City of Regina Neil Balkwill Civic Arts Centre 2025 Artist in Residency Regina’s Oldest Tree
City of Regina, Regina
Deadline: August 20, 2024 - October 09, 2024
The City of Regina is requesting mid-career or established artists to apply for an artist in residency at the Neil Balkwill Civic Arts Centre to transform the tree trunk from “Regina’s Oldest Tree” into an artwork(s) to be accessioned into the Civic Art Collection. In addition, this residency includes an opportunity to mentor an emerging artist to further the legacy of art, craft and woodworking at the Neil Balkwill Civic Arts Centre.
Project Background
Regina was first established in 1882 on a treeless grass prairie; today there are over 500,000 hand-planted trees throughout the City. Regina is one of nine Canadian cities to be recognized as a Tree City of the World by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Arbour Day Foundation. Regina’s Oldest Tree was an American Elm that saw 123 years of history in Regina unfold. The tree lived in Victoria Park where it observed the City of Regina incorporated in 1903, survived the Regina Cyclone in 1912, witnessed the Regina Riots in 1935, was present for the birth of Medicare in 1962, and stood tall as Victoria Park was designated a Heritage Conservation District in 1996. Unfortunately, the tree had been slowly dying since 2020 and was ultimately felled in August 2023 as it had become a hazard to public safety and posed a risk of becoming a breeding ground for the insect vector of Dutch Elm Disease.
This project will write a new chapter in the life story of this beloved tree, which has shared in so much of our City’s history. The branches have been donated to local Elders for Indigenous ceremonial uses and now the City looks to the artistic community to help repurpose the tree trunk into an artwork to live on for future generations to enjoy.
The Artwork
The City of Regina invites practicing artists to submit a proposal for the creation of an artwork using wood from the tree trunk of Regina’s Oldest Tree. The winning proposal will honour the life of the tree and the century of history it witnessed, while expanding awareness of Regina’s Urban Forest and promoting discourse on woodworking and craftsmanship in fine art.
Project Information
• Since it’s felling in 2023, the tree has been debarked and stored within a temperature-controlled building. Due to the trunk of the tree still being intact, we are unable to determine the state of the interior of the wood.
o A viewing of the tree will be held at 1430 4th Avenue on Wednesday September 11 from 2:00 – 4:30 for all interested artists to view the tree.
• The artist will be provided with the raw material (trunk) from the Oldest Tree. The artist’s dominant material must be wood.
• The delivery deadline for this work is April 2025. Installation (if applicable) is between May and June 2025.
• This call is open to all mid-career and established artists.
• Preference will be given to artists with ties to Treaty 4 Territory.
• The proposed budget for this project is $15,000, which includes $10,000 for artist fees and $5,000 for all materials, artwork design, mentee material cost and insurance.
• The artist will receive an artist fee (contract payment) of $10,000 paid monthly over the four month period.
o The final payment will be released upon completion, public showcasing, and or engagement of the work.
• The artist will be required to dedicate 150 hours over four months
• The artist will be required to get insurance as part of the agreement.
• The selected artist will determine the terms and execution of the mentorship program including how they will select their mentee and the involvement of the mentee with the project, this can include but not limited to; being an artist assistant with the opportunity to create their own piece.
• Mentorship must meet the following criteria:
o The mentor must set a budget for mentee material costs from the greater residency material budget.
o The mentor and mentee must meet at least three times during the residency.
o The mentor and mentee must set established goals at the beginning of mentorship.
• If you are interested in being a mentee, please see the note in Application Submission for details.
• The selected artist will facilitate one public engagement session along with an artist talk near the end of the residency to showcase their work. Public engagement opportunities may include but are not limited to facilitating workshop(s), artist talk(s) or open studio hours.
• Reproductions of artwork may be used in City promotional material as part of the residency.
• As part of the residency, the City will be documenting the process and project in a video through third party production company including footage of the artist.
• This residency is to help facilitate the production of artwork(s) that will be accessioned into the Civic Art Collection at the end of the residency.
Proposal Information
All proposals shall include the following:
1. A statement of intent, either:
Letter of intent – not exceeding a total of 1200 words
– OR –
Video of intent – not exceeding a total of 15 minutes
Statements of intent or video of intent should include the following information:
• An artwork statement, including information describing your interest in the project and
concept.
o This statement must include a mentorship program plan including how you will select the mentee.
• Information about the scale of the proposed artwork.
• A description of how the project will interact or engage the viewer according to the project’s stated objectives and theme(s).
• Artist statement and biography including your connections and relationship to Regina and Treaty 4 Territory, relevant accomplishments, and experiences with similar projects, where applicable.
And:
2. CV (include all relevant team members).
3. Up to 6 examples of existing work for review and consideration.
4. Proposed budget.
5. Project timeline.
To ensure our public spaces, reflect the diversity of our community, and to encourage opportunities for those who may experience oppression and/or exclusion, please indicate if you belong to any equityseeking groups (Indigenous, ethnocultural minorities, 2SLGBTQQIAP+, disability, etc.).
Proposals shall not:
• Include design elements that feature advertisements or promotions for commercial businesses or products.
• Include design elements that are discriminatory or include profanity or otherwise offensive content.
• Include design elements that breach intellectual property or trademarks.
The City of Regina will not support submissions that engage in cultural misappropriation (sometimes known as appropriation) and prioritizes artwork that reflects the artists’ own culture(s).
Cultural misappropriation is the deliberate or accidental borrowing from a culture that is not your own without respect, understanding or permission. This may include cultural practices or objects, music,
stories, ceremonies or imagery.
Additional information and resources can be found at: CARFAC Indigenous Protocols for the Visual Arts.
Selection Process
Applicants will be shortlisted, and the top applicants will be invited to an interview with the Adjudication Panel.
An honorarium for proposal development will be extended to the shortlisted artists. Shortlisted applicants will be notified by October 23, 2024.
Only shortlisted applicants will be notified.
Application Submission
Applications should be submitted via e-mail to The City of Regina at mmattison@regina.ca
Deadline for proposal submission: October 9 at 4:00 p.m. CST.
Late or incomplete submissions will not be accepted.
Submissions will be adjudicated by local arts experts & professionals, from the City's independent Arts & Culture Sector Reference Group.
Mentee applicants can send a CV to mmattison@regina.ca
For more information or questions related to the call please contact Marah Mattison at mmattison@regina.ca
Project Background
Regina was first established in 1882 on a treeless grass prairie; today there are over 500,000 hand-planted trees throughout the City. Regina is one of nine Canadian cities to be recognized as a Tree City of the World by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Arbour Day Foundation. Regina’s Oldest Tree was an American Elm that saw 123 years of history in Regina unfold. The tree lived in Victoria Park where it observed the City of Regina incorporated in 1903, survived the Regina Cyclone in 1912, witnessed the Regina Riots in 1935, was present for the birth of Medicare in 1962, and stood tall as Victoria Park was designated a Heritage Conservation District in 1996. Unfortunately, the tree had been slowly dying since 2020 and was ultimately felled in August 2023 as it had become a hazard to public safety and posed a risk of becoming a breeding ground for the insect vector of Dutch Elm Disease.
This project will write a new chapter in the life story of this beloved tree, which has shared in so much of our City’s history. The branches have been donated to local Elders for Indigenous ceremonial uses and now the City looks to the artistic community to help repurpose the tree trunk into an artwork to live on for future generations to enjoy.
The Artwork
The City of Regina invites practicing artists to submit a proposal for the creation of an artwork using wood from the tree trunk of Regina’s Oldest Tree. The winning proposal will honour the life of the tree and the century of history it witnessed, while expanding awareness of Regina’s Urban Forest and promoting discourse on woodworking and craftsmanship in fine art.
Project Information
• Since it’s felling in 2023, the tree has been debarked and stored within a temperature-controlled building. Due to the trunk of the tree still being intact, we are unable to determine the state of the interior of the wood.
o A viewing of the tree will be held at 1430 4th Avenue on Wednesday September 11 from 2:00 – 4:30 for all interested artists to view the tree.
• The artist will be provided with the raw material (trunk) from the Oldest Tree. The artist’s dominant material must be wood.
• The delivery deadline for this work is April 2025. Installation (if applicable) is between May and June 2025.
• This call is open to all mid-career and established artists.
• Preference will be given to artists with ties to Treaty 4 Territory.
• The proposed budget for this project is $15,000, which includes $10,000 for artist fees and $5,000 for all materials, artwork design, mentee material cost and insurance.
• The artist will receive an artist fee (contract payment) of $10,000 paid monthly over the four month period.
o The final payment will be released upon completion, public showcasing, and or engagement of the work.
• The artist will be required to dedicate 150 hours over four months
• The artist will be required to get insurance as part of the agreement.
• The selected artist will determine the terms and execution of the mentorship program including how they will select their mentee and the involvement of the mentee with the project, this can include but not limited to; being an artist assistant with the opportunity to create their own piece.
• Mentorship must meet the following criteria:
o The mentor must set a budget for mentee material costs from the greater residency material budget.
o The mentor and mentee must meet at least three times during the residency.
o The mentor and mentee must set established goals at the beginning of mentorship.
• If you are interested in being a mentee, please see the note in Application Submission for details.
• The selected artist will facilitate one public engagement session along with an artist talk near the end of the residency to showcase their work. Public engagement opportunities may include but are not limited to facilitating workshop(s), artist talk(s) or open studio hours.
• Reproductions of artwork may be used in City promotional material as part of the residency.
• As part of the residency, the City will be documenting the process and project in a video through third party production company including footage of the artist.
• This residency is to help facilitate the production of artwork(s) that will be accessioned into the Civic Art Collection at the end of the residency.
Proposal Information
All proposals shall include the following:
1. A statement of intent, either:
Letter of intent – not exceeding a total of 1200 words
– OR –
Video of intent – not exceeding a total of 15 minutes
Statements of intent or video of intent should include the following information:
• An artwork statement, including information describing your interest in the project and
concept.
o This statement must include a mentorship program plan including how you will select the mentee.
• Information about the scale of the proposed artwork.
• A description of how the project will interact or engage the viewer according to the project’s stated objectives and theme(s).
• Artist statement and biography including your connections and relationship to Regina and Treaty 4 Territory, relevant accomplishments, and experiences with similar projects, where applicable.
And:
2. CV (include all relevant team members).
3. Up to 6 examples of existing work for review and consideration.
4. Proposed budget.
5. Project timeline.
To ensure our public spaces, reflect the diversity of our community, and to encourage opportunities for those who may experience oppression and/or exclusion, please indicate if you belong to any equityseeking groups (Indigenous, ethnocultural minorities, 2SLGBTQQIAP+, disability, etc.).
Proposals shall not:
• Include design elements that feature advertisements or promotions for commercial businesses or products.
• Include design elements that are discriminatory or include profanity or otherwise offensive content.
• Include design elements that breach intellectual property or trademarks.
The City of Regina will not support submissions that engage in cultural misappropriation (sometimes known as appropriation) and prioritizes artwork that reflects the artists’ own culture(s).
Cultural misappropriation is the deliberate or accidental borrowing from a culture that is not your own without respect, understanding or permission. This may include cultural practices or objects, music,
stories, ceremonies or imagery.
Additional information and resources can be found at: CARFAC Indigenous Protocols for the Visual Arts.
Selection Process
Applicants will be shortlisted, and the top applicants will be invited to an interview with the Adjudication Panel.
An honorarium for proposal development will be extended to the shortlisted artists. Shortlisted applicants will be notified by October 23, 2024.
Only shortlisted applicants will be notified.
Application Submission
Applications should be submitted via e-mail to The City of Regina at mmattison@regina.ca
Deadline for proposal submission: October 9 at 4:00 p.m. CST.
Late or incomplete submissions will not be accepted.
Submissions will be adjudicated by local arts experts & professionals, from the City's independent Arts & Culture Sector Reference Group.
Mentee applicants can send a CV to mmattison@regina.ca
For more information or questions related to the call please contact Marah Mattison at mmattison@regina.ca