Public Art Competitions

Main Street Unionville Public Art Competition Open House

Friday, May 24, 1pm - 4pm

Saturday, May 25, 1pm - 5pm

Courtyard of Varley Art Gallery of Markham

Markham residents and community members are invited to participate in an open house showcasing public art proposals for Main Street Unionville. Nine artists have been shortlisted to submit proposals for two integrated public art opportunities: a Main Street Unionville Pathway, and a Rouge Connection Pathway.

The purpose of the open house is to gather community feedback on the artists’ proposals. The feedback will be considered by the selection panel when determining the winning proposal for each competition.

Join us in the Varley Art Gallery Courtyard to have your say!

Main Street Unionville Public Art Opportunities Open Call

Submission Deadline: October 10, 2023, 5PM

The City of Markham invites professional artists to submit expressions of interest for either of two embedded public art opportunities as part of the Main Street Unionville Public Art Program. These opportunities form an integral component of the Main Street Unionville revitalization project, set to conclude in 2025.

The winning proposals for the two opportunities will be chosen through distinct, open, two-stage competitions. NOTE: Each artist or artist team may only submit an expression of interest for ONE of the two opportunities available. After receiving expressions of interest for each project, a short list of five artists or artist teams will be selected to proceed to stage two, by a specially convened panel composed of arts professionals and project stakeholders. The shortlisted artists or artist teams then receive a stipend to develop their proposals. The artists or artist teams that are awarded the final commissions will receive a design fee that encompasses all expenses related to the artwork including fees for design, contract administration, professional services, travel, and other incidental costs. The responsibility for fabrication and installation lies with the project construction team.

Artists are NOT asked to make a proposal at this time.

All competition details, including submission requirements and instructions, see below.

Online Information Session (Recording)
Date: September 28th (Thursday)
Time: 12:30 pm - 1:30 pm

Main Street Unionville Revitalization

The multi-year development of Unionville's Historic Main Street revitalization is guided by the Main Street Unionville Community Vision Plan (2015). This plan outlines land use, character development, and targeted improvements for specific areas between Highway 7 and Toogood Pond Park. The City of Markham initiated the Main Street Unionville Streetscape Master Plan for Commercial Core in 2018, engaging in background analysis, concept development, and community input gathering.

In March 2022, Council approved the streetscape plan, encompassing new sidewalks, road surfaces, infrastructure improvements, and lighting systems. The integration of consistent streetscape elements, site furniture, plantings, and public art aims to create accessible "Street Rooms" while preserving the district's heritage character. The Streetscape Master Plan underscores the focus on integrating new public art, aligning with the goal of maintaining the area's integrity and enhancing its public spaces.

Land Acknowledgement

We acknowledge the traditional territories of Indigenous peoples and their commitment to stewardship of the land. We acknowledge the communities in circle. The North, West, South and Eastern directions, and Haudenosaunee, Huron Wendat, Anishnabeg, Seneca, Chippewa, and the current treaty holders Mississaugas of the Credit peoples. We share the responsibility with the caretakers of this land to ensure the dish is never empty and to restore relationships that are based on peace, friendship, and trust. We are committed to reconciliation, partnership, and enhanced understanding.

We are all Treaty people. Many of us have come here as settlers, immigrants, and newcomers in this generation or generations past. We’d like to also acknowledge and honour those who came here involuntarily, particularly those who are descended from those brought here through enslavement.

Main Street Unionville Public Art Program

In the fall of 2019, Markham City Council approved its Public Art Master Plan 2020-2024, and a related Implementation Plan in Winter, 2020. The objectives of the City’s Public Art Program are to inspire people to live, work, visit and invest in Markham; to celebrate the city's diverse cultures and heritage from multiple points of view; and to connect residents to Markham's built and natural environment.

Main Street Unionville rests on the western bank of a valley carved by a Rouge River tributary across millennia, positioned between two historic mill sites that relied on the creek's power for industry. The Rouge and its branches carry a multi-layered historical significance, bridging eras from before Unionville's establishment to the present day.

The public art program conceived for Main Street Unionville invites artists to delve into the theme of "Wayfinding." This entails spatially linking the heritage district and commercial zone to a broader geographic context anchored in the Rouge's presence. Temporally, it extends the narrative of the historic neighborhood, embedding it within a deeper historical backdrop. Public art bridges contemporary elements with Unionville's heritage, fostering meaningful dialogues between old and new. It also offers spaces to reflect on non-dominant histories, Indigenous connections, immigration to the area, and shifting industries. This curatorial vision of the program provides a contemporary lens through which the area's past can be retraced.

The Main Street Unionville Public Art Program consists of three key elements: two embedded public art opportunities outlined below, and the commencement of an Indigenous garden starting in 2024. Together, they will form a network of pathways that interlace Main Street Unionville into a broader cultural context, encompassing a renewed awareness of past, present, and future.

Aerial view of site, showing Opportunity 1, along Main Street Unionville, and Opportunity 2, connecting Main Street Unionville to the Rouge Trail.

Embedded Public Art Opportunities

Opportunity One: Main Street Pathway
Design Fee: $50,000.00 (+HST)

Two-dimensional art works will be integrated into a series of 13 metal tree grates, 13 metal tree guards, as well as metal fencing along the east edge of a small plaza.

As a series, these pieces can function as wayfinding elements, make reference to features beyond main street, and to adjacent sites of cultural significance. Artworks could create a narrative that unfolds as pedestrians progress along the street, serving as storyboards to remap the past, present, and future of Unionville.

Opportunity Two: Rouge Connection Pathway
Design Fee: $15,000.00 (+HST)

Making a connection, both visual and conceptual, between Main Street Unionville and the Rouge Trail is the objective for an artwork at this site, which will consist of a full-colour image or pattern applied to the asphalt. The pathway artwork will bring awareness to the proximity of the creek ecosystem and history, as well as pointing the way to the trail entrance.

Project Timeline

Work will be coordinated with the construction schedule. Installation is projected to take place in late 2024 or early 2025, but construction timelines may change and deliverable deadlines may be affected. The selected artist will be expected to have flexibility with their installation timeline.

Stage 1

Stage 2

Post-Competition

Competition Format

This is a two-stage, open, competition for professional artists.

A professional artist is someone who: earns a living through art making; or possesses a diploma in an area considered to be within the domain of the fine artist; or teaches art in a school of art or applied art; or whose work is often seen by the public or is frequently or regularly exhibited; or is recognized as an artist by consensus of opinion among professional artists

The City of Markham’s Public Art Master Plan 2020-2024 outlines the City’s commitment to public art created for, and with the input of, Markham communities, and to create opportunities for artists of diverse backgrounds, experience and practice.

A specially convened Selection Panel composed of arts professionals and project stakeholders will be established for this competition.

Stage 1

The Selection Panel will review all EOI submissions and identify a shortlist of up to five (5) artists, based on artistic excellence and demonstrated or perceived ability to create an innovative, engaging public artwork that is complementary to the objectives for the Main Street Unionville revitalization.

Stage 2

The shortlisted artists will be notified by November 10th and invited to submit a detailed design proposal. A Terms of Reference project document will provide shortlisted artists with the technical details required to prepare their proposals.

Proposals will be due on January 8th, 2024. Shortlisted artists will be paid a fee of $2,500 (+HST) for this stage.

Shortlisted artists will attend an interview and present their proposals to the Selection Panel in early February, 2024 (date TBC). The panel will choose a proposal based on the evaluation criteria included in the Terms of Reference, Technical Review comments, and which best suits the overall scope of this project.

Submissions

Professional artists are invited to respond to this EOI by submitting a single PDF document.

This document must be labeled with the name of the artist and the name of the opportunity (e.g.: Last Name First Name_Main Street Pathway.pdf or Last Name First Name_Rouge Connection Pathway.pdf) and include:

• CV (one for each team member, if applicable)
• Artist statement outlining interest in project, demonstrating relevant experience, ability, general artistic approach, and understanding of the site. Do not include proposals at this stage.
• Maximum ten (10) images of work, with captions including title, materials, dimensions, location, and commissioning body (if applicable).
• Names and contact information for two professional references (preferably from recent projects).

Submissions must be received by October 10th, 2023, 5PM.

Incomplete and late submissions will not be accepted.

Email submissions to: publicart@markham.ca

• Please use email subject line: last name, first name_Main Street Pathway OR last name, first name_Rouge Connection Pathway
• Submissions must not exceed 20 MB total size