Corridor 45|75

This competition is now closed. The Call for proposals: 2024-25 exhibitions at Corridor 45|75 will be announced in March 2023.

Once every two years, the City of Ottawa Public Art Program invites professional artists and curators to propose an exhibition. Proposals are reviewed by a peer assessment committee and selected exhibitions are presented at Corridor 45|75 over the following two years.

About Corridor 45|75

Corridor 45|75 is located at the O-Train Line 1 (Confederation Line)’s Rideau Station on the west concourse near the Rideau Centre entrance. It is open every day; opening hours coincide with the O-Train Line 1 operating hours. It is wheelchair accessible and admission is free through the Sussex Drive and Rideau Street entrance. (Hours of operation are subject to change due to Covid-19 closures.) Exhibitions at Corridor 45|75 feature the work of local professional artists working in all media and include solo, group and curated exhibitions. Corridor 45|75 presents approximately 3 exhibitions annually.

Important note about the exhibition space

Corridor 45|75 is a unique exhibition space located in a high-traffic underground light rail transit station one level above the train tracks. It is not a pristine, climate-controlled environment and is therefore best suited to artwork that is protected or framed and can be easily cleaned. The display space is protected by tempered glass doors that are locked but are not airtight. Behind the glass windows, the exhibition area is one long continuous space. Sections B to F are programmable (refer to floor plan); sections A and G feature permanent signage and cannot be used as exhibition space. Site-specific exhibitions that engage with this unique space will be the most successful. Although Rideau Station has 24/7 security, gallery staff are not onsite daily therefore exhibitions must be self-sufficient and cannot require regular maintenance. Artists are strongly encouraged to visit Corridor 45|75 and familiarize themselves with the current conditions of the space prior to applying.

A public gallery is a forum for the exploration of diverse ideas. The City of Ottawa exhibits artwork in all media that are of interest and importance to the community, that foster a sense of who we are, and that reflect current artistic practices. These exhibitions are presented in the public domain allowing for an appreciation, understanding and interpretation of our past and present through gallery programming.

The City of Ottawa supports cultural activity that is inclusive of Ottawa's equity-deserving communities, including people from diverse ancestries, abilities, ages, countries of origin, cultures, genders, incomes, languages, races and sexual identities. The City of Ottawa recognizes the Algonquin Anishinabe Nation as Ottawa’s Indigenous Host Nation. The City of Ottawa is committed to supporting cultural activities that respond to the Calls to Action put forward in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Report. Applications from Algonquin Anishinabe Host Nation, First Nations, Inuit and Métis artists and curators are welcome and encouraged. The City of Ottawa recognizes both official languages as having the same rights, status and privileges.

Personal information in your application is collected under the authority of the City Council approved Public Art Policy. Personal information will only be used for evaluating your application and administering the City of Ottawa Public Art Program. City of Ottawa employees and peer assessment committee members are required to treat both the content of applications and the deliberations of the committee as confidential.

Architectural drawing

• Please contact us for an architectural drawing of Corridor 45|75.

Eligibility

• This call for proposals is open to local professional artists and curators working in all media. A professional artist is someone who has specialized training in his or her artistic field (not necessarily in academic institutions), who is recognized by his or her peers as such, is committed to his or her artistic activity, and has a history of public presentation.
• Applicants must reside within a 150 km radius of Ottawa.
• Applicants who have exhibited at Corridor 45|75, Karsh-Masson Gallery or City Hall Art Gallery within the last two consecutive years are not eligible to apply.

Only one proposal per applicant will be considered. City of Ottawa employees or elected representatives are not eligible to apply.

Artworks with electrical components:

• Artworks that require electricity must be approved by an accredited certification or evaluation agency prior to being installed at Corridor 45|75. The object(s) must have an official certification mark or label indicating that the product has been independently assessed for safety. A list of recognized certification marks and labels is available.
• For more information, visit the Electrical Safety Authority or call 1-877-ESA-SAFE (372-7233).
• Any costs associated with meeting the certification requirement are the sole responsibility of the artist.
• Applicants must provide documentation that their artwork(s) meets ESA standards (i.e. certification mark) in their proposal.

Honorarium

• Exhibiting artists will be paid an exhibition fee in accordance with either the 2022 or the 2023 CARFAC-RAAV Minimum Recommended Fee Schedule, Section 1 (Exhibition and Screening Royalty Schedule, Institutional Category I). Curators will receive a professional fee.
• The exhibition fee and the curatorial fee include all professional services related to the preparation, installation, consultation, writing tasks, and production of artwork(s) associated with the exhibition.
• The City of Ottawa Public Art Program does not cover expenses related to travel, accommodation, per diems and the transportation of artwork(s).
• Complex installations of any kind requiring special equipment or specific support beyond the City of Ottawa Public Art Program’s budget are the sole responsibility of the artist.

Assessment criteria and process

All eligible applications are reviewed by a peer assessment committee based on the following criteria:

• Artistic merit, originality and professionalism
• Cohesiveness of the artwork examples and the written proposal statement
• How the artwork engages with the unique exhibition space
• Appropriateness and suitability of the proposal to the highly public nature of the exhibition space
• Technical and physical feasibility

Peer assessment committee members first review eligible applications individually then meet to review them together. The composition of each committee aims to balance representation of artistic specialization, practice, style, and philosophy, as well as fair representation of official languages, gender, geographic areas and culture-specific communities. Peer assessment committee members are chosen based on their knowledge and experience, fair and objective opinions, ability to articulate ideas, and ability to work in a team environment. Members of the committee change with every competition. City employees are responsible for the selection of peer assessment committee members. If you are interested in participating as a peer assessment committee member, please email publicartprogram@ottawa.ca.

Compliance Review

Following the peer assessment committee’s deliberations, the selected exhibitions will be announced on ottawa.ca. Members of the public are invited to bring forward, within a 30-day period, any concern that the peer assessment committee did not comply with the publicly-announced criteria and procedures of the selection process.

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