Become a featured artist in our 10th annual NBYXE Festival Saturday, September 23rd, 2023.

Nuit Blanche Saskatoon is a free, night-time arts festival that showcases and celebrates art and culture. Overtaking multiple venues and public spaces throughout Saskatoon’s core neighbourhoods, the festival will feature sculptures, installations, performances, music, theatre, visual arts, poetry, projections, and other contemporary art forms. The festival allows people of all ages to engage with Saskatoon’s thriving arts scene while safely exploring public spaces late into the night.

We are looking for art that falls into at least one of four categories:

• Interactive – ways for festival-goers to get involved, interact with the art, try something new / make something to take home.
• Transformative – art that wows viewers and transports them to another world. The use of lighting, installation, performance, etc., are great ways to transform a space. Recontextualize a Saskatoon street, building, alleyway or landmark (Traffic Bridge, Sturdy Stone, etc.)
• Perspective – art that shares a perspective, story or message. A way to nurture community and connect through creativity.
• Connection – art that does what good art does, helps us feel more connected.

We encourage projects incorporating spectacle and light that interact with public spaces. Projects should inspire and engage viewers and help them discover a different side of Saskatoon. We are committed to emerging practices that promote dialogue in our culturally diverse communities.

LOCATIONS
Projects will primarily take place on closed city streets, parks, and alleyways and in partnership with local businesses. We welcome applicants to suggest specific sites for their work and consider how their project would function/interact with the space. Our Programming Committee will determine the final location.

• Sections of Broadway (10th – 12th street, alleyways, etc.)
• Sections of Riversdale (on 20th between Ave A-E)
• Sections of Downtown (3rd Ave, riverlanding etc.)

BUDGET
Our standard budget per project is $790 ($440 CARFAC recommended artist fees and $350 for material costs, equipment rentals, etc.) Artists are welcome to propose more ambitious projects that require a higher budget. Please outline the need for additional funds in your proposal.

Artists are encouraged to seek additional funding and sponsorship opportunities from grants and private sponsorship in addition to Nuit Blanche’s fees. Nuit Blanche can provide a letter of support to assist with securing funds.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
In a single pdf, please include:

• Your name, address, telephone number, email address
• Website and social media (optional)
• Artist Bio (50 words)
• Project title
• Up to three suggested location ideas (optional)
• Concept – the message behind the work (50-100 words)
• Descriptive text outlining technical specifics of the work (materials, set up, layout, audience interactions/engagement, technical requirements, e.g. electricity, lights off, wall to project on, etc.)
• Project budget amount requested

Please attach up to 10 jpg of your work (no larger than 1MB per image) or up to 10 minutes of time-based work (.mov, .mp4, .avi or link to Youtube, Vimeo or SoundCloud). If you are providing links, please embed these within your pdf.

All submissions must be received by March 31, 2023, at 11:59 pm.

Submit applications with “Your name/group name NBYXE submission” as the subject heading to: programming@nuitblanchesaskatoon.ca

If you have any questions or require additional information, do not hesitate to contact our curator Jane McWhirter at: programming@nuitblanchesaskatoon.ca

Nuit Blanche Saskatoon recognizes the importance of equity and diversity. If you feel comfortable, we encourage you in your application to self-declare if you identify as part of an underrepresented work equity group, such as people with disabilities, BIPOC, or LGBTQ2S+.

Image credits: Courtesy of Mila Media.