The Brampton Arts Organizations (BAO) and Garden Square Brampton are seeking artwork of up to 25 Brampton-based youth artists, creatives, or arts collectives with members who are aged 14-29 years old to have their work featured on the 24′ LED screen in Garden Square in downtown Brampton for select weeks from February – May​ 2025.

Every month, six youth creatives will have their work featured daily with content running continuously from 11am-12pm and 5-6 pm, with additional features across Garden Square, BAO, and City social media channels and recreation screens. The exhibition will culminate with an in-person exhibition during Brampton’s Youth week (May 2025). Timing subject to change.

We are seeking submissions from youth aged 14-29 years old, who are interested in pursuing professional creative careers, building their professional portfolio, and adding exhibition experience to their resumes. We are seeking a collection of artistic styles that captures the diversity, talent and wide range of creative pursuits of the next generation of Brampton artists, creatives and performers. Submissions can include but are not limited to:

• Still images (digital art, photography, illustrations, paintings); or
• Moving images* (theatre, video art, digital art, short animations, dance music videos) – Up to 3mins
• Physical works (ceramics, beading, weaving, sculptures, clothing, furniture, etc.)
• Poetry, spoken word performances

Youth creatives are encouraged to explore their creative practice in their application. This unique opportunity is open to any genre or medium of creative expression and strives to showcase a variety of young creatives. For examples of what the exhibition will look like, please see Appendix A at the end.

Garden Square is a public square located at the Four Corners in Downtown Brampton (intersection of Queen and Main). As a public space, screen content including exhibition artwork will be seen by a diverse audience including families and small children and the selection panel will, at its discretion, determine if the submitted material is not suitable.

Submission Parameters

• Artwork can be new or recent original work and include any medium or genre in a digital format according to the specifications detailed below. Abstract and non-representational works are welcomed and encouraged.
  • If selected, you will have the opportunity to have your work professionally photographed for display on the screen.
• You can only submit 1 artwork for consideration and may apply only once.
• Final artwork specifications:
  • Resolution – Minimum 300 dpi in full size
  • Image Dimensions – for 16×9 format, 1920px x 1080px resolution or greater, will also accept 1080 x 1920, for 1×1 format, 1200 x 1200
  • File Type – Artwork to be sent in a .tiff, .ai, .psd, or .jpg format.
  • Video works to be sent in high resolution MP4 format and a maximum of 3 minutes in length. Audio is allowed and encouraged. If your piece is selected, you will be required to provide a captioned version.
• PSAs or advertising materials will not be considered.

Content Requirements

Content should be both suitable and relevant for presentation on an urban screen as it is located within a highly visible public space that is accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds. Content with explicit use of alcohol, smoking, illegal drugs, horror, offensive language, nudity, explicit sexual activity and/or violence will not be considered appropriate.

Payment

Creatives selected for this opportunity will be paid a one-time payment of $350.00+ HST Canadian Dollars (if HST is applicable) * to:

• Have your work presented on the Garden Square LED screen for a period of up to 1 month and featured across the social media and websites of Garden Square Brampton, BAO, and the City.
• Promote your participation in the exhibition online and on social media, tagging @gardensquarebrampton @baobrampton and #PixelDigitalArtExhibition on each post related to the project.

*The payment is expected to cover any necessary costs or materials, and no further compensation will be made to the artist for costs associated with participating in the project.

*Please note that participants under 18 years of age will be required to have a parent or guardian provide payment/invoice information on their behalf.

Selection Process and Criteria

Artist Eligibility

• Youth must be between the ages of 14 – 29 at the time of application
• Youth must currently have a Brampton address within 6 months of applying

Selection Process

This Call welcomes applications on an ongoing basis until October 13, 2024. Submissions will be evaluated by BAO staff and local artists (the “Selection Panel”) according to the following criteria:

• The artwork’s suitability to the exhibition theme and presentation method.
• The Selection Panel will prioritize applicants who self-identify as belonging to one (or more) of the following groups or intersecting marginalized identities: Indigenous, Persons of Colour, Deaf Persons, Persons with Disabilities, Newcomers and Persons Living with Mental Illness, 2SLGBTQIA+.
  • We strongly encourage applications from these communities and will strive to accommodate applicants with a disability during our process per the Ontario Human Rights Code guidelines and other applicable legislation. If you wish to self-identify, please do so via your submission.

The Brampton Arts Organization (BAO) reserves the right to select and retain the artist(s) deemed most appropriate for the project at its sole discretion. BAO, at its sole discretion, may request clarifications or request additional information, as deemed necessary to e​​valuate the submissions. BAO reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to determine the number of pre-qualified creatives or teams. BAO reserves the right to not proceed with awarding an honorarium.

Submission Requirements

To apply, please complete our online submission form by 11:59 pm on October 13, 2024.

Example Presentation Templates

All branding elements for PIXEL: Digital Art Exhibition will be created by Garden Square’s graphic designers. These are preliminary examples of how artwork may appear on screen. For video files, a cover image will be added to not interfere with the formatting of the ​work.