Request for Expressions of Interest: Inspired by Bateman Community Mural, City of Burlington

Robert Bateman Community Centre

Request for Expressions of Interest
Inspired by Bateman, Community Mural at the Robert Bateman Community Centre, Burlington

Submission Deadline: September 8, 2025, 11:59pm ET

The City of Burlington is building its newest community centre, the Robert Bateman Community Centre. This community centre will be a multi-purpose, community-focused facility that includes tenants such as Brock University, Burlington Public Library, Halton District School Board, Tech Place, and the City of Burlington.

To recognize Robert Bateman’s distinguished career and connection to Burlington, the City of Burlington is seeking Expressions of Interest from professional artists or artist teams to create a community mural inspired by Mr. Bateman’s book Backyard Birds. Using Bateman’s wildlife paintings as a point of inspiration, the selected artist(s) will design a mural in their own artistic style.

This Call for Artists is open to artists working in a variety of styles and mediums. The intention is not to reproduce Mr. Bateman’s artwork style but to use Backyard Birds as a point of inspiration. Backyard Birds celebrates the many colourful birds that we can see in our own backyards. The selected artist should take inspiration from the following quote found in this book:

“Of all the wild creatures, birds are the most colorful and the easiest to see. You don’t need to travel to distant jungles or faraway islands. They live in our backyards. If you just spend time watching and listening, you will discover them… Birds are our neighbors. We should get to know them.”
– Robert Bateman, Backyard Birds

Community Engagement

The selected artist will be expected to incorporate an element of community engagement or participation into the mural. This may include, but is not limited to, community workshops, input into the mural theme and design, submission of bird drawings or other artwork to be incorporated into the mural design, etc. The City of Burlington will support community engagement activities through access to City-owned space, promotion, and administrative support.

Mural design proposals are not required at this time. Applicants are asked to submit an Expression of Interest Statement that outlines their proposed approach to the project. The selected artist will develop a detailed design and community engagement plan in consultation with staff and the selection committee.

Project Requirements

The mural will be installed on an interior wall located near the entrance to the community centre. This is a temporary wall that separates the portion of the building still under construction. The mural will be printed on panel so that it may be relocated to a different area within the community centre once the temporary wall is removed.

Technical Requirements:

• This is a design only commission. The mural will be printed on Aluminum Composite Material (ACM) panel. The City of Burlington will be responsible for all costs related to the printing and installation of the mural.
• The mural artwork may be created digitally or as a scaled down physical artwork (i.e., painting, printmaking, mixed media, etc.) that is scanned / photographed and provided as a digital artwork file.
• The artist will be responsible for providing the City of Burlington with a high-resolution artwork file suitable for large format printing.
• The mural will measure approximately 60′ wide and 8′ high (480 square feet).
• The panels may be installed side-by-side to form a rectangular surface (60′ W X 8′ H) or could be cut into various shapes and installed as a series.

Eligibility

This competition is open to all Ontario-based professional* artists or artist teams. It is expected that this project will include a public engagement component. As such, the selected artist(s) must be able to travel to Burlington, Ontario to participate in all public engagement activities as well as the mural unveiling event (early 2026, date TBD). All costs related to travel must be accounted for in the Project Budget.

We encourage submissions from artists from diverse backgrounds and origins, specifically Black, Indigenous, and racialized individuals, 2SLGBTQIA+ community members, and people with disabilities or disabled people. To support the City’s efforts to create inclusive spaces and improve representation in its public art collection, proposals from artists or teams that represent other equity-deserving groups can also self-identify.

*A professional artist is an individual who has specialized skills and/or training in his/her artistic discipline (not necessarily in academic institutions), has a history of public presentation and is critically recognized as an artist.

Compensation

The budget for this project is $15,000 (plus HST, if applicable). The selected artist(s) must account for the following in the project budget:

• Artist fee, including design fee, production time, project management, etc.
• Provision of a digital artwork file(s)
• All materials, equipment and labour required for community engagement activities.
• All costs associated with travel and transportation.
• Proof of all required insurance, including $2,000,000 Commercial General Liability insurance, active for the duration of the project.

The following items should not be included in the project budget. The City of Burlington will provide the following:

• Printing, fabrication, and installation of the mural panels (approximately 15).
• Access to City-owned facilities (i.e., community rooms, etc.) for community engagement and outreach activities (if applicable).
• Advertising, coordination, and promotion of community engagement activities.

Selection Process

A Selection Committee comprised of project stakeholders, artists/arts professionals and community members will review all applications based on the following criteria:

• Qualifications and professional experience of artist(s).
• Artistic merit of previous work (as expressed in artwork samples submitted).
• The artist(s)’ responsiveness to this project (as outlined in the Expression of Interest Statement submitted).
• An expressed desire to create artwork in and for the public realm.
• Demonstrated ability to meet deadlines, budgets, and success in executing projects of the scale outlined in this document.

Please note, the Selection Committee and the City of Burlington reserve the right to not recommend any application, proposal, or finalist and to terminate or re-advertise any project.

Submission Requirements

1. Expression of Interest Statement (1000 words maximum): A brief statement outlining your interest in this project. Please include the following:

• Describe your artistic practice and why you are interested in this opportunity. Please outline any relevant experience or qualifications relating to community engagement or education.
• A preliminary outline of your proposed approach to community engagement for this project.
• A high-level description of your proposed mural design (i.e., your preliminary thoughts on how you would approach the theme of the mural and how this connects to your artistic practice).
• Please note, mural design sketches are not required.

2. Biography (250 words maximum): A short biography outlining the relevant interests, experiences and qualifications of the artist(s).

3. Curriculum Vitae / Artist Resume (4 pages maximum): Outline recent qualifications and artistic activities. If applying as part of a team / artist collective, please submit one consolidated C.V.

4. Artwork Samples: Submit up to ten (10) images of your past artwork which best illustrates a related body of artwork to the proposal.

5. Image List: A numbered list that corresponds with the Artwork Samples. Please include title, date, materials, dimensions, locations, commissioning agent or client and budget (if applicable).

How to Submit

Applications may be submitted online: burlingtonpublicart.com/calls-for-artists

Submission Deadline: September 8, 2025, 11:59pm ET

For additional information or questions, please contact:
Kim Selman, Arts and Culture Planner
City of Burlington
kim.selman@burlington.ca | 289-208-5925

City of Burlington
426 Brant St, Burlington, ON
www.burlington.ca/culture
www.burlingtonpublicart.com
kim.selman@burlington.ca
289-208-5925

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Accessibility:
City of Burlington is fully accessible. For more information, visit burlington.ca

Image Descriptions:
1. Digital rendering of the Robert Bateman Community Centre. A tree-lined driveway leading to a brick and glass building.
2. City of Burlington logo and Burlington Public Art logo