City of Mississauga

Culture Division

201 City Centre Drive, Suite 202

MISSISSAUGA ON L5B 2T4

mississaugaculture.ca

DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: Thursday, March 22, 2018 by 4 p.m EST.

Small Arms Building Chimney Temporary Public Art:

Call for Proposals

  1. PROJECT BRIEF

The City of Mississauga (the “City”) Public Art Program invites professional Canadian artists or Canadian artist teams to submit proposals to create site-specific temporary public art for the Small Arms building. Artists are asked to submit a proposal for artwork for the 11 meter chimney above the building’s main entrance. The artwork can also be extended to the roof area directly below the chimney. Because this location will mark the entrance to a large new creative hub, we ask that artists consider installations that are bold and original—artworks that will heighten visitors’ experience upon arrival and signal the creative encounters contained within this heritage structure.

  1. SITE CONTEXT

Currently being developed into a creative hub, the Small Arms building has a rich and many-layered history. Located within the Lakeview community, close to bustling Port Credit and Longbranch, this creative hub sits on beautiful conservation lands that stretch from Lakeshore Road East to the waterfront. It is situated within the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation, previously of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, Wyndot and Huron people. Mississauga continues to be home to many Aboriginal, Inuit and Métis peoples. The structure was built in 1940 as the administration and testing lab for the manufacturing of small fire arms made for World War II. This building is the last remaining structure of a larger arms manufacturing plant and was mainly staffed by women during World War II. It acted as a military training facility until 1957 and remained in use as a government arms facility until the 1970s. Under threat of demolition, the Small Arms building was designated as a heritage site in 2009.

Small Arms will open its doors to the public in June 2018 as Mississauga’s newest creative hub. The building will be a flexible, multi-disciplinary facility for the arts, heritage and the environment, programed by City Culture staff alongside local arts groups such as the Small Arms Society.

  1. LOCATION DETAILS

Site address: 1352 Lakeshore Road East, Mississauga, ON L5E 1E9

The chimney is located on the east side of the building, above the courtyard. This is the main public entrance to the building. The roof area is directly below the chimney.

Chimney Dimensions: 11.2m (h) x 1.44m (w)

Roof Dimensions: 15.5m (l)

(See Appendices A & B for site photos and elevation drawings with full dimensions)

  1. PROJECT CONSIDERATIONS
  • Artwork may partially or fully cover the chimney.
  • Artwork may be bracketed, strapped, wrapped, projected onto, or attached by any means devised that does not compromise the heritage brickwork. Artwork may perforate the chimney’s grout but not the brick. Any artwork installed on the roof below the chimney must not perforate the roof’s membrane.
  • This is a heritage designated building and as such must adhere to regulations within the Ontario Heritage Act and relevant municipal by-laws (link)
  • Any installation impacts on the building must be reversible.
  • All proposals must clearly indicate any electrical requirements and estimated costs of electrical requirements.
  • The artwork should be made to withstand up to a 2-year installation.
  • Artists are encouraged to drive or walk by the building to get a sense of the site from the street but the building is currently closed due to construction. We ask that artists refrain from trying to enter the construction site. Shortlisted artists may have an opportunity to visit the site by arrangement of the City.
  1. TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS

Please note the following technical requirements for the artwork. The artwork:

  • Shall be designed and constructed within budget;
  • Shall be appropriate for the site in scale, execution, materials and creativity;
  • Shall be constructed of durable materials that can withstand the winter season, theft and vandalism;
  • Shall not obstruct pedestrian and/or vehicular traffic in any way, including blocking necessary traffic site lines;
  • Shall not contain design content in breach of any intellectual property, trademarks, brands, or images of vulgar, offensive or illegal activity;
  • Shall meet all City standards, including safety, permits and by-laws, and;
  • Shall be suitable for exhibition in a public space and should therefore avoid sharp edges, points, projections or pinch-points which may cause injury.

Please note: all proposals are subject to the City of Mississauga review and approval.

  1. INSTALLATION

The artist or artist team will be responsible for professional installation of the artwork. They will ensure that all sub-contractors adhere to City safety policies. The City’s Public Art Division will assist in coordinating with other Divisions if needed.

  1. BUDGET

The total budget for all expenses related to this project is a maximum of $25,000 + HST Canadian Dollars. Proposals indicating a total cost including artist fees, materials, installation and expenses exceeding this will not be considered. No further compensation will be made to the artist for costs associated with participating in the selection process.

* The aforementioned budget includes all expenses related, but not limited to: artist fees, preparation and submission of detailed renderings, coordination and technical consultations including engineering approval or other expertise as required, preparation of any information and/or documents required for installation, attendance at meetings and site visits, travel to the site and to meetings, insurance as required by the City of Mississauga, purchase of relevant materials, shipping costs, delivery to the site, installation, drafting of a maintenance plan and an artist statement for the completed artwork.

  1. SELECTION & EVALUATION PROCESS

All shortlisted proposals will be reviewed by an independent Jury made up of arts professionals and subject-matter experts. The Jury will recommend an artist or artist team for the award of the commission.

The Jury will consider the following criteria in the selection process:

  • Artistic merit, substantiated by an artist’s past body of work, as well as the inherent quality of the proposal in terms of its vision, design, aesthetics and excellence;
  • Appropriateness for the Site and to its context;
  • Qualifications and professional experience of the artist or artist team
  • Demonstrated experience on relevant large-scale projects
  • Feasibility of fabrication and ability to meet budget and schedule;
  • Public safety;
  • Appropriate degree of durability;
  • Resistance to vandalism, and;
  • Degree to which the installation meets the project considerations (Section 3 above).

Finalists may be asked to attend an interview with the Jury. The City will not provide any additional compensation to finalist(s) to attend the interview.

The City reserves the right to select and retain the Artist deemed most appropriate for the project at its sole discretion.

  1. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Interested artists must exercise care when completing their submission as failure to fully and accurately complete the required documents may affect the evaluation of their submission and may cause their submission to be rejected.

Prospective artists must ensure that all information provided is correct. Submissions must contain the following in one (1) document, in PDF format to a maximum file size of 20MB. If the file size exceeds 20MB, artists are asked to use an external file share program such as WeTransfer. Please note submissions which are not formatted as one document will not be considered.

i.Artist’s CV and up to 5 images of past work: highlight relevant experience on projects similar to or directly related to this project.

ii.References: Please include contact name, title, organization, telephone number and email address for three relevant references.

iii.Up to 10 digital images of the proposed artwork(s) including: artist renderings, sections and/or details as applicable concept sketches, 3D visualizations, and other images as applicable.

iv.Maximum one-page Artist Statement describing the artwork, how the viewer will interact with the artwork, installation method, as well as all relevant dimensions, anticipated weight, and material selection. The Artist Statement should also include any maintenance requirements.

v.Proposed budget and schedule for fabrication, construction and install.

Artist(s) will retain copyright over their proposals; however the proposals may be used by the City in meetings with stakeholders and City staff. Please note that the proposals will not be returned.

Artist Teams:

Submissions from artist teams are acceptable, but only one proposal is allowed from the team and any artist on the team. The submission must clearly note the lead artist who will be the main contact, representing the team, in the process. Provide only one Artist Statement. Provide CVs for each team member.

SUBMIT PROPOSALS BY EMAIL TO:

Email:

Subject: Artist Proposal – Small Arms Building Temporary Public Art

  1. PROJECTED TIMELINE

Anticipated Dates / Project Stage
Feb 24 / RFP issued
March 22 / Deadline for submission of Artist Proposals via e-mail to Public Art Coordinator by 4:00 p.m. EST
March 28 / Jury meets to review proposals and choose Finalist
April 3 / Finalist notified
April 2-13 / Technical/safety review, final approvals & contract execution
Early April-Late May / Artwork fabrication
June 4-8 / Delivery of artwork to Site and installation
June 2020 / De-installation of Artwork

The schedule above is provided as a guideline only and is subject to change.

The City will endeavor to notify artists of the results of this request for proposals in September, subject to internal approvals. The City reserves the right to solicit public and technical feedback on the proposals and/or to interview artists and check references as required. The City reserves the right not to select or retain an artist and/or not to proceed with the project.

It is expected that the development of art concepts and technical documentation will be completed within the schedule as stated above and will not incur delays to the project.

  1. RESERVED RIGHTS OF THE CITY OF MISSISSAUGA

The City, at its sole discretion, reserves the following rights to:

  • Request clarification or additional information, as it deems necessary to evaluate submissions;
  • Determine the suitability of the submission and capability of the prospective artist(s);
  • Select the artist(s) that it deems most appropriate for the project;
  • Make no selection or to cancel this process at any time;
  • Issue public announcements regarding the competition.

This document and any submissions in response to it by prospective artists do not create any binding obligations on the City, the prospective artist(s), or any other party.

  1. APPENDICES

Appendix A: Site Photos

Main Entrance

Side view of chimney

Interior

APPENDIX B: Elevation and Dimensions

Main Entrance

West Side

North Side, view from Lakeshore Road East

APPENDIX C: Site Plan

APPENDIX D: Pertinent Project Examples

(These are not intended to direct proposals, but rather to spark countless creative possibilities)

MiritzHillebrand, ZurichTell Me Something, Andrew Kearney, Limerick

Wychwood Barns, TorontoMario Mertz, Centre for International Light Art, Unna

Dorette Sturm, Nieuwe Wind

DRU Industrial Park, Uft