Cowan Recreation Complex public art sculpture competition

We’re building a new multi-purpose recreation facility in southwest Kitchener. We’re seeking proposals from artists to create a sculpture as a piece of public artwork at this new facility.

On this page:

1. Project background
2. Cowan Recreation Centre
3. Public art location options and site considerations
4. Selection process
5. Selection and construction schedule
6. Compensation
7. Eligibility and submission requirements
8. Application
9. Reference materials

Project background

We invite artists or artist teams to submit an expression of interest for an exciting public art opportunity to create exterior sculptures that are imaginative, engaging, and visually striking, that invite public interaction, and are inspired by the theme of sport.

We strongly encourage submissions from artists of diverse backgrounds and lived experiences, including Black, Indigenous, and racialized individuals, 2SLGBTQIA+ community members, and people with disabilities. If you identify with other equity-deserving groups, we welcome you to self-identify.

Information session

We will hold an information session about this public art opportunity on Tuesday, October 14 from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Conestoga Room at Kitchener City Hall (200 King Street West). If you wish to join virtually, send us an email to receive an online link to the session.

Our public art program

Public, accessible art makes Kitchener a lively and engaging city. The public art program is funded through a percent-for-art policy, which produces artworks specific to civic facilities and spaces. Our objectives for this program are to support communities, culture and artists, to represent a diverse community and to improve the quality of life for all residents through:

• the integration of public art in prominent public spaces and neighbourhoods
• facilitating a fair and informed public art selection process
• supporting public art design standards that prioritize high quality, sustainability, inclusivity, accessibility, place keeping and community interactivity

The Cowan Recreation Centre is eligible for new artwork through our public art policy, which allots 1% of the budget from the construction of public spaces and facilities to create new artworks. An open competition is our standard method to commission an artist or artist team to create site-specific artwork. The competition is publicly promoted, and the invitation to submit expressions of interest is open for 75 days, from September 29 until December 15, 2025.

Cowan Recreation Centre

Something extraordinary is under construction in Kitchener – we’re building a new hub for sport, recreation and community connection. The Cowan Recreation Centre is going to be a game changer and we’re looking for some bold, playful and sports-themed interactive public art to help bring it to life.

Visit the Cowan Recreation Centre page to learn more.

Public art location and site considerations

Location one: Ground-mounted outside the west (main) entrance

An approximate 4m by 4m area on a hardscape surface has been identified at the main entrance of the facility for the installation of a sculpture with a maximum height of 1.5m from the ground. The artwork proposed for this site should be designed as a permanent structure, suitable for a high-traffic area, that is engaging and invites public interaction, and may include the integration of seating into the installation. This location would be subject to west-facing exposure and potentially dominant winds.

Caption: Rendering of facility's west (main) entrance exterior with the quad gymnasium structure on the right and aquatics centre to the left. The potential artwork location is identified by a yellow cuboid.

Location two: Ground-mounted outside the north entrance

An approximate 12m by 8m hardscape area has been identified at the north entrance of the facility for the installation of a sculpture with a maximum height of 1.5m from the ground. The artwork proposed for this site should be designed as a permanent sculpture, suitable for a high-traffic area, that is engaging and invites public interaction. For this location, one sculpture or a set of sculptures could be accommodated, along with the integration of seating or other interactive elements within the installation, such as a bench or picnic table.

Caption: Rendering of facility's north entrance exterior with potential artwork location identified by a yellow cuboid

Land acknowledgement and Indigenous archeology

Kitchener is located on the traditional territory of Chonnonton (aka Attawandaron or Neutral), Anishinabek (Mississauga peoples) and Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy) peoples. The Haldimand Tract, an area that includes six miles on either side of the Grand River from its mouth to its source, was promised to Six Nations (Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Seneca, Cayuga and Tuscarora) and other Aboriginal allies in 1784 as compensation for their loss of land during the American Revolution. Before the 1780s, Haudenosaunee and Anishinabek people shared this area for fishing, hunting, trapping and living, adhering to a philosophy known as the “Dish with One Spoon” treaty. Before the destruction and dispersal of their nation by the 1650s, the Chonnonton or “keepers of the deer” numbered about 40,000 people.

RBJ Schlegel Park and the future Cowan Recreation Centre site are located on the Haldimand Tract. An archeological site was uncovered in 2020 during the nearby reconstruction of Fischer-Hallman Road south of Bleams Road. The site has yielded more than 50,000 Indigenous artifacts, which provide evidence of a Late Woodland Iroquoian longhouse village used in the 1300s to 1600s, along with indications of prior habitation and use for thousands of years. The village covered an area of up to two hectares and artifacts indicate farming of corn and beans, fishing and hunting, cooking in decorated ceramic pots over hearths, and use of tools including pipes, arrows, knives, drills and jewelry.

Kitchener continues to be the home of a variety of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples from across Turtle Island. The treaty people who live in this area include Indigenous peoples, new immigrants and immigrants from past generations including those brought here involuntarily during the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, and settlers.

Other site considerations

Selection process

The creation of public art for the Cowan Recreation Centre will be achieved through a two-stage competition administered by the City of Kitchener:

• stage one
  • public art call will be posted for 75 days, closing on December 15, 2025
  • EOIs from artists or teams of artists will be received during this period
  • once the public call closes, members of the jury will conduct an independent review of all submissions deemed eligible based on the criteria identified for the commission, using an evaluation rubric
  • the jury will come together to discuss all submissions and select the top 3 to 5 qualified proposals that will be invited to continue to stage two

• stage two
  • short-listed artists or teams will be asked to prepare detailed concept drawings and/or models of their proposed sculptures, accompanied by textual descriptions
    • selected artists will be paid for this work
  • these artists or artist teams will be asked to present their work to the jury
  • the jury will discuss and deliberate based on the criteria for the commission and make a recommendation for which proposal to move forward with
  • this final stage of the decision-making may include a public voting component through engagement with members of the Kitchener community

The jury’s final recommendation will proceed to our Arts and Culture Advisory Committee for support before being taken to city council for final approval. Once approved, we will prepare a contract with the artist or artist team. The artist or artist team must carry third-party liability insurance for two million dollars and, if applicable, provide us with a GST/HST registration number.

Jury composition

A public art jury ensures a fair process through balanced participation and discussion of all eligible submissions. The jury’s responsibility is to assess submissions and select a proposed artwork based on its artistic appeal, project practicality and other identified criteria within the rubric provided.

Jury evaluation criteria

• artist or team qualifications and ability to produce high-quality artwork(s) (10 points)
• artistic merit of the proposed concept to enhance or activate public space (40 points)
• proposal is in alignment with core theme of sport, representing at least one of the principal sports played at the facility (10 points x weight of 2 = 20 points)
• the artwork invites public interaction in a way that is playful and engaging (10 points x weight of 2 = 20 points)
• the proposed artwork is feasible to install within the context of additional site considerations : durability, minimal maintenance and cleaning requirements, public safety, sustainability, accessibility and inclusion (10 points)

Stage two evaluation categories include:

• artistic merit of the proposed concept to enhance or activate the public space
• alignment with the core theme of sport
• artwork provides opportunities for sustained ongoing public interaction which could include interesting texture or sensory components to touch, opportunities to climb, sit, stand near or within, and may include the integration of seating in the installation
• artist or team capacity to successfully complete and install their proposal
• artist or team capacity to collaborate with project design professionals
• appropriateness of the proposal to the budget, scope and timelines available
• suitability and sustainability of material and maintenance requirements
• general technical feasibility (fully interactive, safe, accessible)

City staff review and site support requirements

Staff will conduct a technical review of eligible proposals before the jury reviews stage two artwork proposals.

Before city council approves and signs a contract commissioning a public artwork at the Kitchener Indoor Recreation Facility, the selected artist or artist team must demonstrate to our review staff that the technical requirements can be met in the final production of the artwork, its fabrication(s) and installation. Staff will support selected artists or teams during this process, but if these requirements cannot be met to the satisfaction of the City’s technical reviewers or the Kitchener Indoor Recreation Facility project development team, no commission will proceed.

At our discretion, the selected artist(s) must provide detailed design drawings of the artwork sealed by a professional engineer licensed to practice in Canada. This may include detailed design and engineering for all anchoring or other installation requirements. We will review all engineered installation details with our consultants to ensure compatibility with the site. The selected artist or team will work with the consultants to coordinate their work with the design intent and to generate all sealed drawings required by our team.

The installation will be implemented with support from our staff. The artist or team will provide consultation during the installation process. An approved contractor must complete the contracted installation of the artwork.

Selection and construction schedule

Detailed designs of the Kitchener Indoor Recreation Facility have been completed, a groundbreaking event was held in May 2024 and construction will be well underway as the artwork selection process progresses. Technical requirements related to proposed artworks may need to be accommodated before the completion of a contract with the selected proponent, so all artists or artist teams selected to participate in stage two may need to be available for consultation before the process concludes.

Installation timing will be determined in collaboration with the Cowan Recreation Centre project team.

The public art selection process will proceed as follows:

Compensation

The commission available to the selected proponent(s) of the Cowan Recreation Centre public art sculpture competition is $200,000. This amount must cover:

• artist’s or team’s design or production fees
• insurance and legal fees
• material costs
• studio and storage costs
• fabrication costs
• transportation of the artwork to the site
• installation costs, including connection bolts, plates, concrete foundations or piers
• subcontractors’ fees related to the design, engineering or production of the artwork
• documentation (photography of work-in-progress, finished work, material specification sheets, maintenance schedule, etc.)
• artist or team travel expenses and meeting time

City of Kitchener staff will support the installation logistics. The artist will consult with our staff during the development and installation process.

Second-stage reimbursements for detailed proposals

Artwork proposals short-listed by the jury for more detailed development and consideration (up to five artists or artist teams) are eligible for a stage two fee of $2,500 per selected artist or team. This fee should cover preparation materials and any time required to develop further and present an idea.

Eligibility and submission requirements

The competition is open to artists or artist teams with experience creating site-responsive public art projects.

The winning artist or artist team must carry liability insurance for two million dollars, be prepared to enter into a legal agreement with the City of Kitchener, and, if applicable, have a GST/HST registration number.

Artists currently contracted to produce another public art project for the City of Kitchener are ineligible until their current contract is completed. We may waive this condition for an artist or team in exceptional cases.

Submission requirements for stage one EOI

To be eligible for stage one consideration by the jury, applications must include:

• letter of interest (maximum two pages or 1,000 words) highlighting your artistic practice, relevant experience and a description of the idea you would want to produce in response to this public art opportunity
• summary of credentials or qualifications relevant to the project, or a resume (maximum two pages)
• current contact information (email and phone number, plus website if applicable)
• a preliminary estimated budget to produce the artwork proposed
• no more than 10 high-resolution image or video files that illustrate past public art projects and preliminary sketches or renderings of your proposed artwork concept, ideally contained within a single PDF document that includes information for each image (title, size, medium, location, year created)
• two letters of reference from administrators of past public art projects or other sponsors of your artwork(s)

Artists or teams preparing a submission should keep in mind that jurors may have a limited time to read and consider each proposal to ensure a fair evaluation of all applicants.

Application

Reference materials

You can use the reference materials listed below to help develop your submission:

• Cowan Recreation Centre west (main) entrance rendering (location one)
• Cowan Recreation Centre north entrance rendering (location two)