Project Brief

The City of Hamilton invites proposals from multidisciplinary artists and creatives working in digital media to develop an interactive welcome banner for the City’s new digital storytelling platform: HamiltonCivicMuseums.ca. The commissions will activate the homepage as a virtual gallery presenting digital media work by Hamilton’s creative communities.

The opportunity is open to artists and creatives who are from, reside in or have a meaningful connection to Hamilton. Two separate commissions will be selected by a jury committee. We encourage applicants to submit concept proposals with a connection to or inspired by Hamilton’s diverse heritage.

Award: $4,500 (for each commission; two will be selected)

Deadline: TBD

Background

HamiltonCivicMuseums.ca is a co-created platform empowering Hamilton communities to preserve and share their heritage, histories and narratives through digital storytelling. Launched in late 2021, the website embodies the collaborative and community-based approach to heritage put forward in the new Hamilton Civic Museum Strategy (2021).

There are currently seven virtual exhibitions on view that were co-created with community partners as part of the opening lineup of exhibitions. The prospect moving forward is to grow and evolve the content we continue to co-present and to enhance the digital storytelling experience of the site.

The website is managed by the Heritage Resource Management (HRM) Section of the City of Hamilton’s Tourism and Culture Division. Additionally, HRM manages and operates nine civic museums and heritage sites, collectively known as the Hamilton Civic Museums (HCM):

1. Battlefield House Museum & Park National Historic Site

2. Dundurn National Historic Site

3. Fieldcote Memorial Park and Museum

4. Griffin House National Historic Site

5. Hamilton and Scourge National Historic Site

6. Hamilton Children’s Museum

7. The Hamilton Military Museum

8. The Hamilton Museum of Steam and Technology National Historic Site

9. Whitehern Historic House and Garden National Historic Site

The vision for the Hamilton Civic Museums is to become museums of, by and for the city rather than just museums which are operated by the City. To do this they will preserve and present the many untold stories of Hamilton and Hamiltonians in a sustainable, accessible, inclusive and engaging manner. The city itself, including its peoples, streetscapes, parks, theatres, neighbourhoods, buildings and public spaces, will be treated as a museum that embodies its collective history. The Hamilton Civic Museums will become equal parts physical, mobile and virtual.

To learn more about HRM and the Hamilton Civic Museums, please visit the Museums, Who We Are and FAQ sections on the website.

Eligibility

The opportunity is open to multidisciplinary artists and creatives experienced in producing digital media work who are from, reside in or have a meaningful connection to Hamilton. What this means is that you:

• have training in one or many artistic and/or creative fields such as animation, illustration, design, film, etc.;
• obtained this training in a variety of ways, including through an academic institution, courses, apprenticeship, work and/or lived-experience;
• create work that is meant to be presented or experienced digitally; and,
• can share a portfolio or samples of your digital work.

Applicants under 18 years of age must have their parent or legal guardian sign all required documents on their behalf. City of Hamilton employees are not eligible to submit proposals to this call.

Considerations for the Artwork

The City of Hamilton is situated upon the traditional territories of the Erie, Neutral, Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee, and Mississaugas. This land is covered by the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, which was an agreement between the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabek to share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes. We further acknowledge that this land is covered by the Between the Lakes Purchase, 1792, between the Crown and the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation.

Today, the City of Hamilton is home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island (North America) and we recognize that we must do more to learn about the rich history of this land so that we can better understand our roles as residents, neighbours, partners, and caretakers.

The City of Hamilton invites proposals from multidisciplinary artists and creatives working in digital media to develop an interactive welcome banner for the City’s new digital storytelling platform: HamiltonCivicMuseums.ca. The commissions will activate the homepage as a virtual gallery presenting digital media work by Hamilton’s creative communities.

Artwork Themes

While applicants can interpret a theme of their choosing, we encourage concept proposals that:

• have a connection to or are inspired by Hamilton’s diverse heritage (people, communities, neighbourhoods, landmarks, nature, landscapes, historic events, etc.); and,
• bring to the forefront lesser known, underrepresented or overlooked aspects of this heritage.

The two commissions will be displayed one at a time on the homepage for a period of up to six months each. An artist’s statement, bio and credits will be included as part of the display. The City will be responsible for installing the work on the website following the technical specs provided by the successful applicant.

Technical Requirements

This Call for Proposals asks artists to propose concepts, not finished works. The commissioned artist(s) will work with City staff to confirm their final artwork meets all technical specifications. For the purposes of proposal development, artists are advised that website banner artwork must adhere to the following specifications:

• The commissioned work will be installed at the top of the homepage where the current welcome banner is located (i.e. the blue graphic showing the name of the website and tagline).
• The website is built with WordPress and the existing banner dimensions are 1920 x 558 px. Applicants can extend beyond these dimensions to better suit the type of media, interaction or intended user experience of their proposals.
• Please note and describe such details of your proposal under technical requirements.
• Artwork must adhere to [Art in Public Places or other] COH Policy

Artist Fee

Two proposals will be selected through a juried process. The commissioned artist(s) will receive CAD $4,500 for development and display of the digital media work.

This fee includes (but is not limited to): the preparation and submission of the proposal, coordination and technical consultations including approvals or other expertise as required, preparation of any information and/or documentation, attendance at meetings and site visits, travel to the site and to meetings, insurance as required by the City, artwork delivery and relevant materials, and attendance at the installation and/or unveiling of the completed artwork. [from Mississauga City-Wide Public Art Banner Call for Proposals]

Anticipated Schedule

Submission deadline

Evaluation of Proposals

Artists notified; contract execution

Artwork Creation and Development; City Review

First Banner is added to website

Second Banner is added to website

How to apply

Complete the online application form through Submittable. You will need to create a user name and password. Submittable automatically saves your progress as you work on your application. [downloadable version of application form available?/link to City of Hamilton website for the opportunity]

The application includes the following requirements:

• Contact information
• Portfolio and resume
• Portfolio highlight (250 words): describe the concept and execution of a previous digital project that is both relevant to this call for proposals and representative of your work
• Proposal (500 words): describe the concept to be developed, addressing:

1. The connection to Hamilton’s diverse heritage or source of inspiration
2. The intended user experience and interactive component(s) of the work
3. Technical requirements (size, location, etc.)

Jury and Selection Process

Assessment Process:

All applications submitted by the deadline of 4:00 p.m. on TBD will be reviewed for completeness and eligibility. Ineligible applications will not be considered for funding.

A selection jury comprised of arts/creative professionals, community members and City staff will score proposals against an evaluation matrix. The successful applicants will be the two proposals with the highest scores.