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Temporary Exhibits – Outdoor Artwork – “Call and Response” New

View of art installations on steps

Left to right: Confederation Park Steps, “Mother Nature” by Natalie Very B.; York Street Steps, “Dancing Shoes” by Ashlyn Mundy; Plaza Bridge Steps, “Zoetic” by Dominic Laporte.

The Art in the Capital Program, managed by Canadian Heritage, aims to raise the profile of Canadian public art in the urban spaces of Canada’s Capital Region. Canadian Heritage is seeking dynamic, impactful images that convey the theme “Call and Response.”

This Call for Proposals is open to Canadian visual artists, photographers, graphic designers and illustrators between the ages of 18 and 39. This competition is intended to provide opportunities to young artists, including students, emerging artists and those entering mid-career.

A term best known for its use in music, “Call and Response” refers to two phrases that reply to each other, as in spoken conversation. This theme asks artists to consider the conversation between artist and location, and viewer to artwork. At first glance, one may view the steps as individual or isolated artworks; however, “Call and Response” asks both the artist and viewer to consider the ongoing dialogue that is creating when interacting with art, and the sense of community that is created from this conversation. All genres will be considered – figurative, abstract, collage, photography, trompe l’oeil, pattern, etc.

Four artworks will be chosen by a selection committee to be reproduced on exterior-quality graphic film and installed on stairs at four prominent locations in downtown Ottawa for a one-year period starting in spring 2024. Artists may submit a maximum of two proposals in total, either both for the same location, or for two different locations.

The deadline for submissions is Friday, April 19, 2024, at 4:00 p.m. (EDT).

This Call for Proposals is open to all Canadian visual artists, photographers, graphic designers and illustrators between the ages of 18 and 39.

Each winning artist will receive a fee of $5,000 for the exhibition of their artwork.

If you would like to receive the competition documents to prepare your submission, please email artpublic-publicart@pch.gc.ca with the subject line “Stairs 2024”

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