Companion Species - exterior free-standing sculpture(s), Entrance Plaza 

Site specific 3D sculpture (metal, fiberglass, steel, wood, stone, mixed media) 

Companion Species is a concept that describes a relationship among creatures who are significantly different yet form a close bond that becomes mutually beneficial. As this facility will be a site for various interactions, the positioning of a sculpture or installation that can speak to the idea of moving towards relations of dignity and respect among human and more-than-human beings will activate dialogue and reflection. The sculpture/installation or series will be at the main entrance to the facility on the entry plaza.  

Budget: $66,000 (1 commission) 

Shortlist (up to three artists selected to interview) - May TBD 2024  

Interviews – May TBD 2024 

Final proposal due for selected artist (Design stipend $1500) – August TBD 2024 

Artist award and agreement – September TBD 2024 

Delivery of artwork and installation: Summer 2025 

Flow wall: Pointé-aux-Pins Creek - Flat or low relief artwork on exterior panel, front entry 

Site specific installation (glass mosaic, low relief sculpture, ceramic, wood, steel, mixed media, surface treatment or permanent covering/application)  

Pointe-aux-Pins Creek is a significant water feature on Strathcona County’s landscape. One of only a few place names in the County known to have a French origin, the name translates literally as “pointed at the pines.” The creek flows into the North Saskatchewan River from the southeast—from the higher elevations in the Beaver Hills. The public art at this location will act as one of the main visual elements at the entrance to the facility. Ideally, this low-relief sculpture, surface treatment or installation will pay homage to the natural topography of the site, the creek and the landscape of the region.  

Budget: $43,000 (1 commission) 

Shortlist (up to three artists selected to interview) - May TBD 2024  

Interviews – May TBD 2024 

Final proposal due for selected artist (Design Stipend $1500) – August TBD 2024 

Artist award and agreement – September TBD 2024  

Delivery of artwork and installation: Summer 2025 

Drawings and measurements  240305 PAP - East Elevation.pdf (118.9 KB)

Art: plots  

Site specific installations located around the facility (land art, environmental art, artistic-conceptual gardens, conceptual landscaping, elemental installations, exterior sound or sensory installations, eco-art, interactive, four seasons eco-earth-art). The size/location of each art plot will be determined by the artist's proposal.  

The Art Plots will be a series of living, outdoor, interactive installations (these can be temporary public art installations of up to 5 years or long term with minimal maintenance requirements). We seek artists who work with phenomena such as trees, plants, stones, and who also may connect auditory (sound art), light or solar elements, sculpture or social practice to the project. The art plots will be located around the site and visitors can find them using a map and wayfinding elements. The public will roam the grounds of the facility and encounter unique sensory experiences at each Art Plot throughout the seasons.   

Budget: $23,000 each (3 commissions) 

Shortlist (up to 5 artists selected to interview) - July TBD 2024  

Interviews – July TBD 2024 

Final proposal due for selected artists (Design stipends $1000) – September TBD 2024 

Artist award and agreement – October TBD 2024 

Delivery of artwork and installation: Spring 2025  

ARTiCultures: Micro Artist-in-Residence  

ART-i-Culture is an arts-based practice meets permaculture, horticulture, agriculture, apiculture, floriculture, aviculture, viticulture, arboriculture.... or invent your own “art-i-culture”

ARTtiCultures: Micro-artist in residency (AIR) will animate the spaces between and around The Pointe facility and the heritage site of the Bremner House through creative workshops, art-based tours, experiments, programming activities, and the production of temporary or ephemeral public art that play with the theme of ARTiCultures.  A micro-residency provides artists the opportunity to realize, prototype or experiment with projects or concepts in a shorter duration (1-2 weeks vs longer residencies which tend to be 1-3 months) allowing artists that may hold employment or other commitments to participate. 

Budget: Artists in Residence stipend is $835/week for minimum 20 hours/week on-site per artist or artist group. Artists can choose durations from 1-2 weeks to stage their project.

Project/material budget (up to $1000 per project per week)                                                                                                                           

Artist Interviews / questions / discussion period – June - July 2024                                     

Selection – August 2024                                                                                                     

Deadline for participating artists materials for promotion and audience engagement - April 2025  

Micro AIR’s schedule published - June 2025                                                                            

The Micro AIR's will be scheduled between July through September 2025  

Re-tracing Site: Pointe-aux-Pins Acres 

2D interior installation using graphic design based on historical research (refer to the PDF on the Historical research tab) – entrance lobby (choice of surfaces or installation techniques – windows, walls, floors, suspended, freestanding panels, digital displays) 

Budget: $23,000 (1 commission) 

Shortlist (up to three artists selected to interview) - May TBD 2024  

Final proposal due from selected artist / designer (design stipend $1000) – August TBD 2024 

Artist award and agreement – September TBD 2024 

Delivery of artwork and installation: Spring 2025  

Drawings and measurements  Pointe - Lobby With Dimensions.pdf (267.6 KB)

Territorial Land Acknowledgement   

Strathcona County honors the past, present, and future First Peoples of this land. We acknowledge that this land has embraced and nourished the Cree, Métis, Blackfoot, amongst many others, for generations. We recognize Strathcona County is within Treaty Six Territory and the homeland of the Métis Nation of Alberta, Regions Two and Four. 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.  

Strathcona County  

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.  

Strathcona County Public Art Program  

Established in 2014, the Strathcona Public Art Program is committed to increasing cultural vibrancy in the County by commissioning and collecting works of original art. The program hinges on the strength of past years’ commissioning of professional artists to create exterior original works for integration into public places and the annual art purchasing program. The County Public Art Plan mandates one percent (1%) of funds from eligible capital development projects to be set aside for public art to enhance public spaces and make art more accessible.    

Peer Assessment Committee 

Submissions for all opportunities will be prescreened for general eligibility by an internal Strathcona County curatorial team and then evaluated by a Peer Assessment Committee consisting of up to three practicing visual artists and/or art curators. This committee will evaluate all eligible submissions in accordance with the Evaluation Criteria listed below and will recommend a shortlist of artists for interviews. Interviews will be conducted by an internal Strathcona County curatorial team.  

Artists/curators on the Peer Assessment Review Committees are remunerated for their time spent evaluating submissions according to CARFAC Fee Schedule.  

Please email public.art@strathcona.ca  if you wish to participate on a Peer Assessment Committee for this or future projects. 

Note: if you submit a proposal for this project, you cannot sit on the Peer Assessment Committee for this project but may be considered for future juries.  

General eligibility (submissions must meet all criteria) 

• Artist resides in Canada 

• Submission is complete and received within the deadline March 22, 2024, 11:59 PM  

• Artwork is suitable for display in public space  

• Artists can submit up to one application for each opportunity for consideration  

Interviews (optional – at the discretion of the Peer Assessment Committee) 

The County reserves the right to select none, or up to one artist/artistic team and proceed to an award. The decision of the Peer Assessment Committee will be final.  

If the Peer Assessment Committee has questions for the short-listed Artists/Artistic Teams, Artists/Artistic Team may be invited to an interview in person or through a Teams or Zoom video call. Artists should be prepared to speak to their vision for the conceptual artwork and speak to a minimum of two past art projects, materials, and processes.  A complete proposal is not expected at the interview. The evaluation scoring for Interviews will be independent of Stage 1 submissions but will remain the same as above. 

Proposal  

Upon a successful selection of one Artist or Artistic Team, the County will remunerate the Artist or Artistic Team a design fee to prepare a finalized proposal (with renderings), and budget.  An Artist(s)’ Agreement will be established following the finalized proposal. 

Evaluation criteria – projects 1, 2, 3, 4, 5: 

A. Quality / compelling nature of idea - Letter of Interest (sketches are optional): (10 points)    

• Quality or compelling nature of proposed concept. 

• Thoughtful consideration of the site(s). 

• Reasonable proposal for the budget. 

• Description of the process the artist or designer will use to incorporate the provided historical research into their concept/design (for Project 5) 

B. Strength of qualifications: (10 points)      

• Demonstrates a practice in visual art (or socially engaged art practice for Opportunity 4) 

• Demonstrates experience/ability to manage and deliver the scope of work proposed. 

C. Artistic merit of previous artwork: (10 points)      

• Demonstrates contemporary artistic excellence.  

• Demonstrates site specificity or responsiveness to physical context. 

Submission instructions  

Email:  “The Pointe Public Art – Project X (state which opportunity you are applying for: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) in the subject line, applications can be submitted in one email to the Curator, Public Art, public.art@strathcona.ca 

Applications must be submitted by or before March 22, 2024 11:59 PM MST.  Participants will be notified of the results of the selection process by email. 

Content of responses 

• A complete submission must include all requirements listed below.  

Project’s 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 - Please attach one PDF with your proposal, contacts details and your portfolio via email: 

1 – Artist Information   

2 –  CV and Portfolio, Letter of Interest, sketch + description of proposal (optional) 

RFP Conditions    

1. Rights of Strathcona County  

Strathcona County reserves the right to reject any or all submissions, or any part thereof, or to terminate or re-advertise the competition opportunity. The decision of the Peer Assessment Committee will be final 

2. Disclosure of information  

Applicants shall not issue a news release or other public announcement pertaining to details of the RFP, their RFP Submission, or the selection process, without the prior written approval of Strathcona County. 

3. Original work 

The artist(s) must guarantee that the artwork is original and does not violate the copyright of any other person.  

4. Copyright and moral rights    

Copyright, including any and all designs, drawings and final works of art, shall remain the property of the artist(s).  Moral rights will remain with the artist(s).  

Successful artist(s) should be prepared to grant and license Strathcona County the right to exhibit the artwork in perpetuity (pending the nature of the concept) and the non-exclusive right to photograph or videotape the artwork for promotion or distribution, without further compensation. Strathcona County will not alter the artwork for purposes of maintenance, conservation, etc. without prior consultation with the artist. Strathcona County reserves the right to move or de-accession the artwork if necessary and will make every effort to notify the artist. 

5. Confidentiality of information    

Strathcona County employees and Peer Assessment Committee members are required to treat both the content of submissions and the deliberations of the committee as confidential. The information on this application is being collected under the authority of Section 33(c) of the FOIP Act and will be used by Strathcona County to determine eligibility for Strathcona County Public Art programs. The aggregate data may be used for program planning and evaluation. All information collected by Strathcona County is protected by the provisions of the FOIP Act.  

Historical and geographic context 

Strathcona County’s cultural history is rooted in its unique natural heritage. Geographically, Pointe-aux-Pins Acres is set within the Beaver Hills, an area that is unique to this region of Alberta. The Beaver Hills are a slightly elevated island of land that features a dry mixed-wood boreal forest, wetlands and lakes, surrounded by aspen parkland. Retreating glaciers 12,000 years ago created the hummocky “knob and kettle” terrain. The Beaver Hills, designated as a biosphere by UNESCO in 2016, makes up 55 per cent of Strathcona County. 

Significant to the human history of the region, the Beaver Hills-Cooking Lake Moraine provided a perfect habitat for the diverse vegetation, animals, birds and fish on which the nomadic First Nations people thrived for thousands of years. Finding the area to have an abundance of wildlife, the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1795 established one of Western Canada’s largest fur trading posts at Fort Edmonton, near the edge of the Beaver Hills. 

After the Hudson’s Bay Company sold its land to the Dominion of Canada, the North West Mounted Police was established nearby at Fort Edmonton in 1874 and at Fort Saskatchewan in 1875. With law and order in place, and promise of a railway, settlers from many different cultural backgrounds began to arrive to lay claim to land known for its rich and fertile soil. Many Métis families already here took up land claims as well.  

All of this set the stage for the settlement story that played out in this region. Farming and agriculture was the primary way of life in Strathcona County through the first half of the 20th century. Yet, while the onset of industry and residential development in the 1950s brought many changes, the municipality has maintained a stronghold to its rural roots. 

Historical and geographic information for artists and designers

Historical Research Report (6.1 MB)

Fascinating on many levels, Strathcona County’s history can offer a multitude of ideas from which to inspire artists involved in creating public art for Pointe-aux-Pins Acres. By highlighting features of the landscape and aspects of natural and cultural history, the artist acknowledges the specialness of the land and the people who inhabit it. Incorporating history and heritage into public art reflects back to the community memories of its roots, and creates a sense of place, belonging and continuity of time. A detailed report on the history of the Pointe-aux-Pins Creek is being made available to proponents of this project; additional historical information can be found on Strathcona County’s website at strathcona.ca/history