Call for Expressions of Interest: 

Grenfell Campus Fine Arts Building Balcony Artwork

The Grenfell Art Gallery is seeking expressions of interest from alumni of the Visual Arts Program at Grenfell Campus, Memorial University for new public artworks to be installed on the exterior and interior of the Fine Arts Building balcony from September 2027 to August 2030.  

Apply by September 28, 2026

THE SPACES:

Exterior Balcony

The exterior balcony space is composed of 13 DiBond panels, each measuring 84” tall and 48” wide. The commissioned artwork will be a cohesive installation that wraps around the balcony, printed on vinyl and installed and laminated on the DiBond panels.  The artwork may be created digitally and vectorized, or produced as a 2D physical artwork that will be digitized at a resolution suitable for large-scale printing. 

Interior Balcony

The interior area to be covered is 40” tall with two sides of 135” long and a middle area of approximately 220” long.  

The interior balcony is currently composed of a laser-cut acrylic installation affixed with stand-offs designed by Erienne Rennick, in collaboration with Douglas Walbourne-Gough and Deantha Edmunds. The installation has sustained damage during the winters where snow is pressed against the acrylic panels. For the artwork’s durability, it is suggested that the new artwork be printed on vinyl and installed and laminated on DiBond panels. The artwork may be created digitally and vectorized, or produced as a 2D physical artwork that will be digitized at a resolution suitable for large-scale printing. Alternate installation approaches may be considered, including a painted mural that would be sealed.  

Artists may submit expressions of interest for both the exterior and interior spaces. Proposed artworks for both spaces may be connected or independent of one another. Artists may apply individually or as a group of artists.  

This call is not thematic, but rather invites visual arts alumni to respond to the sites in a way that is relevant to their practice.

ARTIST FEES:

Artist fees for the selected artist(s) have been informed by CARFAC 2027 Section 2 B.4.6 Billboards, banners, plaques, etc. at a rate of $12,000 per installation (exterior and interior), adjusted to account for increased fees in 2028, 2029, and 2030.  Additional artist fees may be provided for public programming such as an artist talk or workshop in association with the artwork launch.

ARTWORK PRODUCTION:

Grenfell Art Gallery will cover all installation-related expenses, including printing and mounting of the installation. The artist is responsible for artwork production costs including art materials, digitization equipment or software, and colour-proofing with the selected printer. Adobe Creative Cloud is available for in-person use upon request at Grenfell Campus.  

ANTICIPATED TIMELINE:

Expressions of Interest Deadline: September 28, 2026 

Shortlisted Artists Invited to Submit Detailed Proposals: October 2026 

Final Artist Selections: November 2026 

Artwork File Delivery: June 2027 

Artwork Production/Printing: July 2027  

Artwork Installation: Late August 2027  

Submit your expression of interest by emailing the following documents in a single PDF to Jane Walker at jvwalker@mun.ca by September 28, 2026.  

1. A brief letter of interest outlining your experience with public art installations and any preliminary ideas for this project. Please indicate whether you are interested in the exterior site, interior site, or both.

2. CV

3. 5–10 images of artworks relevant to this opportunity. Select works that demonstrate your artistic practice and that will help the selection committee assess your ability to successfully realize the proposed project. You may include concept sketches but it is not required.  

Shortlisted artists will be paid a $500 concept development fee for a detailed proposal to move on to the final selection process.   

Memorial University is committed to opportunity equity and diversity and encourages applications from all qualified candidates, including women; 2SLGBTQIA+ people; Indigenous peoples; racialized people; Black persons; and persons with disabilities. Candidates requiring accommodations during the application process may contact Jane Walker jvwalker@mun.ca or Dr. Peter Ride pride@mun.ca.