Calls to Artists

The City of St. Catharines often engages with artists to put their talents on display for a variety of temporary exhibits, public art commissions, special events and music programming. We issue calls to artists and requests for expressions of interest when opportunities are available.

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New and ongoing opportunities

Stay up to date on the latest opportunities for artists with the City of St. Catharines.

Annual Juried Exhibit

Call for submissions for open-ended 2023

City of St. Catharines 14^th Annual Juried Exhibition

Entry Deadline: June 26, 2023

Exhibition Dates: Sept. 25, 2023 to Mar. 15, 2024

The call for submissions for open-ended 2023, the City of St. Catharines 14^th Annual Juried Exhibition, is now open! Established and emerging artists living in the Niagara Region are welcome to apply. The exhibition and reception will be held in the Third Floor Gallery at City Hall.

“If we judge objects merely according to concepts, then all representation of beauty is lost. Thus there can be no rule according to which anyone is to be forced to recognize anything as beautiful.” – Immanuel Kant, The Critique of Judgement (1790)

The theme 'open-ended' is asking artists for nothing. By asking for nothing, artists are invited to focus on the exploratory creation process. The exhibition will feature the artists' imagination and ask the viewer to embrace the visual. There are endless possibilities for the ways in which open-ended art can be created and viewed, hence nothing specific can be asked. 'open-ended' will bring the artists creative process to the forefront.

Important Dates

Exhibition Dates: Sept. 25, 2023 – Mar. 15, 2024

Entry Deadline: Monday, Jun. 26, 2023

Selected Artist Notified by Email: Monday Aug. 14, 2023

Artwork Delivery Date: Monday Sept. 11, 2023

Reception: Friday Sept. 22, 2023

Artist Fees

There are no costs associated with entry.

Selected artists will be compensated $234.30 per work, based on the 2023 CARFAC fees.

Selection Process

Submission is complete when application form, images and artist statement is received.
Complete submission guidelines are on our website.
Decisions will be made on the digital images submitted by the artist.
The juror’s decision is final.

How to Submit your Artwork

Complete the application form, image(s) upload and artists statement(s) below.

Application Form

About Us

“The City of St. Catharines seeks to encourage all those who care about the community to participate in making art, collecting it and commissioning it.” - City of St. Catharines Public Art Policy

The City Hall exhibit program is coordinated through the Cultural Services Office of Community, Recreation and Culture Services. The St. Catharines Public Art Advisory Committee began the exhibit program in 2005 and continues each year with three new exhibits to provide City Hall visitors with original art, historic photos or cultural treasures that reflect St. Catharines’ stories, creative self-expression, experiences and perspectives.

St. Catharines City Hall
50 Church St., PO Box 3012
St. Catharines, ON L2R 7C2
905.688.5600
culture@stcatharines.ca

Live music programming

Each year, we feature a variety of live music programming at Market Square, Montebello Park and other park settings to provide the community with free outdoor music experiences. These concerts help make our parks and green spaces come alive, enhance our Farmers Market and park spaces such as Montebello Park add vibrant character to our downtown.

To apply, complete our Musician Application Form. We accept applications throughout the year and welcome submissions from artists with original songs and covers of recording artists.