Organizer Information
Mount Allison University is a Canadian university located in Sackville, New Brunswick, within Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq. The university is undertaking the renovation of its R.P. Bell Library Centre for Innovation and Learning, an academic and community gathering space dedicated to learning, research, creativity, and collaboration. The public art project has emerged through an Indigenous Talking Circle involving Elders, First Nation community members, Indigenous students, and Indigenous faculty, to create a meaningful and enduring acknowledgement of Indigenous presence and knowledge within the university environment.
Title & Description
Wabanaki Ornamental Doorway Public Art
Wabanaki Ornamental Doorway is a public art opportunity for Wabanaki artists and Wabanaki-led teams to create a permanent artwork integrated into an ornamental doorway portico at the Café Commons within the R.P. Bell Library Centre for Innovation and Learning.
The project seeks contemporary artistic interpretations grounded in Wabanaki knowledge systems, language, communication, and artistic practices. The artwork should function as a welcoming threshold that encourages reflection, learning, and connection while acknowledging Indigenous histories, intellectual traditions, living cultures, and presence.
Artists are not required to submit a finished artwork proposal at the Expression of Interest stage. The successful artist or team will develop the final concept in consultation and relationship with appropriate Indigenous communities and the university project team.
Categories
- Public Art
- Visual Art
- Indigenous Art
- Site-Specific Art
- Contemporary Art
- Sculpture / Installation
- Architectural Art
The university is open to different materials, mediums, and artistic approaches appropriate to the artist's practice and the permanent interior installation.
Eligibility
- Open to Wabanaki artists and Wabanaki-led teams.
- Applicants must be eligible to work in Canada.
- Teams must be Wabanaki-led and demonstrate meaningful relationships, consultation, or collaboration with Wabanaki communities.
- Mount Allison University employees are not eligible.
- Applicants should demonstrate experience relevant to Indigenous knowledge systems, community-based projects, and/or permanent public artwork.
Program Benefits & Awards
The selected artist or team will receive an all-inclusive project budget of $100,000 CAD. This amount covers artist fees, supplies and materials, travel, applicable taxes, and other project-related costs.
The university is primarily seeking artistic design services, with fabrication undertaken by others. However, proposals that include fabrication services may also be considered.
The completed artwork must be designed for a minimum lifespan of 30 years and take into account durability, sustainability, maintenance, architectural context, and its public setting.
Application Fee
None
How to Apply?
Expressions of Interest must be submitted electronically through a secure upload link. Applicants should contact Ruth Terrio at rterrio@mta.ca to obtain access to the submission portal.
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 7 October 2026
- Artistic Concept Development: October 1, 2026 – April 30, 2027
- Library Renovation: May 2027 – January 2030
- Anticipated Fabrication: 2029
- Project Completion: 2030
The successful proponent must remain engaged with the project through completion.
Location
Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada
Additional Details
The final artistic interpretation is intentionally left open at this stage. A conceptual architectural rendering by Two Row and EXP Architects is provided to illustrate the proposed location and architectural context, rather than prescribe the artwork's design.
The successful artist will be expected to respect Indigenous cultural protocols and intellectual sovereignty and work appropriately within the project's community relationships. Selection will consider artistic excellence, demonstrated experience, experience with Indigenous knowledge systems and community-based projects, ability to realize permanent public art, and alignment with the project's objectives.