Temporary Public Art Competition

Who is this competition for?

• Professional non-profit arts organizations
• Artists’ collectives that are not incorporated
• Individual artists sponsored by a professional non-profit arts organization

What are the competition’s objectives?

The goals of the public art competition are to:

• Affirm the importance of freedom of artistic expression as one of Montréal’s fundamental values
• Transform the familiar built environment by creating an original and temporary outdoor public artwork to be displayed outside the Gaston-Miron building (the Maison du CAM) at 1210 Sherbrooke Street East
• Spark wonder, reflection and curiosity by giving the public access to a remarkable artistic creation that will be visible for several months in summer 2026, both day and night

What are the details of the competition?

Project description

To mark its 70th anniversary, the Conseil des arts de Montréal wishes to capture the collective imagination with its first-ever temporary outdoor public art competition!

Located in the Ville-Marie borough across from Parc La Fontaine, in the iconic Gaston-Miron Building—the former Montréal municipal library, the Maison du Conseil is a jewel of the city’s architectural heritage. For this milestone anniversary, the CAM is offering this building as a gift to Montréal artists to be transformed by their creativity. The goal? To catch the eye, surprise, delight, confront, challenge and make art still more visible in our city.

Like a canvas, the Maison du Conseil’s façade will become an ideal backdrop for a unique artistic undertaking and provide a platform for free and compelling artistic expression. The CAM is inviting arts organizations, artists’ collectives and artists (sponsored by an organization) to imagine and submit proposals for a large-scale artistic project to be presented in the summer of 2026.

The competition is open to all artistic disciplines and involves creating an original and unique piece of art. It must include a temporary public work of art that can be installed for several months and be visible both day and night. In addition, proposals may also include an optional performance component incorporating other artistic disciplines to be presented at the artwork’s inauguration.

Montréal artists, this is your chance to imagine a compelling project that will showcase your strong and unique artistic vision against the backdrop of an iconic Montréal building!

General considerations

The proposed project must be technically compatible with the Gaston-Miron Building (1210 Sherbrooke Street East). Interventions must be reversible and preserve the integrity of the building, including its brickwork. Furthermore, due to the heritage value of the building, no anchoring can be done on its facades. Please refer to the building plans and photos.

The proposal must respect the integrity of Yannick Pouliot’s permanent public artwork Dialogue (2014).

Since 2009, the Conseil des arts de Montréal has managed and occupied the Gaston-Miron Building. The building is owned by the City of Montréal, which is responsible for its maintenance. Along with the CAM team, it is home to the offices and teams of Ballets Jazz Montréal and Diagramme gestion culturelle. Equipped with rehearsal studios, creative spaces and an atrium, the building is a lively venue that hosts numerous artists and events. Temporary contemporary art exhibitions are also presented on the mezzanine.

What kind of assistance is provided?

The Conseil will provide up to $75,000 for the realization of this project. The CAM will also promote the project.

This sum may be combined with other sources of public or private funding, with the exception of the CAM’s General Funding Program.

All costs and expenses must be included in the budget. Examples include, but are not limited to, professional fees; copyright fees; design, production and technical costs; administrative costs; permit applications; engineering reports (if applicable); equipment purchases, loans and rentals; manufacturing, installation and commissioning costs; artwork maintenance costs; dismantling and any other expenses related to the realization of the work and the project’s execution.

If an artistic performance is proposed as part of the work’s inauguration, it must be included in the same overall budget.

How long does the funding last?

The funding is one-time and non-recurring.

The project must be completed by the dates specified in the application. The work must be installed by mid-June 2026 at the latest. The Conseil’s target exhibition period is summer 2026, i.e. from June to September 2026.

Can the project be fully funded by the Conseil?

Yes, but the budget submitted may also include other sources of income, including private-sector contributions such as a financial sponsorship or sponsorship in the form of services.

What are the general eligibility requirements?

Status and requirements

For arts organizations

• Non-profit organization or non-profit artists’ cooperative that does not pay dividends
• Head office on the Island of Montreal
• Board of directors composed mainly of Canadian citizens or permanent residents
• Primary mission must be artistic creation, production or presentation in the Montréal arts milieu
• Must meet the definition of a professional arts organization

For an arts organization sponsoring an individual artist

• Non-profit organization or non-profit artists’ cooperative that does not pay dividends
• Head office on the Island of Montreal
• Board of directors composed mainly of Canadian citizens or permanent residents
• Primary mission must be artistic creation, production or presentation in the Montréal arts milieu
• Must meet the definition of a professional arts organization

Additional status and requirements for sponsored individual artists

• Canadian citizen or permanent resident
• Have resided on the Island of Montreal for at least one year
• Have created and presented at least one artistic work in a professional setting

For artists’ collectives

• Composed of at least two people who meet the Conseil’s definition of professional artists
• Represented by an application coordinator, who must be a member of the collective, reside on the Island of Montreal, and be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
• Two-thirds of members must be artists who are Canadian citizens or permanent residents (the proportion of members residing outside Canada may not exceed one-third)
• Most members (50% + 1) must be artists residing on the Island of Montreal, including the application coordinator.

Professional requirements

• Possess a recognized and demonstrable skill level
• Led by qualified individuals
• Present activities of acknowledged artistic quality
• Employ professional artists and cultural workers

What works are eligible?

• A temporary outdoor public artwork that can be exhibited for several months during the summer of 2026
• A work that is visible (or partially visible) throughout the day and evening (for example, if the work is an architectural projection illuminated in the evening, it must still be able to be enjoyed in some way during the day)
• Turnkey artistic project: The applicant must demonstrate their ability to take charge of and deliver the project in its entirety.
• All other sources of project funding must be confirmed at the time of application.

Copyright and confidentiality

The organization, collective or artist whose project is selected guarantees to CAM that it holds all rights allowing it to grant this transfer and indemnifies CAM against any recourse, lawsuit, claim or demand by any person seeking to overturn such a guarantee or the representations contained herein.

What must the project be carried out?

The project’s preparation, planning and execution period is scheduled from December 2025 to May 2026. The work must be ready and delivered for its inauguration by mid-June 2026 at the latest and removed by the organization in September 2026.

How many projects will be selected?

Only one project will be selected.

Who is ineligible to apply?

Ineligible applicants

Individual artists

• Collectives and organizations that do not meet the general eligibility requirements
• Collectives that act as a presenting organization or organize festivals or events
• Artists’ collectives incorporated as for-profit or non-profit companies, or legally constituted as partnerships or limited partnerships
• Public or para-public organizations representing governments or municipal bodies
• Organizations dedicated to teaching, education and professional training

Projects

• Activities already completed or in progress

Sectors of activity

• Organizations and collectives working exclusively in variety and comedy
• Parties working exclusively in cultural mediation

Applications

• Incomplete applications
• Applications received after the deadline
• Ineligible applications will not be reviewed by the evaluation committee

Can specific populations receive additional financial support to submit their application or complete their project (accessibility costs)?

Yes. Accessibility costs refer to costs that certain individuals, particularly those who are D/deaf and/or living with a disability, must pay to take advantage, in the same way as others do, of the services and programs offered by an institution for research, to create, produce or disseminate their art. Reimbursement of part of these costs by the Conseil des arts de Montréal may offset the financial disadvantage.

The Support Fund for Accessibility Costs is a financial assistance measure that complements the Conseil’s other programs. The deadline to apply for support for accessibility costs is the same as that for the program being applied to.

Artists, collectives or organizations that have obtained financial assistance from the Conseil to carry out a project can also file an application for accessibility cost support up to three months after the decisions related to the successful project have been sent out, provided the project is not completed before the deadline to send out decisions for accessibility cost support applications.

Support is divided into three components:

• component 1 – Financial support to submit a grant application or to apply for one of the Conseil’s initiatives
• component 2 – Financial support for accessibility costs for a project funded by the Conseil
• component 3 – Financial support for presenter organizations for accessibility costs to welcome audiences for a project funded by the Conseil

For more details, please see this additional information on the Support Fund.

Who should submit the application?

For arts organizations

The person responsible for the organization’s or cooperative’s activities (administration, management) or appointed by the board of directors.

For arts organizations sponsoring an individual artist

The person responsible for the organization’s or cooperative’s activities (administration, management) or appointed by the board of directors.

For artists’ collectives

A person representing the collective must be designated as the application coordinator.

That person must be a member of the collective, reside on the Island of Montreal, and be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.

A person may represent more than one collective, provided that the collectives are all working on different projects and that most of their members (50% +1) are different from one collective to another.

Please note that the application coordinator will receive the tax slips required by income tax law in their name for the amount of the grant received.

Can I submit my application in English?

In accordance with the government’s language policy and the Conseil’s obligations under the Charter of the French Language, all applications must be submitted in French.

Applications may be filed in English only in the exceptional cases listed below.

Organizations

Indigenous organizations

Collectives

Collectives whose application coordinator is a member of an Indigenous community

Individual artists

• Individuals declared eligible to receive instruction in English
• Immigrants who have been in the country for less than six months
• People who are members of an Indigenous community

What information and documents must I provide with my application?

The name and contact information of the organization, collective or artist are required. A person must be designated to serve as application coordinator throughout the entire process to ensure coordination and follow-up with the CAM.

The application must include:

• a 750-word pitch explaining the proposed project, including the artistic approach behind it
• a 500-word pitch demonstrating the ability of the organization, collective or artist to carry out the proposed project (e.g., similar past projects, comparable initiatives, etc.)
• a sketch, photomontage, plan or model of the proposed project
• a technical description of the project, including a list of materials
• an identification of the project team (roles and names)
• a description of the performance component of the inauguration, if applicable (optional)
• a detailed schedule of the proposed project’s design, preparation and execution phases
• a short biography of the artists participating in the project
• an itemized budget including all income and expenses;
• a visual portfolio of up to 10 relevant artistic works, each with a brief description, the year of execution and the associated costs. (For an individual artist, the works may include those of the organization sponsoring the artist.)
• a list of hyperlinks presenting excerpts or complete versions (depending on the discipline) of past projects related to the proposed project
• an additional appendix, if desired, containing in a single PDF file all documents you deem relevant, avoiding the inclusion of information essential to a sound understanding of the application

For organizations only:

• the organization’s letters patent and general bylaws for a first application or, subsequently, if any changes have been made since the last application

How are applications evaluated?

The Conseil ensures that every jury is representative of the community in keeping with its vision of equity.

All applications are evaluated on their merits. The selection will take into consideration the comparative value of the proposals.

Applications will be reviewed by the CAM’s Presidents Committee, which includes board members from all artistic disciplines. A preliminary technical review of the projects will also be conducted.

The final decision on the selected project will be ratified by the Board of Directors.

What are the evaluation criteria?

• Quality of the proposed project, its integration into the designated site, its originality, scope and impact, and the artistic process with regard to the competition’s objectives: 65%
• Technical feasibility and capacity to carry out the proposed project: 25%
• Financing package and financial feasibility of the proposed project: 10%

How will I be informed of the decision?

The selected organization, collective or artist will be notified of the decision by email following the Board of Directors’ meeting in late November 2025. Applicants who submitted projects that were not selected will also receive an email response from the Board.

Can I appeal the decision?

The Conseil’s decisions are final and not subject to appeal. However, the Conseil’s staff are available to answer any questions regarding its decisions. Fairness, ethics and proximity are an integral part of our values, and listening and empathy will always be prioritized in our relationships with our clients. Accordingly, and in order to improve our processes and procedures, we are now providing a feedback form, which you can find here.

In addition, organizations, collectives, artists and their representatives agree not to communicate with members of the evaluation committees or Board of Directors at any time in regard to the management or evaluation of their application or decisions related thereto.

The Conseil staff are at your disposal and are exclusively authorized to answer questions about the application evaluation process and the decisions made.

How will the grant be paid?

The grant is paid in two instalments (75% and 25%).

Payment deadlines may vary depending on the internal processes of the City of Montréal, which is beyond the control of the Conseil des arts de Montréal.

The payment terms and conditions can be found here.

What are my obligations?

By accepting payment of the grant, the organization, artists’ collective or artist agrees to carry out the activities for which the grant was paid and to fulfil the associated conditions, which will be made known when the application is accepted.

The organization, collective or artist agrees to:

• Carry out its project as planned.
• Notify the project manager as soon as possible of any major changes to the project for which it received a grant or of its inability to carry out the project during the fiscal year in question. Depending on the case, a full or partial refund of the amount granted may be requested;
• If required, submit activity and financial reports at the indicated frequency.
• If applicable, include in their report any royalty-free photos, videos or other relevant visual material that the Conseil may use for promotional or archival purposes.