TF 11-23-966 - Expression of Interest for Indigenous Public Art- Call for Submissions

Call for Submissions – Indigenous Public Art at McMaster University
DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University
Expression of Interest for Indigenous Public Art

EOI Submission Due on January 5th, 2024 at 4 p.m.

The DeGroote School of Business (DSB) has a new building currently under construction on McMaster University’s Main Campus in Hamilton.  The premise of the new 10-storey MCCD building is to bring together the diverse range of students and faculty from the entire University community to build on cross-disciplinary thinking.  DSB embraces the collective purpose of positively impacting business and societ, with Inclusive Excellence as a tenet of the strategic plan.
It is in this light that an MCCD Art Committee has been assembled, which will oversee and support the entire art commissioning process for the new MCCD facility.  The goal of the committee is to secure Indigenous art which will resonate with the students, faculty, and staff.  This document outlines the specific call for this public art and the associated details.
We give honour and thanks to the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe nations as the traditional inhabitants of the lands where McMaster sits.  To say that is to acknowledge a debt to those who were here before us and to recognize our responsibility, as guests, to respect and honour the intimate relationship Indigenous peoples have to this land. 

The goals of this project are to:

• Meaningfully integrate the public art.
• Support the celebration of Indigenous spirit, culture, and place.
• Embody the DSB and McMaster commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion, especially as it relates to the Indigenous members of the McMaster community and beyond.
• Specifically capture and reflect Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe worldviews; respect and embrace the heritage and cultural identity of the Indigenous people of this land.  It is important that the art reflects the heritage of the land that it sits on.

• Artist statement: describe your interest in this project and share your experience in the field and general artistic approach (300 words).  Please do not include a full proposal at this stage.
• Artist(s) CV(s): one for each team member, if applicable.
• Artist biography.
• Portfolio of past work:  provide samples of relevant work.  You may include multiple images per project on 1 page to a maximum of 10 projects (10 pages).  Add title, year, scope, and budget, and a brief description of each.

• Project Proposal – Written statement of artistic concept, maximum 1,000 words.

• Production of a maquette, or concept sketches, renderings, design details, and a plan that indicates the proposed location with corresponding imagery.  (This is not a final detailed submission, but a clear indication of concept.) 
• Technical specifications on proposed materials and / or feasibility study describing the nature of materials, fabrication process and methods.
• Detailed budget, itemized as follows:
  • Artist fees
  • Material costs
  • Production/manufacturing costs
  • Sub-contractor fee(s)
  • Installation costs
  • Expenses
  • Insurance costs
• Suggested critical path outlining timing from conceptual design to installation.
• Documentation to support Indigenous identity or ancestry, for example:
  • Certificate of Indian Status card (or Temporary confirmation of registered document).
  • Official First Nations issued identification document.
  • Documentation that shows a parent or grand-parent’s name has been entered in the Indian Registrar according to the Indian Act, or on the band list of an individual band (grandparent).
  • Please contact us for further details regarding acceptable verification documents.

• Relevance of the proposed art in that it captures and reflects Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe worldviews, respecting and embracing the heritage and cultural identity of the Indigenous people of this land.
• Originality, imagination, and artistic merit of submission.
• Artist or artist team qualifications and ability to produce site-specific art.
• The artistic impact of the proposed concept to enhance or activate public space.
• Appropriateness of the scale, visibility, and / or presence of the art to the site.
• Appropriateness of proposal to the budget, scope, and anticipated project timeline.
• Suitability and sustainability of material and maintenance requirements.
• General technical feasibility (durability, assembly, safety, accessibility).
• Compliance with submission requirements.