The City of Airdrie and STEPS invite professional artists or artist teams based in Canada to submit expressions of interest and qualifications to create landmark public artworks to be placed within and adjacent to the forthcoming Airdrie Multi-Use Facility & Library. Visit the website for full information about this opportunity. Community Background Airdrie is located on Treaty 7 Territory and is the traditional home of the Blackfoot Confederacy including the Siksika, the Piikani, and the Kainai First Nations, the Tsuut’ina First Nation, and the Peoples of the Stoney Nakoda First Nations including the Chiniki, the Bearpaw, and the Goodstoney Nations. This area is also home to the People of the Métis Nation of Alberta District 4. Airdrie is a rapidly growing city and that growth is expected to continue over the next decade. With a population of over 86,000 people, Airdrie is Alberta’s 5th largest city. Airdrie is embracing this exponential growth while maintaining connection to its historical roots. The city finds itself embodying many dualities: preserving its history while embracing the future, respecting longtime citizens while welcoming the new, maintaining friendly, small-town values while developing into a metropolitan centre. Artwork Themes The City of Airdrie has identified themes for artists to consider as they prepare their applications: Natural features of Airdrie and/or the facility site (Nose Creek Park, the Valley, the Prairies, the big open sky, etc) Reflections of local Indigenous histories/contemporary culture Rural farming history/agricultural origins Railroad history Compensation The public artworks will be selected through an open, two-stage national competition, with a total budget of approximately $390,000 CAD. The project budget includes all costs directly associated with the artwork including; fees for design, fabrication, shipping, installation, engineering and professional services, insurance, permits, travel and other incidental and production expenses. Up to four (4) artists or artist teams will be shortlisted and paid $4000 CAD each to create detailed proposals. Community engagement will be a requirement for the selected artist/artist team. Selection Process This is a two-stage, open, national competition for professional artists based in Canada. Per the Canada Council’s guidelines, a professional artist is defined as someone who: has specialised artistic training (not necessarily in academic institutions); is critically recognized as a professional by their peers (artists working in the same artistic tradition); is active in and committed to their art practice; has a history of public exhibitions; and/or has produced an independent body of work. The Selection Panel will be composed of city officials, community members and professional practicing arts professionals. STEPS and the City of Airdrie encourage applications from all qualified candidates that represent the full diversity of communities in Canada, including complexities of intersecting identities such as ability, class, gender, race and sexual orientation. We are particularly interested in receiving applications from equity-deserving communities. Applications from local and regional artists are also strongly encouraged. There are two stages in the selection process: Stage 1: Request for Qualifications (RFQ) Stage 2: Shortlisted Proposal Development and Presentation Application Requirements Professional artists/artist teams are invited to respond to this RFQ by submitting a single pdf document. This pdf document must be labelled with the name of the artist and project (Name_AMUFL). Each single PDF document must include the following: Contact information: Please include your name, current mailing address, phone number and email address. If applying as a team, please include team members and designate a main contact. Letter of Intent: 2-page maximum (11 point font). Outline of artistic experience, ability, approach and interest in this project, site and community, highlighting relevant experience. Please provide your interest in working with the local Airdrie communities. Proposals are not accepted at this stage of the competition. Curriculum Vitae (CV): 3-page maximum. Detail professional experience as an artist, past public art experience, and other information relevant to this RFQ. If applying as a team, provide one CV per team member. Artistic Support Material: Maximum of ten (10) images of work. For each image, a title and image number should be provided. If applying as a team, please only submit a total of ten (10) images. Support Material List: A written list that clearly outlines the Artistic Support Material (above) with corresponding titles and numbers. Include the following details in order of: Title, date, location, commissioning agent (if applicable), budget, dimensions, medium/ materials, and a brief description of the works (maximum 50 words each). References: Names and contact information (current email and phone number) for two (2) references (preferably from recent public art projects and community engaged projects) with their role and affiliation listed. Reference letters are not required. Application Delivery and Deadline Please visit the website for full information about this opportunity. Submissions must be received by January 4, 2024 at 11:59 pm MT. Incomplete and/or late applications will not be accepted. Applications must be sent via email – faxed or mailed applications will not be accepted. It is your responsibility to ensure the application package is complete and submitted by the posted deadline.