Call to Artists: Public Art for the Atrium, Guelph Central Library

About this call

The Guelph Public Library Board in Guelph, Ontario, Canada, invites professional artists and artist-led teams to submit expressions of interest for an original three-dimensional public artwork for the Atrium of the new Central Library, a two-storey space where the artwork will be the central visual element, visible through the windows and from every floor; the available space is about 191 m2 (21.7 x 8.8 m, ceiling height 7.9 m). The work will celebrate the community's support of the Library and the work of the Library Board over the last 35 years, and will join the City of Guelph Public Art Collection. Artists are asked to consider how the work will invite wonder and joy, create a sense of place and inspire community connection; it may be interactive but must be durable, low maintenance, easy to clean and vandalism resistant. Selection runs in two phases: up to 5 shortlisted artists or teams are paid a CAD 2,500 + HST honorarium to develop a proposal (due February 8, 2027), and the selected artist(s) receive a CAD 250,000 + HST budget covering artist fees, production, studio space, travel and accommodation where necessary, installation and any required insurance. Fabrication runs April to September 2027 and installation is planned for October 2027. An optional online information session takes place on October 20, 2026 at 6 p.m.

Who can apply

• Domestic applicants
• Medium: Sculpture / Installation
• Entry fee: See official site
• Open to artists or artist-led teams whose primary place of residence is Canada and who are legally entitled to work in Canada, and to Indigenous artists residing in or originating from the unceded territories now known as Canada. Artists with limited experience in large-scale, structural or technical work are encouraged to apply with a team that can support those aspects. Guelph Public Library Board members, Guelph Public Library employees and City of Guelph employees are not eligible; Arts and Culture Advisory Committee members must contact the City's Cultural Program and Events Coordinator before applying. Fundraising activities are not eligible. Applicants must disclose any potential conflict of interest. Apply through the online form (individual or team) by November 30, 2026, 11:59 pm EST with: an expression of interest (up to 500 words, PDF max 2 MB); a CV of up to 3 pages (PDF max 2 MB; teams instead send a single PDF of up to 10 pages, max 5 MB, with a CV of up to 3 pages per member and a cover letter of up to 1 page explaining everyone's role, and designate one artist as point person); support materials of up to 10 pages (PDF max 5 MB) with 3 simple visual references for the preliminary vision (fully developed concepts are not requested at this stage) and 7 examples of past or current work (7 in total for a team), each with title, year, medium, dimensions, location, budget if public and a brief description; and two letters of reference connected to previous public art projects, each including a contact name, title, organization, email address and phone number. Additional materials will not be reviewed. Shortlisted applicants (notified December 14 to 18, 2026) must sign an agreement with the Library Board to enter Phase 2 and receive the honorarium, and are invited to a site visit on January 4 to 8, 2027. The selected artist(s) have seven days after notification to finalize and sign the agreement, manage the budget, oversee fabrication, transport and installation, and develop a maintenance plan with City of Guelph staff. The timeline is subject to change. The team application form's closing line says November 27, 2026, 11:59pm EST, while the call page and the top of both forms say November 30; the public pages do not say which applies to teams, so teams who want to be safe can submit by November 27.