CALL TO ARTISTS FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST (EOI)
PUBLIC ARTWORK FOR THE DAVISVILLE COMMUNITY & AQUATIC CENTRE
Ward 12: Toronto-St. Paul’s
Artist Design Fee: $40,000.00 (+HST)

The City of Toronto invites practicing artists (including artist teams) to submit their Expression of Interest to the first stage of a public art competition for the new Davisville Community & Aquatic Centre (Davisville CAC).

The artist(s) will be selected through an open, two-stage competition. The finalist will be awarded a design contract and will be paid a fee of $40,000.00 (+HST), for design and consultation services (including contract administration, project management, travel and other incidental expenses), working closely with staff of Economic Development & Culture; Parks, Forestry and Recreation; project design team CS&P Architects; and other partners to refine their concept proposal to the requirements of the site and other conditions for project realization.

Collaborating with the artist and the design team, City of Toronto staff will manage all aspects of the production of the work, including budget, scheduling, coordination with the design team and general contractor, and installation.

PROJECT BACKGROUND

The Davisville CAC is a capital project of the City’s Parks, Forestry and Recreation Division (PFR), in partnership with the Toronto District School Board (TDSB). The new City facility is located on the Davisville Junior P.S. site and will share space with the new school. The school will have access to the City swimming pools and the City will have access to the school’s gymnasium and underground parking garage.

The new City aquatic centre will be located in the Davisville Village neighbourhood, near the intersection of Yonge Street and Davisville Avenue. Designed by CS&P Architects, the centre will provide residents with a three-storey recreational aquatic facility, including a 6-lane, 25-metre lane pool, a leisure/tot pool with gender neutral washrooms and change rooms, multi-purpose spaces, and an active roof.

It will be a valued community space, inclusive and accessible to multi-generational residents that encourages health and well-being through its sports and recreational programming, informed by community consultation to date.

The City of Toronto intends to design and construct a Net Zero Energy Building to attain Net Zero Energy operations through incorporating strategies to deliver Energy, Water and Waste reduction.

PUBLIC ART OPPORTUNITY

The site of the new Davisville CAC is located just north of the Mount Pleasant Cemetery, the Kay Gardiner Beltline Trail and two ravines within the Don River Watershed: the Vale of Avoca to the south (where the remains of Yellow Creek flow), and the Moore Park Ravine to the east, home to Mud Creek. The building’s design and materials were inspired by the ravines, and artists are asked to continue with this broad theme as they consider creating artwork for this project. Artists should also think of ways to engage with community members during the development and/or creation of their proposals. Specific artwork locations are not yet defined, but could include glass surfaces throughout, interior walls and floors, and exterior rooftop surfaces.

TWO-STAGE COMPETITION

This is a two-stage, open, international competition for practicing artists who work in two-dimensional media (drawing, painting, photography, beading, embroidery, etc.).

The City of Toronto’s new Public Art Strategy outlines the City’s commitment to public art created for, and with the input of, Toronto communities, and to create opportunities for artists of diverse backgrounds, experience and practice. We welcome submissions from Indigenous, Black, and racialized artists, and artists with relevant experience who may not have previously worked in the public realm.

A specially convened Selection Panel composed of arts professionals and community members will be established for this competition.

Stage 1: Request for Expression of Interest: 6 weeks (October – November)

An internal panel, made up of design team members and relevant City staff and external advisors, as required, will review all submissions and identify a long-list of qualified artists, based on artistic excellence and demonstrated or perceived ability to create and execute an innovative, engaging public artwork that is complementary to the overall design scheme and community context.

The long-listed artists’ submissions will be reviewed by the external selection panel to select a 5-artist short list to proceed to the second stage.

Stage 2: Request for Proposals: 2 months (January – February)

The short-listed artists will be notified in December 2021 (date TBC), and invited to create a design proposal. A detailed Terms of Reference project document will be provided to guide short-listed artists in the preparation of their proposals.

Short-listed artists will be paid a fee of $1000.00 (+HST) for this stage.

Short-listed artists will present their proposals to the selection panel in March 2022 (date TBC). Presentations will be in-person or online depending on health and travel guidelines in place when the short-list is selected.

The selection panel will choose a finalist whose proposal responds best to the site, both conceptually and technically, and who has the ability or perceived ability to conceive and realize a public artwork on this site.

The selected artist will be notified in March, 2022.

ArtworxTO, the City’s Year of Public Art, will take place in 2021-2022 as part of the City’s commitment to artists and art as part of COVID-19 recovery. All new commissions will be included in the ArtworxTO program wherever possible.

Proposed Competition Timeline:

October 15, 2021: EOI issued
November 1, 2021 at 6pm: Online Infosession – Advance registration is required by emailing Johnson.Ngo@toronto.ca
November 29, 2021 at 5pm: EOI submissions due
December 13 – 17, 2021: Selection panel meeting #1: 5 artists short-listed
December 22, 2021: Short-listed artists notified (latest)
February 28, 2022: Proposals Due
March, 2022 (date TBC): Artist interviews and selection

SUBMISSIONS

Professional artists are invited to respond to this EOI by submitting a single pdf document:

It is important to include your name and the competition title in your file name. Please label your pdf as follows:

Last Name First Name_Davisville CAC

Submission Requirements

– CV + references (for each team member, if applicable)

– Sample projects – should indicate appropriate scale and complexity, relevance to project

– Expression of Interest letter: brief artist statement outlining interest in project, showing relevant experience, ability, and general artistic approach. Please include your experience with and intended approach to the community engaged process. Do not include proposals at this stage.
Images: Maximum ten (10) projects (you may include multiple images on one page), with captions including title, materials, dimensions, location, and commissioning body (if applicable). Audio / Video files may be provided via URL.

– Submissions must be received by 5pm, November 29, 2021
Late submissions will not be accepted.

Email submissions to: publicartcompetitions@toronto.ca

Please use the subject line:

Last Name First Name_Davisille CAC

Submissions must not exceed 20 MB total size
The City of Toronto acknowledges that we are on the traditional territory of many nations, including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples and is now home to many diverse First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. The City also acknowledges that Toronto is covered by Treaty 13 signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit, and the Williams Treaties signed with multiple Mississaugas and Chippewa bands.