Call for Participants: 2025 CreateSpace Public Art Forum

Raven Shares the Light by Krystle Silverfox. Photo by John Howland Photography.

A national and virtual public art program for emerging and youth artists to build experience, networks, and skills in public art

Submission Deadline: Sunday, November 24, 2024 at 11:59 pm PT

The CreateSpace Public Art Forum is a digital forum that will virtually convene 60 participants who identify as Black, Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit and Métis), racialized, rural and/or youth with disabilities and between the ages of 18-25. This program runs from January 10, 2025 to February 1, 2025. This forum will foster connections, build understanding across geographies and cultures, as well as provide emerging equity-deserving participants with the skills, relationships, and support needed to develop public art practices. Information about the program and how to apply is also available in French.

The program will see the presentation of 10 pre-recorded talks/workshops created by professional public artists and cultural workers. These talks/workshops will be available in video and audio versions for accessibility with ASL translations. Each talk will be themed around various ideas and concepts of public art practices. Participants will engage with these talks and create an artistic response with feedback from peers, as well as one-on-one feedback from established public artists. Their participation will culminate in a profile on the STEPS website with a virtual exhibition featuring their public artwork concepts created during the forum to further showcase and celebrate participant creations.

Participants will gain:

• Skills: A variety of virtual workshops to grow understanding of various topics, including Community Engagement, Identity, Accessibility, and Land, and apply these understandings to their public art practice;
• Relationships: Opportunities to virtually connect with/access mentorship from established public art practitioners across the country, as well as build relationships for peer mentorship within a closed cohort online channel (Discord);
• Practical Experience: The opportunity to create an artistic response to the themes that resonate with them within the talks/workshops, with feedback from peers to strengthen their work. They will also have ongoing access to a Public Art Toolkit tailored to resource sharing for early-career artists that focus on integrating meaningful community engagement strategies into their practice;
• Public Audiences: Participants will have their bio, artist statement, as well as artistic work created for this forum featured on the STEPS website;
• Financial Support: An honorarium of $500 CAD for their full participation in the forum;
• Proof of Participation: A Certificate of Completion.

Up to 60 participants will be selected for this opportunity. This opportunity is open to those who:

• Identity as early-career Canadian-based visual and/or media artists interested in building or growing their public art practice;
• Identify as Black, Indigenous (First Nations, Inuit and Métis), racialized, living in a rural location, and/or youth with disabilities;
• Are between the ages of 18-25;
• Are a Canadian citizen or Permanent Resident.

Forum content will be offered primarily in English with translation and ASL services available as needed to support participation of a diverse community of artists.

Participants are expected to:

• View and engage with at least 5 of the 10 workshops (15-20 minutes each). These will be pre-recorded, and will be available in video and audio formats online, with ASL options for accessibility;
• Create a visual public art response (drawing, collage, sculpture, photography, multimedia, etc.) related to one of the provided site photos. Site context and detailed information will be provided to participants. Participants are NOT expected to have plans for an artistic work at the time of their application;
• Engage with work by peers and provide feedback through the community Discord and through a final virtual participant gathering;
• Attend a one-on-one studio visit with an established public artist to gather feedback on completed public art response;
• Respect the time and knowledge of CreateSpace Public Art Forum artists, fellow participants, and STEPS staff by committing to a safe, inclusive, supportive and respectful space for learning, exploration and growth;
• Complete evaluation surveys about Forum experience and takeaways for STEPS and forum funders.

The CreateSpace Public Art Forum is supported by Canadian Heritage, Ontario Arts Council, and the Government of Ontario.

Weaving Belonging by Aaniya Asrani. Photo by Thomas Jose.

How to Apply

Visit the website for full information (available in English and French) and to access the English or French application form. The deadline to apply is Sunday, November 24, 2024 at 11:59 pm PT. Those living outside of the Pacific time zone are encouraged to use a timezone converter to ensure your application is received by the deadline.

We encourage all applicants to visit the STEPS website prior to preparing this application to have a better understanding of the organization that will be facilitating this forum. Applicants who are Deaf, have a disability, or who need support applying for this opportunity are encouraged to contact JulieAnn Talisayon, Public Art Coordinator at julieann@stepspublicart.org or call 1-888-783-7780 (extension 2) at least two weeks before the submission deadline to allow STEPS to appropriately accommodate your needs and to discuss alternate formats for submitting your application.

Participants will be selected on a competitive basis by a review committee of public art practitioners from across Canada. Review committee members have been selected on the basis of their familiarity with a broad spectrum of public art practices, specialized expertise, fair-mindedness, and self and regional representation. The committee will assess submissions based on clarity of learning objectives, alignment with needs and forum supports, and merit of the applicant’s arts practice.

About STEPS

STEPS Public Art (a national charity and social enterprise) believes public art has the ability to challenge the systemic inequities that exist in public space. In support of this important work, we facilitate programs that foster inclusive community engaged public art practices, build the capacity of underrepresented artists, and demonstrate how public art can help reimagine equitably designed cities.

Contact
JulieAnn Talisayon, Public Art Coordinator
julieann@stepspublicart.org
1-888-783-7780 ext. 2

STEPS Public Art
stepspublicart.org

Instagram @STEPSPublicArt
LinkedIn @STEPSPublicArt
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