Call For Artists

Art in Stores, Community Workshops, Street Performers, Collaborators
ART OF THE DANFORTH is a large-scale, multi-disciplinary art event held along Danforth Avenue from Greenwood to Woodbine. Event dates: May 20-June 10, 2012.
The goals for 2012 are:
· Bring community members together through the creation of art
· Increase the sense of history and engagement in the community
· Explore the aesthetic possibilities of urban space
· Increase pedestrian traffic down Danforth between Greenwood & Woodbine
AoD 2012 is inclusive and open to all forms of artistic practice. Free public exhibitions of art in all mediums, site-specific installations and the popular Art in Stores program will run throughout the festival, May 20 to June 10, 2012. Community workshops will be held leading up to and during the festival, allowing community members to participate in the creation of visual art exhibits and performances. On the final weekend of the event (June 9 & 10), the art projects of the festival will be supplemented with free outdoor performances and activities.
We believe that art is a powerful tool that can be used to forge new connections between groups and transform the social and physical space in which we exist. With this project, we want to survey “what is” (physical structures, cultural heritage and individual talents), and creatively explore “what could be.” We would like to distinguish this event from other art walks in the city by encouraging ideas that transform our shared spaces in creative, profound and/or whimsical ways.
Artist Opportunities:
All participating artists will be promoted online at www.artofthedanforth.com and in our event brochure.
ART IN STORES: The Art in Stores component of Art of the Danforth matches artists with local retailers. Selected artists will be partnered with a local store to present 1-5 pieces of their work in a non-gallery space. Non-paying. Notifications of acceptance will go out at the beginning of February, 2012. DEADLINE: December 16, 2011.
PERFORMERS: AoD is accepting proposals from performance artists (music, dance, you name it) interested in presenting work outdoors on the final weekend of the event (June 9 & 10, 2012). Non-paying. DEADLINE: December 16, 2011.
COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS: 3-6 artists or artist groups will be chosen to hold free arts workshops for community members of all ages and backgrounds on the weekends of the event. Workshops will be 1-2 hours long and may be in any artistic discipline. We are taking proposals for one time workshops or series of up to three. Preference will be given to workshops which are accessible to participants of all backgrounds and skill levels, and which produce a display or performance that can be presented to the public as part of the AoD event. Small honorariums available. DEADLINE: December 16, 2011.
COLLABORATORS, A Piece of a City: A neighbourhood-based curatorial initiative presented in Zone 2 (Coxwell to West Lynn Ave) as part of the large installations component of Art of the Danforth. This project brings together a group of emerging and established artists to envision a series of site-specific installations and performances that address the interlocking themes of locality, community & contemporary art practice. For complete project and submission details, visit www.labspacestudio.com. DEADLINE: November 15th.
Online and downloadable applications are available at www.artofthedanforth.com.