Call for Proposals: ARTonBOXES | urbanWILDERNESS series, City of Vaughan

Thelia Sanders Shelton, Love Superheroes, ART of HEALING series, 2025. Courtesy of the City of Vaughan.

Submit a proposal for wrapping a traffic signal box with original artwork in the City of Vaughan

Submission Deadline: March 22, 2026, by 11:59pm ET

Building on the launch of the 10-year ARTonBOXES program developed to transform over 100 local traffic signal cabinets into a collection of engaging works of public art, artists from Vaughan and the GTA are invited to submit design proposals for this year’s theme, urbanWILDERNESS.

Emerging and established artists of all backgrounds, skills and experience who are at least 18 years old on the day their proposal is submitted and reside in Vaughan and the GTA are encouraged to apply. City of Vaughan employees are not eligible to submit proposals.

Original artwork can be created in any medium. If selected, artists must provide final artwork as high-resolution digital files suitable for large-format printing. The City will manage the professional reproduction and installation of finalized artwork fabricated as high-calibre vinyl wraps for traffic signal cabinets at major intersections across Vaughan.

Art Selection and Commissioning

10 urbanWILDERNESS design proposals will be selected for one-time installation on 10 traffic signal cabinets. Submissions will be evaluated to develop a professionally curated shortlist for final selection by a qualified adjudication panel.

Each of the 10 successful artists with original designs will receive a $1,200 cash award subject to selected artists executing an artist agreement to provide approval for the City of Vaughan to use their artwork and to grant the City permission to photograph and share art images for promotional purposes. The City of Vaughan will cover vinyl fabrication and installation costs and manage the print production and art installation by hiring a professional technician to install the printed vinyl wraps on traffic signal boxes.

Maureen O’Connor, Godsend, ART of HEALING series, 2025. Courtesy of the City of Vaughan.

How to Submit

Artists are responsible for submitting design proposals and finalizing designs for the City to print. Submit design proposals by filling out the online form and uploading all four digital files as a complete Submission Package:

1. Art File a jpeg labelled Lastname_Firstname_ArtTitle.jpg (150 – 300 DPI)
2. Design Concept Board (pdf, art design applied to the box template included in this Package)
3. Artist Statement labelled with your name (Word document, 150 words max)
4. Short Artist Biography labelled with your name (Word document, 150 words max)

Visit ARTonBOXES | urbanWILDERNESS Call for Artists Submissions for full details about the ARTonBOXES program | urbanWILDERNESS series eligibility, guidelines, and the online submission process.

Submission Deadline: March 22, 2026 by 11:59pm ET

For additional information or questions, please contact:
Sharon Gaum-Kuchar, Program Manager, Public Art and Corporate Art Curator
sharon.gaum-kuchar@vaughan.ca

City of Vaughan | Economic Development
2141 Major Mackenzie Drive West, Maple, ON L6A 1T1
visitvaughan.ca/artonboxes
sharon.gaum-kuchar@vaughan.ca
905.832-8585 x.8088

Facebook @thecityofvaughan
Instagram @cityofvaughan
X/Twitter @city_of_vaughan