist describes in the written portion (30%)
• Relevance of the piece to communicate the celebration that is 100 years of fire and emergency service provision in Caledon, acknowledging the unique contributions of each station and the service as a whole. (40%)

How to Apply

To apply please email culture@caledon.ca with the subject line “CALEDON 100 FIRE DESIGN” and include the following in your submission package:

1. Contact Information
   ◦  Name
   ◦  Pronouns
   ◦  Mailing address
   ◦  Email address
   ◦  Phone number
   ◦  Website (if applicable)
   ◦  Social media handles (if applicable)
2. A design concept or a draft artist rendering for the mural design. This does not have to be a complete design and should be a brief to show your ideas and inspiration.
3. In 250 words or less, please complete a written artist statement encapsulating your submission
4. A declaration that the design is a unique offering that does not infringe on any copyright or trademarks
5. A project timeline that demonstrates your ability to complete the project on time

If you have any questions about the project, please email culture@caledon.ca.

The Town of Caledon reserves the right to contact artists if there is additional clarity required.

About Caledon

Caledon is home to close to 80,000 residents and 4,000 businesses and is well-known for its natural attractions, rural charm and vital role in the economic engine of the Greater Toronto Area. It will soon be one of Ontario’s fastest growing communities as it prepares to become a city of 300,000 residents and 125,000 jobs by 2051. Under its current strategic plan, Caledon’s priorities remain environmental leadership, community vitality and livability, enhanced transportation and mobility, and service excellence and accountability.

For more information, visit Caledon.ca or follow us on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.