Application deadline: February 3, 2021, 11:59 pm MST
Museums are highly trusted institutions. According to recent research, museums are considered a credible source of information by over 75% of people. People trust museums for information more than they trust the government, newspapers, and NGOs. People trust museums to present the ‘facts’ and to help them determine what happened, what is true, and what it means.
At the same time, museums are not neutral. They are run by regular people with biases and agendas, who are responsible for constructing meaning and producing knowledge. As a museum, Lougheed House is interested in exploring ideas related to historical preservation, questioning historical narratives, critically thinking about ideas around authenticity, and the museum’s seemingly authoritative voice.
We are developing a pop-up project that asks visitors to explore these concepts of authenticity, critical thinking, and meaning-making at a time when these issues are imperative to understanding the role of the expert, and ‘truth’, in contemporary society (#fakenews).
Lougheed House is looking for artists to create interventions in our outdoor greenspace that respond to the theme of fact vs. fiction. The work should challenge the viewer to think differently and should playfully interrogate notions of ‘truth’, authenticity, and fact. The interventions should be site-specific and should take into consideration the physicality of the site as well as the weather and natural environment.
The interventions should surprise, delight, or even confound the viewer, but should be created and installed in a way that encourages engagement and participation in the work. This could be through a physical reaction, an instruction, an idea, or a suggestion. If the artist wants the viewer to physically engage with the work, health and safety protocols must be considered.
Artists are encouraged to visit the site at 707-13 Avenue SW before submitting their proposal. All interventions should take place on the Lougheed House grounds, which are bounded by 13 and 14 Avenues SW to the north and south, 6 Street SW to the east, and the parking lots to the west. All interventions will take place outdoors to comply with current public health guidelines. As interventions in a public space, the artworks will be exposed to the elements as well as to the general public.
Intervention Design Requirements:
- Artists should be aware that any materials or objects that are used in the intervention are used onsite at the artist’s risk of damage or theft. These interventions will be placed in a public space with limited security oversight.
- Artists are to be mindful of the potential waste factor in their design and are encouraged to be as environmentally conscious as possible.
- If a design requires securing to the ground, please know that staking is not permitted so surface weights will be necessary.
- Interventions cannot include an open flame or heat source of any kind.
- All designs will be reviewed to ensure that they adhere to Lougheed House’s Site Safety and Heritage Safety protocols. Modifications to a design may be requested to adhere to these protocols. Artists are encouraged to call or email Holleay Rohm in advance of submitting their proposal if they have any questions about site specific requirements.
This call is open to student artists and professional artists at any stage in their career.
Interested artists are asked to send submissions in writing which include:
- a description of the proposed artwork or intervention;
- an artist’s statement which puts the work in the context of the project as described;
- digital images if available (no more than five and no larger than 1 MB each);
- the name and contact information of the artist, including a brief CV (no longer than two pages).
Timeline:
- Application deadline: February 3, 2021
- Notification of results: February 5, 2021
- Installation: February 19, 2021
- Exhibition: February 20 – 21, 27 – 28, 2021
Artists will be paid a fee of $1200. This fee includes an artist’s fee for a group exhibition ($403), and two half-day installation fees ($460, to include install and deinstall as necessary) determined according to the CARFAC Minimum Fee Schedule. The full fee also includes support toward travel or material costs.
For more information on the Lougheed House, please go to lougheedhouse.com or visit us at 707-13 Avenue SW, Calgary AB. For questions about the project or your submission, please contact Holleay Rohm by email or phone at (587) 999-5790.
Submissions should be sent by February 3, 2021 by email to:
Holleay Rohm, Programs Manager – Hrohm (AT) lougheedhouse.com
