Artist Submission Requirements
Date of Issue: February 15, 2021
Closing Date: March 26, 2021
Closing Time: 6:00 pm (Mountain Standard Time)
Summary
The Beltline Urban Murals Project (BUMP) is an award-winning community-driven project to showcase art, promote tourism, improve the public realm, and build community spirit in Calgary. Now entering its fifth year, BUMP has curated a diverse portfolio of local, national, and international artists who have created eye-catching, inspiring, and beautiful murals in Calgary. The project continues to expand with the month-long 2021 BUMP Festival celebrating art, music, and community this August.
The project celebrates the diversity, talent and vibrant character of the city through works of art that are thought-provoking, whimsical, awe-inspiring, creative and powerful. We believe public art has an important role to play in building community, promoting dialogue and enriching our cultural landscape.
Since its inception in 2017, BUMP been transforming the centre of Calgary into an expansive open-air art gallery:
- Commissioned over 50 murals celebrating a diversity of local, national and international artists;
- Awarded the 2019 Mayor’s Urban Design Award for Community Initiative;
- Gathered thousands of attendees at the annual BUMP Festival;
- Over 10,000 downloads of our self-guided mural tours in 2020;
- Showcased outdoor film and live music performances as part of a celebration of community and the visual arts.
Details on past years’ murals can be found at yycbump.ca
Intent
The Beltline Urban Murals Project (BUMP) is now accepting submissions for our 2021 project. The submission process is intended to solicit portfolios and qualifications for artists who will be chosen for the project. We are seeking artists, and muralists with varied experience who can execute projects large and small, and who want to contribute to the betterment of the community through art. We value creativity, diversity and talent in our artists. We are an inclusive project intended to be enjoyed by all classes, genders, cultures, ages and abilities. It is important to us and the City of Calgary that we create a safe and equitable space for our cultural diversity to be celebrated and represented through visual art.
Required Submission Materials
Format
Length: Maximum five 8.5 x 11 pages
Size: 10 MB maximum
File type: Submissions should be in a single pdf file
Submit all applications and inquiries to: info@beltlineyyc.ca
Application deadline: March 26, 2021 at 6:00 pm Mountain Standard Time
Each respondent is solely responsible for ensuring that their response is received at BUMP before the specified closing and time. Proposals received after the specified closing and time may not be considered.
Note: Should the proposal requirements for this call be a barrier to you submitting your application, please contact us at info@beltlineyyc.ca before March 26th.
Requirements
The following are required to paint for BUMP:
- Artists must be available to start and finish their mural painting over a 10 day period during the month of August 2021;
- Artists from outside of Calgary, Alberta must make their own travel and accommodation arrangements for the painting period (artist fees will reflect the additional travel expenses);
- Artists will provide their own paint and painting supplies. Artists ordering paint from outside of Calgary must allow shipping time before the painting period. The BUMP team is happy to help direct out-of-town artists to local paint suppliers;
- Artists must be comfortable with using elevation equipment, depending on their paired wall (scissor or boom lifts, scaffolding, ladders);
- Artists will be working outside for the duration of the painting period and must provide all needed supplies and gear to work in any weather condition.
Submission Content
Artist Details
- Provide your artist and legal name(s), email, phone number, and address (including current residing country/province)
- Please include pronouns and how you identify (including as much detail as you would like to share)
- Optional: provide the artists’ website, social media (i.e. Instagram) information
Artistic Practice (1 page maximum)
- A written description of your artistic practice with details on your artistic process, styles, influences, subject matter, chosen mediums and any focus outside of muralism
- A written description of your experience with murals, both interior and exterior. Provide a description of the timelines and sizes of the murals you have painted, referencing images in your portfolio. Alternatively, provide description of experience with other painting or art if you are newer to muralism;
Portfolio (3 pages maximum)
- Provide up to 18 images (6 per page) of previous works. Preference is for murals, however other painting/art work and graffiti art is encouraged. The portfolio should approximately reflect the style of murals you would install. If any submitted references are created by more than one artist, please clearly indicate your contributions for each piece;
- Optional: You may provide two concepts (one horizontal and one vertical) of a proposed mural. Clearly indicate if an image is a concept or a previous work. If your envisioned work for a BUMP mural differs in style and look from your previous work, these concepts are required.
Selection Process
Artist applications will be evaluated by a qualified jury with the objective of selecting a diversity of:
- artists (identities, gender, ethnicity, etc.);
- style/media (artworks of all schools, styles, scales, mediums and tastes should be considered);
- origin (local, national, and international talent);
- qualifications (established and developing artists, particularly local)
BUMP strives to include a significant number of local artists (Calgary and Alberta) as well as artists from the BIPOC and LBGTQIA+ communities.
Successful artists will be advised they have been selected for the project by early May 2021. All artists will be notified whether or not they are selected for the project.
Note: A roster of reserve artists will be created in the event that additional murals are added to the project in 2021, or if selected artists are unable to participate in the festival. Artists will be informed if they are on the reserve roster by May 2021.
Project Details
Wall Details and Budgets
The locations, details, and budgets for the murals will be provided to successful candidates. Artists will be assigned to walls by the jury with consideration of the artist preferences, building owner preferences, artist experience and the jury’s evaluation of location characteristics.
BUMP 2021 Timeline
February 15th-March 26th – Submissions open
April 2021 – Jury deliberations
Early May 2021 – Successful artists notified
May 2021 – Wall pairings
May – June 2021 – Artist concept designs created (once paired with a wall)
June/July 2021 – BUMP Artist lineup announcement
August 2021 – Painting of murals & BUMP Festival
