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STEPS Blog Series Launch

This article series takes an in-depth look at topics emerging in public art with a focus on new and innovative community-led programming, placemaking, and art interventions that are changing public spaces across what is currently Canada. In this first article drop, we cover the CreateSpace Public Art Forum, a digital forum with 45 virtual participants who created artistic responses to artist talks by professional public artists and cultural workers.

Read the First Article!

Call for Durham Artists

A rectangular graphic tile where the top half features an image of a large scale mural painted on the side of a building. The mural features imagery of fruit, plants and hands performing different actions. The lower half of the graphic has a teal and purple pattern that has font that reads "Downtown Whitby Mural with Meaghan Kehoe. Call for Mural Assistant. Deadline to apply is April 6, 2022."

Are you an emerging mural artist in Durham Region? Apply to this paid artist assistant position to support artist Meaghan Kehoe and Downtown Whitby BIA on an upcoming mural! This project is part of I HeART Main Street, a program presented in partnership with RBC Royal Bank and ShowLoveTO produced by the City of Toronto, that engages artists and communities through artistic placemaking initiatives.

Apply by April 6

Join Our Team!

A rectangular graphic tile where the top half features an image of a mural. The mural has images of a figure eating noodles, surrounded by flowers, shoes and other objects painted in teal, red and orange colour palette. The lower half has a yellow and blue pattern that has text that reads "Join our team! STEPS is hiring for multiple positions! Visit the job postings for full details and various deadlines."

Are you a creative team player passionate about the role of public art in fostering vibrant communities? Check out our open positions and apply today:

Operations Coordinator (Ddln: Mar 31)
Public Art Assistants (Ddln: Apr 5)
Engagement Assistant (Ddln: Apr 5)
Photographer/Videographer (Ddln: Apr 5)
IIN Program Assistant (Ddln: Apr 11)

Events/Opportunities

A square graphic tile that has a pale pink background as well as an pink and yellow pattern. There is purple font that reads "Aurora Public Art Forum. March 31, 10 am to 4 pm, The Armoury. Help us build the foundation for Aurora's first-ever Public Art Master Plan (PAMP)."

Mar 31, 2022
Aurora Public Art Forum
STEPS has partnered with the Town of Aurora on an engaging forum featuring BSAM Canada, City of Toronto, and artist Clarissa M. Lewis to build the foundation for Aurora’s first-ever Public Art Master Plan.

A photograph of a storefront window and door covered with illustrations of food. It features imagery of hands reaching out to partake in the wide variety of food drawn in the centre, set against a dark green background.

April 9, 2022
Brampton Public Art Survey and Raffle
Calling all Brampton locals! Share what food means to you for a chance to win one of two $25 gift cards and be featured in a Brampton public art pilot project. For questions, please contact margaux@stepspublicart.org.

Photograph that has a group of people posing behind a ground mural. The mural features imagery of colourful flags hanging on a white string that has the words "WELCOME" written in white text.

On-going
I HeART Main Street BIA Program
We’re ramping up for a jam-packed summer filled with public art projects of all sizes with Business Improvement Areas across Ontario! Learn how you can take part in this program for main street recovery.

Public Art Near You!

Photograph of a construction hoarding that has a mural printed on it. The artwork features imagery of scenes from a park like green parks, animals, cars and people exercising and walking their dogs. It has a lot of bright colours with the city skyline in the background.

City in a Forest
Spot Sue Todd’s PATCH Hoarding Exhibit with Altree Developments at 2 Forest Hill Rd, Toronto that captures the essence of the Forest Hill community!

An artwork that features imagery of a landscape. The background has the sky in bright shades of pink and purple and the city skyline while the foreground has images of people and trees.

CreateSpace Virtual Exhibit
From drawings, audio-poems, animations and other creative mediums, 45 emerging artists across Canada showcase their work as part of the CreateSpace Public Art Forum.

Building Community During COVID

Photograph of an artist drawing a mural on a storefront window with a white paint marker. The mural features floral patterns drawn within a green tape border along the sides of the window.

Thanks to contributions from community members like you, STEPS has supported over 150 public art initiatives and made over $510,000 in direct payments to Canadian artists and designers since the start of the pandemic.

Consider making a donation to support this important work!

Donate Today

Resources for You

Supporting artists and arts workers, especially those who face barriers in accessing public art opportunities, is at the core of STEPS’ mandate. Below are resources and current opportunities on our radar.

External Opportunities

iAM Youth Arts Program, JAYU (Multiple Dates)
Media Training Workshops, Street Voices (Multiple Dates)
Artmaking Workshops, East End Arts (Multiple Dates)
Cultural Community Expo, OCADU (Mar 23-25, 2022)
Outside the Box Information Session, StreetARToronto (Mar 24, 2022)
Call for Submissions, Indigenous Artist in the Park (Ddln: Mar 27, 2022)
Artist Call, Muskoka Chair Murals, Art & Water (Ddln: Mar 31, 2022)
Call for Submissions, City of Mississauga Banners (Ddln: Mar 31, 2022)
Artist Call, Burnhamthorpe Community Centre (Ddln: Mar 31, 2022)
Artist Call, Visual Arts Centre of Clarington (Ddln: Mar 31, 2022)
Call for Workshops, SPARC Symposium (Ddln: Mar 31, 2022)
Call for Art Facilitators, Nia Centre for the Arts (Ddln: Apr 1, 2022)

More Public Art Opportunities

Additional Community Resources

Featured artists, creatives and photographers in this month's issue:
FP Monkey, Selina McCallum, Ashley Beerdart, Ehiko Odeh, Tayler Buss, Afifa Bari, Meaghan Kehoe, Curtia Wright, Bareket Kezwer, Sue Todd, Mila Bright, Miranda KG, Enna Kim, May Shi

Connect with STEPS

The STEPS office is based in the Ancestral Wendat territory and the shared territory of the Anishinaabeg and the Haudenosaunee, covered by The Dish With One Spoon treaty, and later, Treaty 13 signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit, and the Williams Treaties signed with multiple Mississaugas and Chippewa bands. As a national organization, we acknowledge and are grateful for this land on which we work, play and create, that is still home to Indigenous peoples across Turtle Island.

STEPS is committed to cultivating safe spaces for Indigenous voices to be heard. We encourage you to learn more about the land where you reside at native-land.ca.

Thanks to our Funders and Supporters

Three rows of organization logos, including Canada Council for the Arts, Ontario Arts Council, Toronto Arts Council, Government of Canada, Ontario Government, City of Toronto, Ontario Trillium Foundation, RBC, TD, CIBC, Toronto Friends of the Visual Arts, and Partners in Art