Edmonton Arts Council on behalf of the City of Edmonton with Strathcona County is seeking an Indigenous artist or artists to create two site responsive sculptures, one located at each end of the new pedestrian bridge. 

Construction for the new footbridge across the North Saskatchewan River is currently underway. Once complete, the bridge will link Strathcona County (Township Road 540) with the City of Edmonton (167 Avenue) and connect people to the trail systems within the North Saskatchewan River Valley. The Great Trail of Canada (Trans-Canada Trail) will connect to this pedestrian bridge through the local trail systems. 

The new footbridge over the North Saskatchewan River will include shared pathway connections and support open space/​recreational upgrades on both sides of the river. The design also includes: 

• A gathering area at each end of the footbridge. 
• Shared pathways from the bridge to the existing trail system.
• Two viewing lookout areas. 

Public consultation, including a site visit with 21 Indigenous community representatives, helped inform the design of the bridge and the open spaces on each side of the river. 

The artworks will be located in the planting areas in the plaza at each end of the bridge. Selected artist will explore the stories and histories of the bridge’s location within the North Saskatchewan river valley. 

The selected artist or artist team may conduct research and engage with the surrounding community when developing concepts. If relevant to the artist’s process, preliminary ideas for research and engagement may be included in the submission. The EAC can support the artist with any engagement and consultation. 

The artwork will be approved by the EAC and stakeholders prior to artwork installation. 

PROJECT TIMELINE

• Wednesday, May 21, 2025: Deadline for Request for Qualifications 
• Early 2026: Concept due 
• Spring 2026: Design development due 
• Fall 2026: Artwork installation complete

These dates are preliminary, and subject to change due to weather conditions.

PROJECT IMAGES

About Edmonton

Located in the heart of Treaty No. 6 Territory, amiskwaciywâskahikan/​Edmonton is one of Canada’s youngest and fastest growing cities. The traditional meeting ground for many Indigenous communities, including the Nehiyaw (Cree), Denesuline (Dene), Nakota Sioux (Stoney), Anishinaabe (Saulteaux), Niitsitapi (Blackfoot), Métis and the Inuk/​Inuit peoples, Edmonton is home to Canada’s second-largest urban Indigenous community. The city’s continual development as a thriving urban centre encourages ongoing migration of people from across Canada and around the world.

About Strathcona County

Strathcona County is located within Treaty No. 6 Territory and the homeland of the Métis Nation of Alberta, Regions Two and Four, and acknowledge that this land has embraced and nourished the Cree, Métis, Blackfoot, amongst many others, for generations. Strathcona County has an inherent responsibility to foster healthier relationships with Indigenous Partners. We will strive to respond to the Calls to Action as outlined by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. 

Rich with a diversity of recreation centers and amenities, Strathcona County is becoming Canada’s most livable community. The County offers over a thousand square kilometers of diverse ecosystems which span from wetlands to prairies. The presence of art and culture is apparent in the active programming of Gallery @501, Loft Gallery, Festival Place, Smeltzer House Visual Arts Centre numerous local festivals and events, and the County’s growing public art collection. 

EAC’s Public Art Program

The EAC is a not-for-profit organization that supports and promotes the arts community in Edmonton. The EAC works to increase the profile and involvement of arts and culture in all aspects of our community life. The EAC provides stewardship of, and direction for, the City of Edmonton’s Public Art to Enhance Edmonton’s Public Realm Policy.

Edmonton’s 10-year arts and heritage plan, Connections & Exchanges, guides the EAC’s commitment to Indigenous artists and artists from equity-seeking groups. Currently, the City of Edmonton Public Art Collection has underrepresentation from Indigenous artists and artists from marginalized, racialized, and equity-seeking backgrounds. The EAC continues to explore ways to increase representation within the collection by engaging curators and artists as subject matter experts.

Read further about the EAC’s public art program.

EAC’s public art approach

The EAC’s approach to selecting artists for public art opportunities places an emphasis on the potential of what an artist might create for the public realm. Artists are asked not to propose ideas at this time, but instead focus on how they would go about understanding the site and developing artistic concepts.

In general, public art projects are broken down into multiple phases (see sample contract template here):

1. Contract signing
2. Concept development
3. Detailed design
4. Fabrication and Installation
5. Project completion and accession into the City of Edmonton Public Art Collection

The selected artist will enter a three-way contract with the EAC and the City of Edmonton. The EAC oversees the artist’s contract deliverables and supports the artist through all phases. Artists are encouraged to review the sample contract template prior to application. The successful artist(s) must guarantee that their artwork is original and does not violate the copyright of another person. The successful artist(s) must also be prepared to grant and license to the City of Edmonton and the EAC the exclusive right to exhibit the artwork in perpetuity and the non-exclusive right to photograph or videotape the artwork for promotion or distribution, without further compensation.

The artist retains copyright as the creator of the artwork. The City of Edmonton will not alter the artwork without prior consultation with the artist(s). The City of Edmonton reserves the right to move or de-accession the artwork if necessary and will make every effort to notify the artist.

Artworks created for the public realm have unique requirements. For the finished artwork to last, the artist(s) must consider sound design, materials, building methods, safety, and exposure to external risks. The EAC works with artists, conservators, and technical experts to advise and plan lifecycle management.

Submit through EAC’s online portal at SmartSimple.

• Complete (or update) an individual profile in SmartSimple. This is required by whoever is submitting the application (the primary applicant).
• Once a profile has been made, the Strathcona County Footbridge Public Art Project application form will be available in SmartSimple under the ​“Open Opportunities” icon. If the applicant already has a profile, the Strathcona County Footbridge Public Art Project application will be visible.
• If the application is for a team or collective, all named members of the team will need individual profiles in SmartSimple by the application deadline.

If you have any questions about the SmartSimple registration process, please contact support@​edmontonarts.​ca.

ACCESS SUPPORT

Those facing barriers while completing their application may be eligible for Access Support. A barrier can include, but is not limited to, language, culture, physical or cognitive limitations, or any inequity that may complicate completing an application. This support provides funding for specialized assistance with the artists’ application. This could include hiring a qualified typist, interpreter, translator, or other type of support worker to help with submitting a clear application that accurately reflects the artist’s ideas and intentions. Normally, professional grant writers are not supported by this program unless they are assisting the artist with a specific barrier.

Eligible assistance will be supported up to $500. For more information, contact support@​edmontonarts.​ca.

DRAFT APPLICATION ASSISTANCE

The EAC offers the opportunity for artists submitting to this public art call to have their draft submission reviewed before the deadline. If you would like someone to review your draft, please email support@​edmontonarts.​ca no later than 10 business days before the deadline. The EAC may not be able to accommodate requests for review made after this time.

The Edmonton Arts Council is committed to equity in all aspects of its work and invites proposals from all interested parties. We thank all applicants for their time and professional interest in this call. Unsuccessful applicants are welcome to request feedback on their applications.

Artists must submit the following through SmartSimple for consideration:

GENERAL INFORMATION

• Individual profile information will automatically upload from your individual profile, this includes your artist statement, biography, CV/​resume and social media information.
• If applying as a collective, we ask that you provide a separate CV/​resume for each member of the collective (PDF, recommended two pages per document).
• Collectives are asked to provide an artist statement describing the collective’s or each individual’s overall practice and work, including motivations, themes explored, processes and mediums used. (300 words).
• Provide an artist biography for each collective member summarizing life and career highlights, and education relevant to their practice (300 words).

LETTER OF INTEREST

• Explain your interest in this project and how it relates to your current art practice (500 words).
• Include past experiences that relate to this project. This can include examples such as public art projects, project management, community engagement, etc. (300 words).
• Explain your connection to Edmonton and/​or Strathcona County, the neighbourhood, or the community where the artwork will be situated, if applicable (300 words).
• Describe how you’ve approached concept development in past projects and/​or how you plan to for this project (300 words).

SUPPORTING MATERIAL

To support your application, you may upload up to 10 audio/​visual samples of your artistic work. For each sample of your work uploaded, you are required to provide the information listed below.

1. Title
2. Date
3. Medium
4. Dimensions
5. Location
6. Commissioning agent or client
7. Budget
8. Brief description of the work

Uploaded video or audio files should total no more than 10 minutes in length, and all files should be less than 2GB in size. Uploads are preferable to links whenever possible, so that access for the selection committee is as simple as possible.

Links must be direct and public. These links should go directly to the artwork samples specified, rather than to a landing page or home page requiring further navigation by the selection committee.

Do not provide links that go through file sharing sites, such as Spotify, Google Drive, Dropbox, etc., or online portals that require an account to access. This is for the privacy of the selection committee, as well as to have direct access.

Please DO NOT submit images as PDF files, rather directly upload images in JPEG or PNG format.

The commissioned artist or artist team will be chosen through a two-stage selection process. A selection committee will select one artist or artist team for the project. All decisions of the Selection Committee are final. The City of Edmonton and the Edmonton Arts Council reserve the right to revoke the public art call and/​or public art project.

SELECTION COMMITTEE

The Selection Committee includes representation from subject matter experts such as curators, artists, community stakeholders, and project team members. The Edmonton Arts Council will be responsible for all communication, either verbally or in writing, between artists making submissions and members of the Selection Committee. Any communication between applicants and Selection Committee members regarding submissions or the competition may result in disqualification. While every precaution will be taken to prevent loss or damage, the City of Edmonton, Edmonton Arts Council and their agents, and the Selection Committee shall not be liable for any loss or damage, however caused.

The Edmonton Arts Council thanks all applicants in advance, and will only be contacting applicants who are invited for interviews. Please email support@​edmontonarts.​ca if you wish to follow up on your submission.