Artist Call – Commissioned sculpture(s) to honour the 150th anniversary of the telephone

Opportunity Overview

STEPS Public Art and the City of Brantford invite professional Canadian artists and artist teams to submit qualifications for the first stage of a two-stage public art competition. This opportunity is for the creation of a new public artwork, or series of artworks, that will honour and celebrate the 150th anniversary of the invention of the telephone. The commissioned sculpture(s) will be installed in Alexandra Park, located at 265 Dalhousie Street. 

This call to artists seeks to commission new artwork(s) to honour and celebrate the life and legacy of Alexander Graham Bell and the invention of the telephone in Brantford, along with its profound global impact. Unlike the existing monument dedicated to Bell, located in Bell Memorial Park, this new work should take a less representational approach. Artists are invited to explore broader themes such as communication, the 150th anniversary, distance, interconnectedness, and more. Submissions that are innovative, unique, and conceptually driven are strongly encouraged.

This project will also include a mentorship component. A local emerging artist will be selected by the City of Brantford, with input from the selected artist or artist team, to serve as an assistant during the fabrication and installation phases of the project.

Two-Stage Competition

This is a two-stage, open competition for Canadian artists/artist teams. A Selection Panel composed of practicing arts professionals and community members will be established for this two-stage competition.  Shortlisted artists, as well as the final selected artist, will be determined through a combination of scoring criteria and deliberation by the Selection Panel.

Project Timeline:

  • August 2025: Artist Call is issued
  • September 28, 2025: Stage One Applications due
  • October–December 2025: Shortlisted Artists identified; Shortlisted Artists develop detailed proposals.
  • January 2026: Shortlisted Artist deliberations; Selected Artist chosen; Artist contracts with client developed; Selected Artist begins artwork fabrication.
  • February–October 2026: Artwork(s) installed.

How to apply

Professional artists and artistic teams are invited to respond to this Artist Call by submitting a single PDF document through the Google Form on www.stepspublicart.org. Submissions must be received by September 28, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Incomplete and/or late applications will not be accepted. Final submissions must not exceed 20 MB in total size.

Questions

Questions and requests for clarification can be sent to Collin Zipp at collin@stepspublicart.org until September 11, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Applicants who need accommodations or support applying for this opportunity are encouraged to contact Collin Zipp at collin@stepspublicart.org at least 15 business days before the application deadline to allow STEPS to appropriately accommodate your needs and to discuss alternate formats for submitting your application.

Reserved Rights and Privileges of the City

The City of Brantford reserves the right to not award the commission to any Artist and to cancel or re-issue the call at any time.