« Ever wonder what Toronto would look like if there was art on its construction sites?

Toronto has millions of feet of construction hoarding begging to host your next masterpiece!

In an effort to beautify our city, several Toronto City Councillors are now beginning to require land developers to place art on the walls around their construction sites (otherwise known as « construction hoarding »).

At the PATCH (Public Art Through Construction Hoarding) Project, we bring together local visual artists, developers, city officials, and communities to improve Toronto’s streetscapes.

We do this by:
• Finding potential sites for public art
• Recruiting Toronto area artists
• Promoting PATCH artists
• Liaising between artists, property developers and construction companies
• Curating Special Exhibits
• Providing an online platform to map and share information about public art and future development projects
• Managing the logistics of making this happen!

Who are we?
PATCH is a group of public artists, activists, urban planners and architects that work with the arts community, land developers and the City of Toronto to bring high quality art to our streets.

PATCH is a social enterprise, which means that we charge landowners for some of our services, pay artists CARFAC fees, and after covering the costs of materials and other expenses, we channel leftover proceeds go to our sister organization–the STEPS (Sustainable Thinking & Expression on Public Space) Initiative. STEPS provides free public arts programming to youth in some of Toronto’s most under-served neighborhoods. You can find out more about STEPS by visiting www.stepsinitiative.com.

How does PATCH work?
We work with our partners to identify Toronto-based artists that have an existing body of work, or are interested in developing site-specific artwork for construction sites. We then profile the PATCH Public Artists on our website and promotional materials, and use our networks to promote them to landowners and developers who are interested in hosting public art on their properties. Then we work with developers to identify the creative professionals and artwork that best suits their needs, while ensuring the integrity of our artists and the artwork involved. Once a successful match has been made, we ensure a timely installation of high-quality work and promote the installation through our various channels. Production and installation can range from the large-scale reproduction of already existing work, to the fabrication of multi-dimensional original pieces. In some cases, we might even curate an exhibit that involves multiple land owners and artists.

Is PATCH right for you?
We are looking for artists who live in the Greater Toronto Area and who are interested in exhibiting their work in the public realm. Successful PATCH candidates have a proven capability to produce work of the highest quality and an ability to undertake projects of a scope similar to the PATCH projects. We ask you to submit an artistic CV outlining previous work experience, support material from an individual or organization that can attest to your work, as well as visual support illustrating your artistic talent.

Sample work which meaningfully engages with issues such as reclaiming public space, sustainable living, promoting cultural dialogue, multiculturalism and civil engagement is highly encouraged, but not required. We encourage artists to submit works from a variety of styles, keeping in mind that PATCH installations are primarily 2-dimensional, and as such, the works should be well-suited to this application.

Just at the start of your art career? Think you don’t have what it takes to submit a successful application? Think again!

We are committed to identifying and including emerging artists to participate in this initiative! Please submit the strongest application you can with your current level of experience. We strongly encourage young or otherwise « emerging » artists to contact us directly with any questions before submitting an application at artists@thepatchproject.com.

Compensation:
We recognize the importance of financially compensating collaborating artists for their work, and as such we adhere to CARFAC fee schedules. Artist fees for reproduced images will be in accordance with the scale of the proposed project, while fees for newly commissioned work will vary on a project-by-project basis. As part of the PATCH application process, we ask that artists who have previously produced commissioned work provide the fee schedule they used. While PATCH can in no way guarantee that any newly commissioned PATCH projects will be compensated at the provided rates, we can work with you to develop a fee schedule that can be provided to interested partners / clients as a point of departure.

By applying as a PATCH Artist, you agree to let PATCH create a profile about you and your work on our website, as well as include images of your work in our promotional materials for which you will not be compensated.

While we will promote successful PATCH applicants to potential partners and clients, PATCH is in no way obligated to provide pay work to successful applicants, now or in the future.

Not Competing With Us:
We love Toronto and the artists who live here, and thus want to see as much new work from as many artists as possible on our city streets.

As a result, PATCH Artists will receive a great deal of gratis promotions from us. PATCH Artists will gain exposure to many new individuals and companies interested in public art. While we encourage you to build these relationships, by participating as a PATCH Artist you will also be agreeing to not engage in providing services similar to those outlined on the « Services » page of our website for a period of five (5) years, regardless of the client.

This is not a trick or a trap, it just helps to ensure that the resources we dedicate to creating an impactful and inclusive project will end up doing just that. If you have any questions about these terms, please do not hesitate to contact us at artists@thepatchproject.com.

Application Guidelines:In order to be considered as a PATCH Public Artist, applicants must submit the following through our website at http://thepatchproject.com/register/:
• A completed PATCH Application Form
• An artistic CV (maximum 4 pages, with a focus on pertinent education, exhibitions, collections, publications, presentations, teaching, curatorial projects, awards, grants, residencies, public art installations, performances, as well as other relevant work / voluntary experience)
• Letter of support (1) from an individual or organization that can speak to the what of your work
• High resolution .jpg images (5) that illustrate the breadth of your work (if you have done work on a similar scale, please include at least 1 image of that project)
• Optional: if you have completed commissioned work in the past, you may include your previously used fee schedule.

All forms and requested documents can be submitted through our website.

Important Dates:
The Summer 2013 PATCH Artist application deadline is Monday, July 26th at 5 pm.

Please allow up to 3 months for your application to be reviewed. During this time you may be contacted for an interview by one of PATCH’s selection panel members, or invited to participate in other PATCH activities. If you know that you will be unavailable for an interview for specific dates during this period, please let us know. Also, if your contact information changes during that period, let us know.

If, your application is unsuccessful, we will be happy to provide you with feedback on how it was reviewed, starting November 2013.

While, we cannot guarantee the deadline of the next PATCH Artist application, it will likely take place during Winter 2014.

Thank you for your interest in the PATCH Project. We are looking forward to receiving and reviewing your application. »

– submitted by The PATCH Team

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