Page Builder Instructions
St. Thomas Ontario
  • Things To Do
    • Arts & Culture
    • Downtown
    • Heritage
    • Jumbo
    • Murals
    • Parks & Nature
    • Shopping
    • Gift Shop
    • Spas & Wellness
    • Sports & Recreation
    • Whistlestop Trail
  • Events
  • Food
  • Stay
  • Blog
  • Things To Do
    • Arts & Culture
    • Downtown
    • Heritage
    • Jumbo
    • Murals
    • Parks & Nature
    • Shopping
    • Gift Shop
    • Spas & Wellness
    • Sports & Recreation
    • Whistlestop Trail
  • Events
  • Food
  • Stay
  • Blog
Picture

CALL TO ARTISTS - Elephants & Augmented Reality

2/9/2021

13 Comments

 
Picture
Building on the tremendous success of the ‘Track to the Future’ mural project, Railway City Tourism is requesting expressions of interest from artists who would like to design and paint an original mural of an elephant in St. Thomas! This is a rare opportunity to connect one of the key stories in the history and mythology of the community – specifically, the death of Jumbo the Elephant in 1885 – with the future of the city in augmented reality. Indeed, the artwork will serve two purposes: first, each artist selected will paint an elephant mural in St. Thomas; second, select elephant murals will be incorporated into the new ‘Engage’ augmented reality app to be designed by EXAR Studios and launched in summer 2021! Users of the app will be able to see the elephants as avatars that help guide explorations of the city. 

BACKGROUND
Designs for the elephant mural should be original and modern while also picking up on hints of the history of the community. Once the designs are selected, each artist will be assigned a wall space in the community to paint with the aim that the murals will be painted on or before September 30, 2021. 

BASIC ART GUIDELINES
Basic guidelines for the artwork: each mural should be designed in the shape of an elephant, although what is painted within that shape is to be determined by each artist; the mural can be any size from 30 square feet to 60 square feet; and the expectation is that the best materials will be used to create durable, attractive murals. We intend to select murals that will have broad appeal, as well as designs that connect especially with children (imagine downtown photo-spots for kids!)


PROJECT INFO
The ‘Track to the Future’ mural project is coordinated by Railway City Tourism in collaboration with Andrew Gunn Consulting and young & free press with generous financial support from the Estate of Donna Vera Evans Bushell. Artists featured and involved to date include Meaghan Claire Kehoe, MEDIAH, Kelsey Montague, Denial, Andrew Lewis, Nancy Deleary, Laura Woermke, Grayden Laing, Jaclyn White, and Bibi Nielsen & Melissa Kempf.

Laura Woermke, Executive Director of the St. Thomas-Elgin Public Art Centre, has been selected to paint the first elephant mural. Three additional artists will be chosen to paint murals this year with plans to add more in the series in years to come.
 
Public art has the power to enrich communities, create captivating spaces, challenge viewers, provoke discussion, and add great beauty to our surroundings. We are seeking submissions from a variety of artists with diverse experiences, backgrounds, styles and techniques that reflect our values of creativity, inclusiveness, and beauty. All are welcome to submit designs.
​
DETAILS FOR CALL
 
FEES
  • Each artist will be paid between $1000 and $2000 depending on the size of the mural & experience level of the artist; in each case, 50% of the fee will be paid up-front and the remainder upon completion of the mural
 
REQUIREMENTS
  • Entries must be received by 4pm on Friday, March 5th
  • Insurance and safety requirements are the responsibility of the artist and must be provided upon request by Railway City Tourism
 
ELIGIBILITY
  • Applicants can be based anywhere in Canada, but priority will be given to those applications received from artists based in southwestern Ontario, especially those from St. Thomas & Elgin County.
 
APPLICATION PROCESS
  • Colour sketch of the design must be provided
  • Mural dimensions: between 30 and 60 square feet
  • The mural must be painted in the shape of an elephant
  • Along with the mural design, artists should provide a CV with complete contact information and highlight any previous experience in painting murals
  • Submit entries by email to Megan Pickersgill, Manager, Railway City Tourism, at [email protected]
  • Please use ‘Elephant Mural’ as the subject line of your email
 
SELECTION PROCESS 
This call for artists is being administered by Railway City Tourism. A committee will review the submitted applications and choose the successful candidates. The decisions of the selection committee are final. All entrants will be notified of the results. ​​
13 Comments
Sylvie Verwaayen link
2/10/2021 12:21:28 pm

I am an artist that is very interested in participating. If a design that I create is not accepted, can I still be involved in painting the mural?
Thanks
Sylvie Verwaayen

Reply
Railway City Tourism
2/10/2021 12:35:12 pm

Hi Sylvie, thank you for your interest!

Each artist is expected to complete their own design and paint it themselves, though we have had artists in the past bring in support via other artist friends and they worked together. So if your design is not accepted but you know an artist whose was, you could always reach out and see if they'd like some support.

Otherwise, good luck with your entry! We can't wait to see it!

Reply
Andrew Gillet
2/18/2021 03:39:48 pm

I was wondering how many images I can propose?

Reply
Railway City tourism
2/19/2021 09:01:38 am

As many as you like!

Reply
anon link
2/23/2021 12:17:56 pm

Hi! Id just like to point out in the effort to support emerging artists and designers who make a living from their work that it is customary and most considerate to not ask for designs to be submitted for free as this takes the artists time and effort and if it is not accepted that is time and effort they are not compensated for.
An alternative approach is to ask for expressions of interest from artist and based on their past work a selection of artists can be shortlisted and compensated for their designs.
I say this with extreme gratitude and appreciation for the opportunities that you are creating for artists, and in hopes that you can best support artists as they work to build their portfolios and also produce beautiful art for their communities. :)

Reply
Railway City Tourism
2/24/2021 03:30:13 pm

If anyone has any questions or concerns about the process, please reach out to Megan at [email protected]. We are flexible with the process!

Reply
Alma Art link
2/25/2021 05:09:54 pm

As a mural painter who has spent countless unpaid days submitting mural designs, I couldn't agree more with Anon's comment & I'm glad finally someone has stated this! Choosing an artist from hundreds of free designs is simply exploitation. The Graphic Arts Handbook states"A real pro does not work on speculation" Please choose artists based on our hard work viewable on our websites, examples and c v's. Submitting a comprehensive to-scale design taking 8 hrs. to produce should be only requested once the artist is commissioned.

Reply
Railway City Tourism
2/26/2021 08:48:18 am

Hi there, it certainly is no one's intention to exploit artists. We are simply looking for a conceptual idea that could be fleshed out in a sketch or with proper links back to previous work. We absolutely take all those things into account during the selection process, and do not expect artists to submit a fully fleshed out design that would take that amount of time. Please, if you have any concerns email Megan at [email protected] and we can clarify for you. We are VERY flexible with working with artists of all skill levels.

2021
2/24/2021 03:07:03 pm

I agree with this comment. You'll be able to see the artists' style and approach from their portfolio.

Reply
Alma Art link
2/25/2021 05:32:56 pm

correction...it's the Graphic Artists Guild Handbook Pricing & Ethical Guidelines published in New York
http://www.gag.org
available thru CARFAC
(Canadian Artists Representation)

Reply
Lynn B
2/26/2021 10:41:06 am

Reading the comments/responses it seems like they are pretty open to questions and accommodating. A quick concept sketch as part of a statement of interest with link back to your body of work illustrating ability to execute shouldn't be that time consuming. If you are less established and don't have any mural work, you might need to invest some more time into showcasing transferable skills/knowledge. That also seems fair to ask for.
I'm not an artist, I was just curious about this program so I clicked but honestly, I have to invest some time into any contract or job I'm hired for... why would this be any different?

Reply
Anon link
2/26/2021 02:04:46 pm

Hi, Anon back here again !

Glad to hear this is something felt by all and also supported by Railway City Tourism - I am glad also to hear your are flexible with the submission process...it might be worth making an amendment to the call for artists as it does say a colour design is required.

and Lynn B, as you mentioned you are not an artist and so you don't have experience in this field that we all spend ALL our time in. It is, for better or worse, a job unlike all others to be a freelance artist. So since you do not have experience it would be kindest to not interject in a way that is less than supportive.

and for what its worth, my humble opinion is you shouldn't be doing work for free in your job either!

Reply
Alma Art link
3/2/2021 03:26:33 pm

Anon, you write beautifully and your suggestions hit the nail on the head! I would hire you for my next grant application, as you completely understand the creative process and how hiring an artist works. Please get in touch!

Reply



Leave a Reply.

        It is not down in any map; true places never are. 
    - Herman Melville

    Author

    We are here reporting from the L&PS Station, home of Railway City Tourism. Join us as we explore this charming city, where nature, culture, and railway heritage intertwine at every turn.
    ​

    Categories

    All
    Arts & Culture
    Canada
    Downtown
    Elgin County
    Event
    Food & Drink
    Heritage & Museums
    Holiday
    Jumbo
    Parks & Nature
    Railway
    Shopping
    Sports & Rec
    Stay
    St Thomas
    Wellness


605 Talbot Street, St. Thomas ON N5P 1C6
​
Sitemap | About | Privacy | Contact
Picture
#ExploreRailwayCity​
© 2025 Railway City Tourism 
Photo from miguel.discart

E19823942023LUMIN283