Public Art Roster

Ideal for artists specializing in 2D design or illustration, this opportunity requires the ability to translate artwork into vector files. Artists can also choose to collaborate with a designer to scale their work for larger applications. This category is well-suited for practices such as graphic design, illustration, drawing, painting, lens-based work and collage.

Artists who create murals are encouraged to share their qualifications and experience in this area. When applying, please indicate your interested in being considered for mural projects and provide details about your mural experience. Please tell us if you hold certification for operating elevated work platforms.

The Public Art Roster is open to all artists, whether working individually or in collaboration. We strongly encourage applications from artists who face barriers to accessibility due to gender identity or expression, racial identity or perceived disability.

For this call, an artist is defined as a professional who:

• Has completed formal art training or an apprenticeship with a recognized practitioner in the field.
• Has Maintained an active artistic practice and has publicly shared an independent body of work for at least two years.
• Is recognized as a professional by peers within their artistic community.

You do not have to be a resident of Burnaby to apply, but an understanding of or relationship to Burnaby will be considered an asset.

Portfolios will be evaluated by a panel of City of Burnaby staff and members of the Burnaby Art Gallery Public Art Advisory Committee. Once reviewed, those added to the roster will be notified of their active status and will be contacted when opportunities arise. Proposals are reviewed based on the following criteria (order listed does not indicate the order of importance):

• strength and creativity of past art and/or design work
• demonstrated ability to produce and present relevant work
• connection to place
• artist’s capacity to work with City contractors and/or other professionals as required

An artist’s capacity to engage with community groups will be considered an asset. This type of activity may include organizing and leading workshops, speaking with different community parties or other relevant activities that can inform creative design.

Please note: artists who are invited to contribute to works involving schools or youth through community centres or private businesses must pass a criminal record check in order to proceed. 

Materials submitted for consideration to the Public Art Roster will be treated as confidential. Ideas presented are understood to be the intellectual property of the applicant and the information contained therein will not be reproduced or adapted for any purpose, except to the extent necessary to communicate information to staff and the selection committee for the purpose of evaluation and analysis. The City will not release this information to the public except when required under the Province of BC’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

An artist working with the City of Burnaby who is undertaking a project with physical labour, onsite work or fabrication must carry commercial general liability insurance, which must be demonstrated at the time of contracting. Commercial general liability insurance requirements are $5,000,000 for the duration of their contract period. This includes liability for injury to the public, the artist and any employees of the artist who may be working on the project. 

In the case of artwork installed in City spaces, a maintenance manual will be required by the City to understand materials and conservation requirements. The manual will describe in detail the specifications of materials and finishes, method of cleaning, preserving and maintaining the final artwork, and drawings and instructions for its care.

Copyright on the completed work usually belongs jointly to the artist and to the commissioning organization or the City and is negotiated on a project-by-project basis.

A signed agreement is required before a commission is awarded. The contract is signed once legal provisions have been agreed between the City and the artist. Independent legal advice is recommended and can form part of the costs of a project. Contract payments are made in installments, usually as a percentage of the total contract amount, and geared to specific stages of production.
 

Fees for artistic services follow CARFAC (Canadian Artists Representation / le front des artistes Canadiens) guidelines. CARFAC sets a national standard of fees that accords artists fair compensation for the use of artwork and certain services that artists provide. Artistic services anticipated to be associated with the activities covered by the Public Art Roster may include (but are not limited to):

• artist fees (for concepts and designs)
• production/fabrication expenses
• installation or other types of labour
• presentation fees

The Roster ensures artists who are interested and qualified can be considered on an ongoing basis. Projects may be initiated by any civic team that seeks to integrate creative elements into infrastructure renewals or upgrades. Portfolios will be reviewed by teams to determine an artist who has the capacity to take on a project. 

One area of work will be murals or other surface treatments on walls or ground planes. Community amenities or play areas like splash pads where there is a desire for colour and creative integration are likely.  Artists could also be asked to add a treatment to street objects like planter boxes, traffic barriers, controlled crosswalks. These would be painted by the artist. 

A 2-dimensional design application may be necessary for some utility objects such as integrating illustration into shade canopies, applying a colourful composition to seating, or wrapping a vinyl covering on a utility objects like a hydro or traffic control box. A third possibility could be a design-based approach where a work is translated into a CAD drawing that can be applied to industrial fabrications, making a mold for an object that is produced in multiple, like city manhole covers.

The Public Art Roster is open to established and emerging artists, including those interested in expanding their practices into the public realm for the first time. Applications require a statement of interest, resume and a portfolio of previous work. It is helpful to share work that will be applicable to the types of opportunities cited in this Call to Artists. 

The amount of time any project remains in place is determined by the nature of the materials, goals of the project, and ongoing maintenance considerations.