Call for Artists

This call is open to artists residing or working in the Town of Halton Hills or belonging to local artist organizations. Artists may submit up to 2 (two) examples of creative work for consideration in any form made during the past 24 months. Original works in all media are eligible to a maximum of 48 inches in any dimension. Work must be ready for hanging – including suitable wiring. 

• Please submit each artwork through this online form.

• Open to all mediums, including painting, sculpture, photography, and mixed media. 

• Artists may submit up to 2 (two) pieces for consideration.

• Please include a brief artist statement explaining how your work relates to the theme of water.

• Accepted artists will be notified about drop-off dates after the deadline to apply.

• The Town of Halton Hills will facilitate all sales of art made through the exhibition and arrange payment for the Artist(s) in an agency capacity. HST will be added at the time of purchase. Once a piece of art is sold, a 20% commission is charged based on the artist's revenue. Artists with registered HST numbers will be charged HST on the 20% commission. Please inform the gallery if you are HST registered.

• Artists must be 18+ years of age to apply.

• Work should be ready for hanging – including wiring.

Site Background:

The Town of Halton Hills is located on the Treaty Lands and Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit, as well as the traditional territory of the Huron-Wendat and the Haudenosaunee peoples. Located within the Credit River watershed, the tributary of Black Creek flows through Limehouse. Prior to the arrival of European settlers, the Credit River was central to Indigenous ways of life, supporting settlements, fisheries, horticulture, transportation, and trade.

Limehouse, Ontario, is a historic hamlet within the Town of Halton Hills that traces its roots to the early 19th century. Originally called Fountain Green, it was settled around 1820 and quickly became an industrial hub thanks to its rich limestone deposits. By the mid-1800s, Limehouse was known for its lime kilns, quarrying, and mills, with the Grand Trunk Railway fueling growth and connecting the community to broader markets. The lime industry shaped the village’s character, leaving behind striking remnants such as draw kilns and powder magazines, now preserved within the Limehouse Conservation Area along the Bruce Trail. Tolton Park is located within the heart of Limehouse and the property contains escarpment features, and remnants of the quarry and kiln history.

The design and construction of Tolton Park is currently being advanced. Potential locations for the artwork have been identified as part of the park design. The Town is also willing to consider alternate locations within the park in collaboration with the successful artist.

Through the public consultation process for the park design, the community expressed a very strong desire for the park to have a natural aesthetic, not urban feeling and to blend with the natural surroundings and historic character of the hamlet.

More information on the park development is available at https://letstalkhaltonhills.ca/toltonpark

Compensation:

Up to three (3) artists or artist teams will be shortlisted and paid $2000 CAD to develop detailed proposals.

The selected commissioned artist(s) will receive $9,000 (CAD) + HST. Fabrication and installation costs of up to $20,000 may be covered by the Town and are not included in this artist fee.

This fee includes (but is not limited to): preparation of the final design, coordination and technical consultations including approvals or other expertise as required, preparation of any information and/or documentation, attendance at meetings and site visits, travel to the site and to meetings as required, artwork delivery, attendance at the installation of the completed artwork, and unveiling event.  

Selection Process:

Proposals will be reviewed by an independent Art Adjudication Panel comprised of art professionals and community stakeholders. The panel will receive technical input and advice from appropriate Town staff. This will be achieved through a two-stage competition. In stage one, artists will be reviewed by an art adjudication panel based on artistic merit, past work, professional qualifications, and experience. In stage two, short-listed artists will be required to submit detailed artwork proposals that will be displayed for public feedback before being reviewed by a second art adjudication panel. The Art Adjudication Panel will recommend one artist or artist team for the award of the commission to the Town’s Public Art Advisory Board for approval.

The final selected artist(s) will enter into a contract with the Town of Halton Hills for the artwork creation and installation stage of the project. The final artwork will be completed in fall 2026.

Submission Requirements:

While proposals are not accepted at this stage of the competition, we encourage artis to speak to the artwork themes in this application and their general approach to the site. The creation of a functional public artwork for Tolton Park will be achieved through a two-stage competition administered by the Town of Halton Hills. In stage one, artists will be reviewed by an art adjudication panel based on artistic merit, past work, professional qualifications, and experience. 

Professional artists/artist teams are invited to respond by submitting a single PDF document. This PDF document must be labelled with the name of the artist (Last Name, First Name). Each PDF document must include the following:

1. Submission Form: Please complete the Submission Form online. You will then be emailed a link with instructions on how to upload your PDF application file. 

2. Letter of Interest: 1 page maximum. Describe your interest in this project, potential approach, experience in the field. It is requested that applicants proactively disclose whether they have used AI in the development of this statement to protect fairness and transparency for all applicants.

3. Artist Statement: 1 page maximum.  

4. Curriculum Vitae (CV): Detail professional experience as an artist, past public art experience, and other information relevant to this RFI. If applying as a team, provide one CV per team member. 

5. Artistic Support Material: Maximum of ten (10) images of past work. For each image, title, date, location, commissioning agent (if applicable), budget, dimensions, medium/materials should be provided. If applying as a team, please only submit a total of ten (10) images. It is recommended examples of past work demonstrate artistic excellence, are relevant to the project objectives and evidence ability and readiness to scale work into a public commission.

6. References: Names and contact information (current email and phone number) for two (2) references (preferably from recent public art projects) with their role and affiliation listed. References are not required at this stage of the competition. 

If applying as a team, please list team members and submit required credentials for each. Please also only provide the contact information for the designated contact person. 

Additional Information:

The full call including submission requirements, schedule, and additional information can be found here.  

Please refer to the Town of Halton Hills Public Art Master Plan for additional details about public art in Halton Hills.  

More information on the park development is available on the webpage https://letstalkhaltonhills.ca/toltonpark