Organizer Information
The Dan Lawrie International Sculpture Collection (DLISC) is a Burlington, Ontario-based organization that has supported the commission and exhibition of sculptural work for over ten years. It grew out of local businessman Dan Lawrie's personal passion for sculpture — Lawrie, founder and chairman of the Lawrie Insurance Group, began contributing to public art projects with the City of Burlington in 2010, later committing roughly a decade and over $1 million to building a permanent international sculpture collection at the Royal Botanical Gardens' Hendrie Gardens. DLISC has also sponsored public art commissions through the City of Burlington Public Art Program, the Art Gallery of Burlington, and the Joseph Brant Museum. Its stated mission is to present contemporary sculpture of the highest calibre in accessible public contexts, fostering engagement between artists, audiences, and place; its vision is to position public space as a site for contemporary artistic practice outside traditional institutional frameworks. DLISC is a registered Canadian charity (Charitable Registration #75086 3367 RR0001). Its primary initiative is the Burlington Waterfront Sculpture Trail (BWST), which it runs in partnership with curatorial organization Cobalt Connects; the trail launched in 2022 and the 2027 edition marks its sixth season.
Title & Description
2027 Burlington Waterfront Sculpture Trail (BWST) — Call for Artists
DLISC is opening submissions for the 2027 edition of the Burlington Waterfront Sculpture Trail, welcoming applications from both emerging and established artists. Sculptural works are selected for their ability to engage with site, materiality, and context, and to encourage audiences to think differently about place, time, and the spaces shared in public. Following a successful fifth season, the 2027 trail will create a 2.5 km experience linking the Art Gallery of Burlington, Joseph Brant Museum, Burlington Performing Arts Centre, Spencer Smith Park, and the Downtown Burlington BIA, through a series of 60 temporary sculptures and 10 large-scale and/or interactive installation works by local, national, and international artists. The trail is a fully accessible, free experience with no admission barriers.
Categories
- Sculpture
- Public Art
- Installation
Eligibility
- Open to both emerging and established artists
- Open to local, national, and international artists, and to artist groups/collectives
- Works must fit one of three exhibition categories (open-air plinth, covered plinth, or large-scale installation) and meet that category's technical specifications (see Program Benefits & Awards / Additional Details)
- Material exclusions: video/digital art and sound art are not eligible
- Applicants selected for large-scale installations must be able to provide detailed fabrication specs and, on request, stamped engineered drawings for the installation plan
Program Benefits & Awards
- Open-Air Plinth exhibition fee: $1,000 per work (30 selections)
- Covered Plinth exhibition fee: $750 per work (30 selections)
- Large-Scale Installation fee: $5,000–$15,000 per work (10 selections)
- Optional honoraria for artists who participate as public tour guides, workshop leaders, or Family Fun Day programming leaders
- BWST team will work to sell exhibited works on the artist's behalf at their stated price; artists receive 100% of the sale price, less 50% of their exhibition fee (does not apply to Sculpture Inside sales)
- Sculpture Inside at the AGB: opportunity for exhibiting artists to display and sell small works inside the Art Gallery of Burlington over two weeks, on consignment, with 65% of the retail sale price returned to the artist and a 35% commission to the AGB
- For large-scale works, BWST provides technical expertise, access to power, a forklift, and a platform lift during installation, with oversight and assistance for installation
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Submission Deadline: 18 September 2026
- Curator Committee Selected: September 2026
- Artist Selection: October 2026
- Documentation Requested for Selected Large-Scale Works: 9 November 2026
- Municipal Approval/Confirmation of Large-Scale Works: 30 November 2026
- Sculpture Inside Submission Deadline: 15 January 2027
- BWST 2027 Promotional Campaign Launch: February 2027
- Sculpture Installation on Trail: April 5–9, 2027
- BWST Exhibition Runs: April 10 – May 31, 2027
- Sculpture Inside at the AGB: April 22 – May 5, 2027
- Removal of Works: June 1–3, 2027
Location
Burlington, Ontario, Canada
Additional Details
- Application materials required: a 75-word (500-character) artist/collective bio; a 75-word (500-character) statement or description of the submitted work (with an option to add an expanded statement for jurying); a maximum 4-page artist résumé/CV; 1–6 images of previous work; 3–5 print-quality images of the work under consideration (JPEG or TIFF, minimum 300 DPI/PPI, 1200 x 1200 pixels, max. 10MB per image; maximum 3 works per artist); a description of the proposed work (date of creation, materials, approximate dimensions, and weight); website and social media handles; contact information (address, phone, email); and demographic information about the applicant(s)
- Technical specifications: Open-Air Plinth works must fit a 24" x 24" concrete base, weigh no more than 800 lbs, stand no taller than 8 feet, have no more than 24" of overhang, and be affixed to the plinth with a mount or anchors; Covered Plinth works must fit within a 21" x 21" x 30" (tall) enclosure; Large-Scale works must be structurally sound for public engagement, and artists must provide transportation to the installation site; Sculpture Inside works must be completed individual works or multiples fitting a 14" x 14" plinth, weighing no more than 50 lbs, standing no taller than 2.5 feet, with no overhang and no affixing to the surface
- Artists are responsible for covering all transportation and material costs associated with their work within their exhibition fee; fees for engineering drawings on large-scale works are also covered by the exhibition fee
- Selection for a large-scale work does not guarantee exhibition, as these works require additional installation review and municipal approval
- To support accessibility, applicants may respond to application questions in written, audio, or video format (audio/video will be transcribed for publication)
- The submission form does not save progress; applicants are advised to record their answers elsewhere before submitting
- A separate Sculpture Inside submission form will be shared with exhibiting artists in October; interest should be indicated at the time of initial BWST submission