Standing Offer: Public Art Project Leads

We acknowledge that the land we gather on, Mohkinsstsis, is the ancestral territory of the Siksikaitsitapi — the Blackfoot people — comprising the Siksika, Kainai and Piikani Nations, as well as Treaty 7 signatories, the Tsuut’ina Nation and the Îyârhe Nakoda Bearspaw, Chiniki and Goodstoney First Nations. Today this land is home to the Otipemisiwak Métis Government Districts 5 and 6 as well as many First Nations and Inuit from across Turtle Island.

We acknowledge that there has been art, music, dance, storytelling and ceremony on this land since time immemorial and it is in the spirit of this land and its people that we do our work.

Application Assistance

Calgary Arts Development is committed to open, fair and transparent processes. We recognize that the job application process can create barriers to access for many applicants who are interested in applying. Our job calls are written in English, shared online and require applicants to email their applications in English. This creates technological, linguistic, communication and cultural barriers, to name a few.

In recognition of these barriers, eligible applicants can request assistance to help alleviate some of the costs associated with preparing and submitting a job application. Our Applicant Support & Accessibility Policy is available for applicants who may need support from staff, or financial assistance to access support from someone outside of Calgary Arts Development. Please see the end of the document for more information or reach out directly by emailing jointheteam@calgaryartsdevelopment.com.

Employment Equity Statement

Calgary Arts Development is an equal opportunity employer and employs people without regard to race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, language, citizenship, creed, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, physical and/or mental abilities.

While remaining alert and sensitive to the issue of fair and equitable treatment for all, Calgary Arts Development has a special concern with the participation and advancement of members of designated groups that have traditionally been disadvantaged in employment: Black, Indigenous, people of colour, immigrants and newcomers, persons with physical or mental disabilities, and members of the 2SLGBTQIAP+ community.

It is important to note that our office in the Edison downtown is not fully accessible although it is wheelchair accessible and has an accessible gender-neutral washroom. We are not presently equipped with technology that supports those with hearing or visual impairments. While we seek to be more accessible in the future, we feel it is important to be transparent about the limitations of our workplace as it is at present.

Who Are We?

Calgary Arts Development is our city’s designated arts development authority. We provide grant investments to hundreds of arts organizations, individual artists, and groups. We value relationships, generosity, reciprocity, plain language and curiosity.

We believe the arts have the power to build our city. Through the arts development strategy, Living a Creative Life, our vision is a creative, connected, prosperous Calgary where every resident has the opportunity to live a creative life. We foster a sustainable and resilient arts sector and support arts-led city building.

Strong relationships are central to our work and will be particularly central to this role. We honour artists and believe that art is a critical component that benefits the public good. We welcome new introductions and partnerships with artists and arts organizations as well as with others whose work may be outside the arts who are trying to make our city great through living a creative life.

Our team has been working towards creating shared environments where all people can feel safe, heard and validated. A sensitivity to the lived experiences of diverse, marginalized and equity- seeking people is very important as we continue valuing equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility in all aspects of our work.

Standing Offer for Public Art Project Leads

The purpose of this Standing Offer (SO) is to add qualified consultants and contractors to the list of suppliers Calgary Arts Development can call upon as Project Leads for various public art projects.

A Standing Offer Agreement is an arrangement to provide goods and services at prearranged prices with set terms and conditions, for specific periods of time on an “as requested” basis. A Standing Offer does not constitute a Contract, and a contract against a Standing Offer is a “Call-up.” Each Call-up is a separate Contract between Calgary Arts Development and the prequalified supplier to work on a specific public art project.

The contract for each public art project will be developed based on project needs in coordination with the contracted Project Lead for each request of service after this Standing Offer. Project Leads may contract to work on multiple contracts simultaneously.

Hourly compensation for Project Leads will range from $40 – $50 per hour, depending on project and on Project Lead experience with managing public art projects.

We are extending our standing list of Project Leads that we can access depending on the capacity of projects and programs running at that time and the desired workload of our contracted Project Leads.

Period Covered by the Standing Offer

This Standing Offer will begin as early as January 2, 2025, and end on December 31, 2026, with the option to renew for three (3) additional periods of one (1) year. Contract lengths will be project dependent.

We have multiple projects prepared to commence immediately following the successful identification of Project Leads.

The Roles

We are recruiting multiple Public Art Project Leads from all cultural backgrounds to assist the public art team in managing and delivering public art projects and programs for artists.

These positions will report to the Project Lead Supervisors.

The Project Lead ensures that each program and project is delivered through a lens of inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility and reconciliation and is executed in a way that meets the needs and interests of the community. This role collaborates with various team members including our Public Art Communications Specialist and Public Art Coordinator. They will also work closely with artists and community groups, and engage the public with the arts.

Individuals with lived experience working with Indigenous communities will be given special consideration when developing the Project Lead standing list of qualified contractors and consultants.

Accountabilities

A Project Lead will manage and implement all stages of select public art projects located in the Calgary area. They will be responsible for managing multiple small or large projects, which can include:

Chartering project at its launch
Participating in the development and release of Calls to Artists
Providing application assistance
Leading project/program-related information sessions
Facilitating selection processes
Development and active management of project budgets and schedules
Working with artists, conservators, curators, fabricators and installation teams
Reviewing construction documents and facilitating design development review
Preparation of outreach and education materials
Participation in community engagement
Participation in project/program communications
Contract administration
Developing relationships with community members
Leading a team to ensure the success of each project
Remaining in alignment with our vision for Public Art in Calgary, and ensuring compliance with relevant procurement policies and processes

Who Are You?

Project Leads are passionate about engaging diverse publics in vital conversations through and around public art and artists in Calgary. You are logistically minded, organized, precise, articulate and deeply curious. You are at ease under pressure, and knowledgeable about the field.

You are not all things to all people, but you are probably already a few of these things:

You have strong critical thinking skills and enjoy problem solving.
You can bring a group of people together, help them to feel ownership in a project and bring it to fruition.
You have experience working independently and collaboratively on multiple projects simultaneously.
You are willing to adapt your approach throughout a project and learn from failures.
You are excited about developing new skills and joining Calgary Arts Development on our journey of reconciliation.
You have an understanding of materials used in art-making.
You have administrative expertise.
You bring a level of confidence and humility to your work.
You are passionate about facilitating artists’ development and the production of public art in our city.
You have experience or accreditation in project management.

How to Apply?

Please indicate your interest by emailing your resumé and a cover letter to publicarthiring@calgaryartsdevelopment.com. Please use the subject line: Standing Offer Public Art Project Lead.

Your cover letter should address the question: “How do you balance creative freedom for artists with practical considerations like budget, materials and long-term maintenance?”

If you would like to request application assistance, please email publicarthiring@calgaryartsdevelopment.com or call 403.264.5330 ext. 221 to arrange assistance. Details around application assistance are listed in detail below.

For best consideration apply by January 15, 2025.

If you see yourself in this opportunity, we would love to have a conversation with you. And if you’re not sure, you can learn more about us by exploring our website at calgaryartsdevelopment.com.

We are open to having conversations with individuals in advance of the submission of an application to clarify questions about this posting. Please address those inquiries to Tyler Los-Jones, Project Lead Supervisor, at tyler.los-jones@calgaryartsdevelopment.com.

Mentorship Opportunities

We are interested in providing project lead development and mentorship opportunities for people who see themselves in this role but haven’t worked in exactly this way before. For further conversations about how to develop your capacity as a Project Lead, please reach out to Heather Campbell, Public Art Manager, at heather.campbell@calgaryartsdevelopment.com.

Evaluation of Submissions

All proposals will be rated on a matrix that will involve an analysis of the complete application, including but not limited to such areas as:

Ability to lead public art projects in a high-quality, comprehensive and insightful way, with attention to issues of equity and inclusion
Ability to provide a highly personalized, responsive, efficient and practical services
Education and years of experience
References
Interviews

Insurance & GST Requirements

All contractors and agents hired by Calgary Arts Development must maintain a commercial general liability insurance policy with an inclusive limit of not less than $2 million per occurrence for death, bodily injury and property damage. The agent or contractor’s insurance must be for any one occurrence and such insurance policy must include:

Blanket contractual liability coverage;
Products and completed operations coverage;
A cross liability clause; and
Calgary Arts Development and the City of Calgary as additional insured

Contractors with over $30,000 in contracts per year are required by the federal government to have a GST number, to charge and submit GST.

These requirements do not have to be met in advance of applying to be on the qualified contractor list, though they must be met in order to accept a subsequent contract. As part of our commitment to develop the capacity for public art in Calgary, we can facilitate conversations with existing contractors who can assist in ensuring these conditions are met.

Application Assistance

We recognize that the job application process can create barriers to access for many applicants who are interested in applying. Our job calls are written in English, shared online and require applicants to email their applications in English. This creates technological, linguistic, communication and cultural barriers, to name a few.

In recognition of these barriers to access, eligible applicants can request assistance to help alleviate some of the costs associated with preparing and submitting a job application.

Who Can Request Assistance?

Individuals who self-identify as:

An individual who is D/deaf, hard of hearing, has a disability or is living with a mental illness.
An individual facing language, geographic or cultural barriers.

To receive assistance, you will need to provide:

The name and contact information of someone who can help you (this could be a trusted friend or family member, or a professional service provider) so they can bill us for their work with you. We may be able to make recommendations depending on the service being requested.
The amount you are requesting, including the service provider’s hourly rate.

Types of Assistance

General Transcription or Editing Services and Organizing of Support Materials

Applicants who identify barriers within the writing process directly due to a physical or learning disability or due to living with mental illness.
Maximum Contribution: $75

Language Translation

Applicants writing an application in another language who require translation into English, including American Sign Language.
Maximum Contribution: $150

ASL Interpretation

Calgary Arts Development can make arrangements for reputable, in-person ASL interpreters for interviews, in consultation with the interviewee, and at no cost to the interviewee.

Interview Parking

Applicants who must drive to an interview at our request are eligible to have their parking costs paid by Calgary Arts Development.
Maximum Contribution: $32 per interview, or the equivalent of the daily rate for parking lots that are close to the Calgary Arts Development office.

Childcare

Applicants who require childcare services to attend the interview are eligible to be reimbursed for those childcare expenses.

Public Art at Calgary Arts Development

History

Calgary’s public art program was created in 2004 to deliver broad-based public art programming, and the public art collection has been in existence and growing for over 100 years.

Since 2004, the program has provided a broad variety of programming, permanent artworks and conservation of public art assets on behalf of Calgarians. In the last five years, there have been broad-based discussions around the direction and priorities of the program.

A New Direction for Calgary’s Public Art Program

In September 2019, Council directed The City of Calgary administration to engage a third-party consultant to review a series of broad-based questions to determine if consideration of an external service model was an appropriate direction. In November 2019, Council released the public notice of motion, and directed administration to move ahead on engaging the sector in the development of a request for proposal (RFP) to be released in 2020. After a rigorous engagement and reporting process, Calgary Council approved the transition of Calgary’s public art program.

On March 22, 2021, The City of Calgary announced Calgary Arts Development as the future operator for Calgary’s public art program.

Calgary Arts Development as the Operator for Calgary’s Public Art Program

Calgary Arts Development is focused on stewarding public dollars for public good.

Calgary Arts Development envisions a public art program rooted in meaningful engagement leading to a public realm that tells the story of who we are and what we value as a city. We envision public art that Calgarians can connect with throughout our city; a program that reaches everywhere and everyone.

As a much smaller organization than The City of Calgary, Calgary Arts Development is able to streamline the program and reduce barriers for local artists to participate, while also increasing engagement opportunities and transparency for Calgarians. Our commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility will serve the program well, increasing access and representation from a wide cross-section and variety of artists. We look forward to stewarding a public art program that reflects who we are and what we value as a city.

The City of Calgary worked with us to transition oversight and implementation of public art projects and programs over the course of the past three years, and now we are the official stewards of the program.

Standing Offer: Public Art Project Leads