Artist Calls

Call for Exhibition Proposals from Cultural Organizations: Art & Culture in the Hall

The City of Oshawa invites Oshawa-based organizations, collectives and post-secondary programs in the creative and cultural industries, or Indigenous organizations, to submit proposals for temporary exhibitions to be displayed at Art & Culture in the Hall located outside Council Chambers at City Hall. 

Selected exhibitions will be on display from February 2027 to August 2027.  

Up to four (4) proposals will be selected to exhibit at Art & Culture in the Hall. Proposals can include, but are not limited to, art exhibitions, heritage exhibitions, cultural exhibitions and community storytelling exhibitions. 

Applications are due on or before November 13 at 12 p.m. Late submissions will not be accepted. 

Please note: This call is for organizations, collectives and post-secondary programs. We will launch a call for artists for Art & Culture in the Hall in early 2027.

Apply Here

The City of Oshawa is situated on lands and waters within the Williams Treaties Territory, home to seven First Nation communities of the Michi Saagiig and Chippewa Anishinaabeg, who have cared for and maintained these lands from time immemorial and continue to do so to present day. Learn more.

Each year the City of Oshawa is proud to offer arts, culture and heritage programming in alignment with Oshawa's Cultural Strategic Plan, Culture Counts: Oshawa’s Arts, Culture & Heritage Plan.

This call provides increased support for local artists by providing an opportunity to exhibit artwork in a City operated facility.

The exhibition space consists of four locked display cases in the Council Wing hallway at City Hall.

The measurements for the locked vitrines are listed below:

Vitrine 1: Length – 70 inches, Depth - 22 inches, Height - 95 inches

Vitrine 2: Length – 103 inches, Depth – 22 inches, Height – 95 inches

Vitrine 3: Length – 103 inches, Depth – 22 inches, Height – 95 inches

Vitrine 4:

Title: Figure of Vitrine 4 - Description: Diagram of Vitrine 4. Front length is 11.5 feet, back length is 10.5 feet, left depth is 5 feet and right depth is 4 feet.

Vitrines 1 to 3 are on the north wall of the hall and vitrine 4 is on the south wall of the hallway.

The vitrines are equipped with an exhibition hanging system installed at 72 inches in height.

Applicants will be asked to submit the following:

  • Contact information; 

  • Connection to arts, culture and heritage in Oshawa (maximum 300 words); 

  • Exhibition proposal/letter of intent (images of artifacts, artwork, objects, etc. can be included, submitted as one (1) document; maximum 500 words); and 

  • Additional information or supporting documents (optional, submitted as one (1) document). 

If you experience difficulties with the submission form, please email your submission to culturecounts@oshawa.ca.

A selection committee will review the submissions. The selection committee may consist of representatives from the City’s Cultural Leadership Council, Public Art Task Force, and/or City staff. 

The applicants selected will be chosen based on the following criteria: 

  • Community Relevance and Impact; 

    • Suitability for display in a public space 

    • Reflects the City’s heritage and/or history, culture and diversity and/or natural elements and landscapes 

  • Cultural Vitality 

    • Supports cultural programming and education 

  • Create Vibrant Places and Spaces 

    • The exhibition will intrigue viewers 

  • Installation, Maintenance and Conservation 

    • The City’s ability to accommodate installation requirements 

  • Submission  

    • Compliance with guidelines outlined in this Call for Exhibition Proposals 

    • Connection to arts, culture and heritage in Oshawa 

    • Ability to meet deadlines 

    • Submission is complete 

These selection criteria have been developed in connection with key strategic plans and policies, including the Oshawa Economic Development Strategy, Culture Counts: Arts Culture and Heritage Plan, Public Art Master Plan and Public Art Policy. 

The City of Oshawa invites applications from organizations that provide programming in Oshawa, collectives, secondary and post-secondary programs in the creative and cultural industries, or Indigenous organizations. 

The individual completing the application must be 18 years of age or older.  

Employees of the City of Oshawa are not eligible. 

Submission deadline: November 13, 2026 

Selected applicants notified: December 7 to December 11, 2026 

Final images of artwork, artifacts, objects, etc. submitted to City staff for review:  
December 18, 2026 

Exhibition statement and plans submitted to City staff: January 5 to January 9, 2026 

Exhibition installation: February 8 to February 12, 2026 

Exhibition takedown: August 10 to August 14, 2026  

*The timeline may be subject to changes.

Complete the online application form. 

If the files exceed 12 MB (6 MB exhibition proposal/letter of intent and 6 MB for additional information or supporting documents), applicants are asked to email culturecounts@oshawa.ca and use an external file share program.

The applicants selected will be required to enter into a contract with the City of Oshawa for the exhibition, which will include providing proof of Commercial General Liability insurance coverage in an amount not less than two million dollars ($2,000,000) per accident or occurrence with the City of Oshawa named on the policy as Additional Insured. If the City and a selected applicant cannot agree on the terms of the contract, the selection committee may, at the City of Oshawa’s sole and absolute discretion, choose another applicant to install their exhibition.  

No applicant shall have any rights against the City of Oshawa arising from participation in this Call for Exhibition Proposals or submitting an application for the City of Oshawa’s consideration. 

By submitting an application for the City of Oshawa’s consideration, applicants hereby release and hold harmless the City of Oshawa from any and all actions, charges, claims, costs, damages, demands, liabilities, losses, suits, proceedings, costs and expenses pertaining to the applicant's participation in the Call for Exhibitions. 

By submitting an application for the City of Oshawa’s consideration, applicants agree that all decisions of the City of Oshawa and its employees in relation to the Art & Culture in the Hall exhibition are final and binding. Applicants also agree that the selection of the winners by the selection committee is final and not subject to any right of appeal or review. 

By submitting an application for the City of Oshawa’s consideration, applicants represent and warrant that they have read and understood and agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions. 

The City of Oshawa will not be responsible for insurance coverage of the items while they are on display. 

The City of Oshawa is committed to fostering an equitable and inclusive community that celebrates the diverse lived-experiences of our residents. We encourage submissions from artists from equity-deserving groups that have been historically underrepresented in the arts, including BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour), 2SLGBTQIA+ identifying individuals, people who are Deaf, and persons with disabilities, and strive to eliminate barriers to the meaningful inclusion of members of these communities.

If you have questions about applying, or require accommodations to participate in this process, please contact culturecounts@oshawa.ca.

We are happy to provide support and advice related to the application to make this call as accessible as possible to applicants.

All projects must meet certain requirements. The following content guidelines must be adhered to for the exhibitions: 

  1. The content is not in conflict with any laws, City by-laws or policies;
  2. The content does not conflict with the City’s values, vision or strategic goals;
  3. The content does not conflict with goals as outlined in key strategic plans, including the Diversity and Inclusion Plan and the Culture Counts: Oshawa Arts, Culture & Heritage Plan;
  4. The content does not contain material which could be considered inappropriate, discriminatory, hateful, violent, abusive, insensitive, culturally appropriative or otherwise offensive; and
  5. The content should be suitable for audiences of all ages, and should not include content involving references to drugs, injury, obscene gestures, and/or crude content, and must be politically neutral, that is, must not advocate a specific political point of view.   

Personal information on this form is collected pursuant to Section 11 of the Municipal Act, 2001, S.O. 2001, c. 25 and will be used to administer the Call for Exhibition Proposals. Questions about this collection should be directed to the City’s Information, Access and Privacy Officer at 50 Centre Street South, Oshawa, Ontario, L1H 3Z7, or by phone at 905-436-3311

Stay informed

To stay up-to-date on future calls for artists, we encourage you to:

  • Like and follow the City of Oshawa on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
  • Subscribe to receive “News Releases” and the “Events & Culture News” e-newsletter in your inbox

Contact Us

Service Oshawa
Oshawa City Hall
50 Centre St. S.
Oshawa, ON L1H 3Z7
Phone: 905-436-3311
Toll Free: 1-800-667-4292
Email: service@oshawa.ca

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