Toronto | Call for Artists TOAF59: Canada’s leading contemporary outdoor art fair

July 10-12, 2020 at Nathan Phillips Square
Accepting applications until March 9, 2020 (11:59 PM)
Visit torontooutdoor.art

Download: Call for Artists (docx) | Social Media Posts (docx)

Visual artists and makers from across Canada and beyond, are invited to apply for the 59th Toronto Outdoor Art Fair, Canada’s leading contemporary outdoor art fair! TOAF59 will be taking place at Nathan Phillips Square, July 10-12, 2020, attracting over 130,000 art enthusiasts and collectors from around the world.

Why apply to TOAF?

Grow your network: TOAF is the best attended art fair in Canada, with 130,000 visitors and 360+ fellow artists and makers over one weekend. Engage with the public and meet face-to-face with fellow art-lovers & buyers, artists, and the arts community at large.
Be part of a juried showcase: Our expert panel of jurors chooses select Canadian and international artists and makers to showcase their work at the Fair. Be part of this legacy event which has hosted iconic artists like Edward Burtynsky and Barbara Astman in their early careers.
You are the artist-entrepreneur: You, the Artist & Maker, retain 100% of the sales that you make. TOAF visitors spend over $2 million buying art over the weekend, with even more spent post-Fair.
Win one of our prestigious awards: We award over $40,000 monetary prizes and in-kind benefits to 25 award winners annually. This is the largest awards program for art fairs in North America.
Don’t break the bank: We believe that artists should have access to budget-friendly booth packages. As a charitable organization run by artists for artists, TOAF strives to be the most affordable art fair of this size and calibre in North America.

What do we offer for out-of-town artists?

Not from the GTA? Not from Ontario? No problem! We work hard to provide the comforts of home to our out-of-town artists including a discounted hotel offer (walking distance to site), tent rentals, overnight parking and custom framing. We also provide artists who are bringing their own tents early access to Nathan Phillips Square on Thursday night.

What do we offer?

Onsite resources & support: A team of 200 volunteers to assist you over the weekend and professional, secure onsite artwork storage (limited spots available)
Discounted hotel offer (walking distance to site), tent rentals, overnight parking and custom framing. Early access for artists who are bringing their own tents on Thursday night
A successful & comprehensive marketing campaign: Benefit from our multi-platform national marketing and promotions, which garnered 69 million media impressions from 2019’s campaign. We also offer Artist Spotlights for Artists to be spotlighted social media audience of over 19K followers!
Ongoing professional development: Get access to support and guidance from our dedicated team from start to finish, including App and Booth Camps (workshop sessions with industry experts) and an Artist Handbook (an outdoor art fair survival guide).
A vibrant community: TOAF is dedicated to creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for all of our artists and makers, with a focus on accessibility and special initiatives for artists in priority groups.
And more!

“My first year showing at TOAF as a student was definitely a life changing experience. I sold my 3 largest works to a local gallerist within the first hour of the show, and the rest were gone by noon the next day. These were the first paintings I had ever sold… The whole experience was thrilling, but most importantly gave me a huge boost of confidence to keep working hard and to believe in the work that I make.”
– Cristine Yunyk, emerging artist

TOAF59: Social Media Sample Posts

Facebook/Instagram: @torontooutdoorart
Twitter: @torontoartfair

You may choose to use one of the images included in our sharekit package. Feel free to use the sample posts below or repost from our social media pages directly (whatever is easiest for you). Thanks for sharing!