Artist Calls
Call for Artists - Art & Culture in the Hall
The City of Oshawa is excited to invite local artists to submit proposals for temporary exhibitions to be displayed at Art & Culture in the Hall located outside Council Chambers at City Hall.
We are seeking artworks for exhibition that will be on display from October 13, 2025 to January 27, 2026.
Up to four artists will be selected to exhibit at Art & Culture in the Hall. All forms of 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional art, including multidisciplinary artworks, are eligible for submission.
Applications are due on or before May 9, 2025 at 12 p.m. Late submissions will not be accepted.
Please review the Call for Artists information listed below or this PDF, before submitting your application form.
| Context and Project Objectives |
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The City of Oshawa is situated on lands and waters within the Williams Treaties Territory, home to seven First Nation communities of the Michi Saagiig and Chippewa Anishinaabeg, who have cared for and maintained these lands from time immemorial and continue to do so to present day. Learn more. Each year the City of Oshawa is proud to offer arts, culture and heritage programming in alignment with Oshawa's Cultural Strategic Plan, Culture Counts: Oshawa’s Arts, Culture & Heritage Plan. This call provides increased support for local artists by providing an opportunity to exhibit artwork in a City operated facility. |
| Exhibition Space |
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The exhibition space consists of four locked display cases in the Council Wing hallway of City Hall. The measurements for the locked vitrines are listed below: Vitrine 1: Length – 70 inches, Depth - 22 inches, Height - 95 inches Vitrine 4:
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| Application Process |
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Applicants will be asked to submit the following:
If you experience difficulties with the submission form please email your submission to [email protected]. |
| Selection Process and Criteria |
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A selection committee will review the submissions. The selection committee may consist of representatives from the City’s Cultural Leadership Council, Public Art Task Force, and/or City staff. The applicants selected will be chosen based on specific Selection Considerations outlined in the Public Art Policy and select Guiding Principles as outlined in the Public Art Master Plan:
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| Compensation |
| The selected artists will receive an honourarium of $200 each. |
| Eligibility |
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The City of Oshawa invites applications from artists at all stages of their career, including emerging, mid-career, and established artists. Artists do not need to be working professionally full time in the arts and culture field. This call is open to local artists. Local is defined as someone who was born in, resides in, or has a significant connection to Oshawa, or an Indigenous person with a connection to the traditional territory that Oshawa now occupies. The applicant must be 18 years of age or older. Employees of the City of Oshawa are not eligible. |
| Anticipated Timeline* |
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Submission deadline: May 9, 2025 Artists notified: June 23 to June 27, 2025 Final artwork images submitted to staff for review: July 28, 2025 Artist statement and exhibit plans submitted to staff: August 25, 2025 Drop-off artwork at the Arts Resource Centre: September 22 to September 26, 2025 Exhibit installation by City staff: October 6 to October 10, 2025 Pick-up artwork: January 27 to January 30, 2026 *The timeline may be subject to changes. |
| How to Apply |
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Complete the online application form. If the files exceed 14 MB (4 MB artist statement/artist biography, 4 MB letter of intent, 4 MB examples of past work, and 2 MB for CV), artists are asked to email [email protected] and use an external file share program. |
| Terms and Conditions |
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The artists selected will be required to enter into a contract with the City of Oshawa to exhibit their works. If the City and a selected artist cannot agree on the terms of the contract, the selection committee may, at the City of Oshawa’s sole discretion, choose another artist to exhibit their works. No artist shall have any rights against the City arising from participation in this Call for Artists or submitting an application for the City of Oshawa’s consideration. By submitting an application for the City of Oshawa’s consideration, artists hereby release and hold harmless the City of Oshawa from any and all actions, charges, claims, costs, damages, demands, liabilities, losses, suits, proceedings, costs and expenses pertaining to the artist's participation in the Call for Artists. By submitting an application for the City of Oshawa’s consideration, artists agree that all decisions of the City and its employees in relation to the Art & Culture in the Hall exhibition are final and binding. Artists also agree that the selection of the winners by the selection committee is final and not subject to any right of appeal or review. By submitting an application for the City of Oshawa’s consideration, artists represent and warrant that they have read and understood and agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions. The City of Oshawa and its partners/agents will not be responsible for insurance coverage of the works of art while they are on display. The City of Oshawa will not facilitate sales of the artwork. The artwork may not be sold during the exhibition period. |
| Equity Statement |
| The City of Oshawa is committed to fostering an equitable and inclusive community that celebrates the diverse lived-experiences of our residents. We encourage submissions from artists from equity-deserving groups that have been historically underrepresented in the arts, including BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour), 2SLGBTQIA+ identifying individuals, people who are Deaf, and persons with disabilities, and strive to eliminate barriers to the meaningful inclusion of members of these communities. |
| Application Questions |
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If you have questions about applying, or require accommodations to participate in this process, please contact [email protected]. We are happy to provide support and advice related to the application to make this call as accessible as possible to applicants. |
| Content Guidelines |
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All projects must meet certain requirements. The following content guidelines must be adhered to for Artwork:
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Stay Informed
Thank you for your interest. The City of Oshawa currently does not have any open calls for artists.
To stay up-to-date on future calls for artists, we encourage you to: